Teaching

Instructor records at UIUC

Current offerings:

1. UP218: GIS Fundamentals for Planners (Fall) This course introduces the principles, techniques, and applications of GIS in the context of urban and regional planning. GIS refers to the technologies and systems used to create, manage, analyze, and visualize geographic and spatial data. The weekly lectures provide a comprehensive overview of the key concepts and principles of GIS, while the weekly labs offer hands-on experience with ArcGIS Pro and introduce the fundamentals of geographic data mapping and analysis.

2. UP418: Intermediate GIS and Spatial Analysis (Fall and Spring) This course explores the theory and practice of spatial analysis, covering methods for both vector and raster data, with an emphasis on how these techniques illuminate social science (broadly defined) questions. Students will learn to think spatially: to ask how location, distance, and geographic context shape social phenomena, and to translate those questions into rigorous, reproducible analyses. A key component of the course is learning and applying these techniques using Python, a primary tool in modern data science and social science research.

3. UP230: Transportation Planning: Fundamentals and Innovations (Fall 2026, Spring 2026) Transportation planning is undergoing a major revolution. From emerging technologies and travel modes to new waves of societal impacts, the field faces an ever-evolving set of challenges and opportunities. In light of these shifts, UP 230 will prepare students to think critically about the following types of questions: What does our transportation system look like today, and how did we get here? Who makes decisions about transportation infrastructure and how are projects funded? How can we design streets and places that are safe for users of all travel modes, ages, and abilities? What are the impacts of transportation on congestion, the environment, safety, health, and equity? Will autonomous vehicles simply encourage more driving, or can they be harnessed to support community goals?

4. FAA330: Making Sustainable Design (Co-instructor, Spring) My module in FAA 330 introduces students to the use of GIS and geospatial data to explore how regional infrastructure influences sustainability. Over three weeks, students learn to find and prepare spatial data, analyze regional patterns, and use GIS to study infrastructure systems such as transportation, housing, water, and energy. Students apply these skills through a group project that culminates in an ArcGIS StoryMap combining maps, data, and narrative to communicate their findings.

5. UP519: Advanced Applications of GIS (Spring) This advanced GIS course for graduate students introduces sophisticated applications and key spatial analysis concepts within geographic information systems. Students are expected to have completed UP218/UP418 or an equivalent course (e.g., GGIS 379 Introduction to Geographic Information Systems), as foundational concepts will not be revisited. Topics of the course include: remote sensing data analysis, exploratory spatial data analysis, spatial interpolation, analyzing geographic distributions and point patterns, spatial autocorrelation, spatial regression, Python programming for ArcGIS, and WebGIS. The weekly labs offer hands-on experience with ArcGIS Pro and other computational tools for geographic data analysis.

Past offerings:

1. UP418: GIS for Planners (Fall 2025, Spring 2026) This course introduces the principles, techniques, and applications of GIS in the context of urban and regional planning. GIS refers to the technologies and systems used to create, manage, analyze, and visualize geographic and spatial data. The weekly lectures provide a comprehensive overview of the key concepts and principles of GIS, while the weekly labs offer hands-on experience with ArcGIS Pro and introduce the fundamentals of geographic data mapping and analysis.

2. GIS workshop instructor - Getting Started with GIS: Making Your First Map (Fall 2025, Fall 2026)

Teaching Assistant/Guest lecturer at UCSB

1. GEOG 111B: Transportation Modeling and Simulation (Winter 2020)
   • Guest lectured a class on reviewing transportation data and methodologies, focusing on technical skills for exploring and visualizing data to understand travel behavior.

2. GEOG 111A/211A: Transportation Planning and Modeling (Fall 2019, Fall 2020)

3. GEOG 111B: Transportation Modeling and Simulation (Winter 2020, Winter 2021)

4. GEOG 111C: Smart Green Cities (Spring 2020)