Orientation Blog
My name is Jason Wenzel and I am a professor at Gulf Coast State College in Panama City, Florida. I am an anthropologist with a specialization in historical archaeology and GIS (Geographic Information Science). I earned a Ph.D. in anthropology at the University of Florida in 2018 and a graduate certificate in GIS at the University of West Florida in 2024. I was raised in Panama City Beach and enjoy biking, hiking, surfing, among other activities. I created an Orientation Lab for one of the first main assignments in World Regional Geography (GEA 1000). This lab provides students with a basic introduction to the ArcGIS platform. As part of the lab, students create a map of the Panama City area showing data points from the Bay County Box Turtle Survey, and areas of critical habitat and range for the Panama City Crayfish ( Procambarus econfinae ). Students also respond to questions related to GIS and the lab such as on metadata, attributes, information in pop-up windows, and ...