By Nicole Findlay

On a Monday morning a few weeks back, William Parkinson woke up to find he had received an email informing him that he was $1,500 richer. While he may have been tempted to chalk up the unsolicited email as a phishing scam, he had in fact been selected as the recipient of the 2007 ESRI Canada Scholarship Award.

Doug King, Dan Patterson, and Scott Mitchell – all professors in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, and Heather McAdam, GIS coordinator, Maps, Data and Government Information Centre, Carleton University Library formed the selection committee. They selected Parkinson as the recipient of the award which is given to returning third year Geomatics students who have demonstrated academic excellence.

“I am incredibly grateful for this recognition and opportunity,” said Parkinson, a third-year, B.Sc. Honours major in Geography. “This material will allow me not only to further my studies in geomatics, but to excel in a field that I am so passionate about.”

The 2007 ESRI Canada Scholarship Award combines financial, technical and educational support to assist students in furthering their careers in Geographical Information Systems (GIS).

In addition to the monetary award, Parkinson will receive a student license of ESRI Canada ltd. ArcGIS software, a selection of GIS themed books, and a ticket to attend one of the company’s regional user conferences.

Alex Miller, president of ESRI Canada, will present the award to Parkinson at GIS Day on Wednesday, November 14 at 11:30 a.m. in the Galleria.