Three Arlington high school students presented research at one of the world’s largest data visualization conventions this month.
Rising Washington-Liberty High School seniors Karin Anderson and Annie Trucano, along with recent graduate Kaitlyn Fado, traveled to San Diego to present at a conference attended by about 17,000 industry professionals. Their presentations at the 2024 Esri User Conference showcased the effects of climate change, invasive insect species and urban planning challenges in the DC area.
All three students developed their maps in a dual-enrollment course offered by Washington-Liberty in partnership with James Madison University.
Anderson, who dreams of becoming a Navy pilot, presented her research on the flood risks Naval Station Norfolk faces from rising sea levels, highlighting the base’s vulnerable areas.
Fado focused on tracking the invasive spotted lanternfly, using traffic data to understand its rapid spread. And Trucano explored public demographic, economic and environmental data to see how open space, tree coverage and housing values interact in Arlington.
Trucano’s research revealed that these patterns varied significantly across different parts of the city, highlighting the challenges researchers encounter when approaching studies with preconceived notions, Ryan Miller, who runs the course, told ARLnow.
“She went into this thinking, ‘Oh well, there’s going to be places that don’t have lots of tree coverage and are actually… not as strong from an economic standpoint as others,” he said. “And then it turns out that all the preconceived notions she had… weren’t supported.”
Miller said his course is the only high school program to have presented at the conference twice, including once in 2012. All three presentations were well-received, with the students receiving praise from industry experts in the audience.
“They practiced like crazy,” he said. “They spent a week prepping and working in California before the conference to make sure that the messages they were trying to present were refined and the company approved. And so, yeah, it was one heck of an experience.”
More than anything, Miller said the conference’s real value for his students was helping them decide if they want to pursue this type of research in the future.
“The data and the analysis and the projects they did are kind of just like an exercise in what you will be doing in the future should you decide to pursue this as a career,” he said.
