Alaska's Geospatial community says goodbye to retiring Don Davis Jr.

Professor Don Davis Jr., chair of the Geomatics Department, will retire from UAA this spring after 20 years as a Seawolf.

During his time at UAA, Davis has been part of the ongoing building up of the two-year A.A.S. degree in Surveying (now Geomatics); the creation and development of the four-year degree program in Surveying (now Geomatics); converting the program and department name to Geomatics; moving the programs and department to the School of Engineering; obtaining and maintaining ABET accreditation for the four-year degree program; developing a GIS emphasis within the B.S. in Geomatics degree, as well as a certificate of GIS and a minor in GIS; and maintaining the program despite faculty turn-over, even when he was the sole faculty member.



Davis developed and maintained one of the highest quality and most concentrated programs of its type in the nation. He has recruited faculty, both full-time and adjunct, that have been able to maintain the program's quality and breadth. He has taught across the curriculum, in basic surveying, planning, development, remote sensing, photogrammetry, adjustment, mapping, programming, professional development and geodesy.



Davis has played a leading role in the various professional societies in Alaska over the years. He was the leader in organizing the national American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing conference in Anchorage in 2003, and has run the Alaska Surveying and Mapping Conference on several occasions. He is a Professional Land Surveyor in Alaska.



For his outstanding achievements and years of dedicated service, Davis was elected to the Alaska Surveying and Mapping Conference Hall of Fame on Feb. 23, 2011 in Anchorage. "Don's dedication to the program is unmatched, as is his dedication to the wider geospatial professions," said colleague Bill Hazelton, associate professor in the School of Engineering.