Forrest Bowlick

Forrest’s research investigates how students learn GIS, especially in the growing field of CyberGIS. Through analysis of curriculum and instruction in GIS, Forrest aims to build an evidence-based understanding of how GIS programs function, and what knowledge, skills, and practices make up the GIS degree. He has additional research interest in geography education, geography in higher education, resources of the elements, and tropical glaciers.

A senior lecturer at UMass Amherst, Dr. Forrest Bowlick has faculty appointments in both the Department of Earth, Geographic and Climate Sciences (EGCS) and the Department of Environmental Conservation. He also holds affiliate appointments within the School of Public Policy and the Data Analytics and Computational Social Science Program. He is the Graduate Program Director of the MS Program in Geography (GIST Concentration), and is also the EGCS Associate Department Head. Forrest’s research investigates how students learn GIS across educational scales. Conducting research at the learner, course, institution, and curriculum levels, his approach utilizes multiple methods through the lens of the scholarship of teaching and learning to help understand GIS teaching and learning. Forrest aims to build an evidence-based understanding of how GIS programs function, the progression from GIS novice to GIS expert, and what knowledge, skills, and practices make up the GIS degree. He has additional research interests in geography education, geography in higher education, resources of the elements, and tropical glaciers.

Bowlick, F. J., D. W. Goldberg, and S. W. Bednarz. 2018. Valuable Components of CyberGIS: Expert Viewpoints through Q-Method Interviews. Transactions in GIS, published online 8/8/2018.

Bowlick, F. J., and D. J. Wright. 2018. A Dark-Side to Data-Centric Geography? Implications or Geography’s Frontier. The Professional Geographer, published online 4/23/2018.

Myers, D. J., C. M. Schweik, R. Wicks, F. Bowlick, and M. Carullo. 2018. Developing a Land Cover Classification of Salt Marshes Using UAS Time-Series Imagery and an Open Source Workflow. International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing, and Spatial Information Sciences, XLII-4/W8, 155-162.

Pierstorff, R., J. Horney, D. Goldberg, F. Bowlick, and T. Hammond. Revision in Review. Bike Network Equity: A GIS and Qualitative Analysis of Several American Cities. Journal of Transportation Geography

Shook, E., F. J. Bowlick, K. K. Kemp, O. Ahlqvist, P. Carbajales, D. DiBiase, E.-K. Kim, S. Lathrop, B. Ricker, P. Rickles, J. Rush, J. Swift, and S. Wang. In Production. Cyber Literacy for GIScience: Toward Formalizing Geospatial Computing Education. The ProfessionalGeographer, accepted 5/8/2018.

Bowlick, F. J., Goldberg, D. W., & Bednarz, S. W. (2017). Computer Science and Programming Courses in Geography Departments in the United States. The Professional Geographer, 69(1), 138-150.

Bowlick, F. J., Bednarz, S. W., & Goldberg, D. W. (2015). Student Learning in an Introductory GIS Course: Using a Project‐Based Approach. Transactions in GIS.

Bowlick, F., Andermatt, K., Besmar, C., Erbe, J., Lopez III, R., White, J., … & Carroll, K. M. (2015). Defining the Palouse: Using Overlap Analysis to Delineate an Informal Region. Yearbook of the Association of Pacific Coast Geographers, 77, 40-51.

Bowlick, F. J., & Kolden, C. A. (2013). Effects of an introductory geography course on student perceptions of geography at the University of Idaho. Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 37(4), 515-535.

PhD, Geography, Texas A&M University, 2016

MS, Geography, University of Idaho, 2012

BA, Geography – GIS, University of Northern Colorado, 2010

ORCID