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Featured Student: October 2008

Wen Lin

Growing up in a small fishing village in Hainan Provice in southern China, Wen Lin became fascinated by natural environments as she spent time walking in the woods and watching the fishermen catch fish by the sea.

When she was an undergraduate in Beijing, the country’s accelerating urban transformation increased her interest in cities. Her decision to continue studying geography was a natural one. “It provides a holistic way to understand the relations among people, places, and environments,” she says.

Since beginning her doctoral studies in 2002, Wen has attracted many UWM honors, including a Graduate School Fellowship, a Dissertation Fellowship, and a Graduate School Travel Award, as well as Mary Jo Read Scholarships and service recognition from the Geography Department. She also has received a Dissertation Grant and travel funding from the American Association of Geographers.

Wen has published two peer-reviewed articles in major GIS journals, one based on her dissertation project and the other one (co-authored with her advisor, Rina Ghose), based on GIS uses by neighborhood organizations in Milwaukee.

1) How would you describe your field of study/research to a friend who is not in your graduate program?

My research interests reside in geographic information science and urban geography. Geographic information systems (GIS) are computerized technologies that can store, display, and analyze geographic information. For example, Google Earth can be viewed as a type of Internet GIS. Another example is Map Milwaukee, which can perform spatial query functions with a wealth of attribute data. I am particularly intrigued by some questions raised by a research field known as "GIS and Society" or "Critical GIS," which seeks to understand ways of developing and using GIS within particular social, political and economic conditions. My dissertation examines the social constructions of GIS in a non-Western context through an in-depth case study in urban China. Such an investigation will enhance our understanding of organizational GIS developments.

2) What brought you to UWM for your graduate studies?

The geography department at UWM attracted me because it has an innovative PhD program with a focus on urban environments. My undergraduate study was in an urban-focused program, and thus this program matches my interests very well. Second, the department has a diverse faculty with a wide range of strengths and expertise in urban research as well as varied international interests and experience, which would be ideal for my graduate study and help to build a strong foundation for my future career. Third, the generous funding offered by the department would not only support me financially for my graduate study, but also provide me with invaluable experience working with faculty members for their research projects and teaching. I was also very charmed by then-graduate director Judith Kenny's thoughtfulness and support before I arrived in Milwaukee, which convinced me of the caring environments of the program. Moreover, as I soon found out, the enthusiasm, support, and generosity of the department is not only rooted in the faculty, but is also from the graduate students.

3) What's been your best experience so far?

There have been lots of great experiences that can go very far, such as many exciting and eye-opening classes, working with a local non-profit GIS provision organization, teaching world geography and GIS and so on. One of my best experiences is the process of co-authoring with my advisor, Professor Rina Ghose, for my first journal article. This article investigates public participation GIS practices in Milwaukee. First, working with Prof. Ghose, who has expertise in public participation GIS, has enhanced my understanding of urban grassroots organizations' GIS practices in their urban revitalization efforts. Second, I have learned greatly about academic writing from her hands-on style of advising. In addition, this process has made me not only familiar with, but also appreciative of, experiences of collaboration in research.

4) If you were able to merge another discipline with yours, what would that be and why?

What geography fascinates me most is that it is quite interdisciplinary. While I would be very interested in taking more classes outside my department if time allows, I benefited greatly from many classes that have provided a wide range of readings from various fields in addition to geography. For example, in the qualitative methods class, we discussed topics whose authors can be from sociology, anthropology, or even philosophy. On the other hand, the advanced GIScience class introduced me to fields of spatial analysis and modeling.

5) What is your favorite stress-reduction activity?

Doing exercise such as playing badminton and ping pong and jogging. Listening to music is relaxing as well. I am also a big sports watcher, and the flip side of this is that at times, I feel I simply spend too much time watching games on TV.

6) What do you most enjoy about Milwaukee?

I have enjoyed very much staying in Milwaukee since 2002. It's so wonderful to make good friends here and get to know the city more and more including its neighborhoods and history that one starts to get attached deeply to the place. Festivals in the summer are loads of fun. And the lake is beautiful. I still remember my first impression of the lake when a friend was picking us up from the airport: "That looks like an ocean!"

7) Is there anything that you've had to "give up" as a graduate student?

I think the tough part is being away from my family, especially when it's more than twelve hours of flight away—Internet and telecommunication technologies make it up a little bit. I am very grateful that my family has always been very supportive and encouraging for my study. Other than that, not really much to "give up" per se, as I am doing what I enjoy most (even though sometimes I might ponder about the slightest possibility of playing softball in China if not coming to the U.S. for graduate school).

8) What are your plans for after graduate school?

I would like very much to teach and continue to do research in my area of interest. To me, teaching and doing research are highly complementary.

9) What trait do you find most necessary to succeed in graduate school?

I think being passionate about your topic is very important in graduate school. Your particular interests might change during the course of graduate study, but passion for what you are working on is the ultimate in motivation to carry it through. There is definitely less time for everything else. So making adjustments and setting priorities are also important.

10) Do you have any advice that you would give to a new graduate student in your program?

The first year of graduate study could be a bit overwhelming with new environments and expectations. I think it would be very helpful to talk to your fellow students and faculty members, participate in departmental events, and learn the departmental culture. Discussions with my colleagues and the faculty members have been particularly enriching and inspiring.