Ms. Carmen Maso conducts a presentation at the Sandavol Elementary school.

As a geographic information systems analyst at the Environmental Protection Agency, Carmen Masó often finds herself explaining to her colleagues the powerful possibilities of GIS. "GIS is relatively new to the EPA, and many people are not aware of [how] it can help them make decisions and manage available data." She frequently teaches an "Introduction to ArcView" class and "What is GIS?" seminar for her co-workers, and enjoys the chance it gives her to interact with colleagues from other parts of the Agency. "We all come from different backgrounds and can help each other do our jobs better." Masó "stumbled into geography, and especially GIS, through the back door." "Staying close to home was an important factor in which college I would attend, and the University of Illinois offered my first interest, meteorology," explains Masó. She hadn't considered a career in geography until a counselor at the University of Illinois helped her see that geography offered a broader perspective on the world. Her coursework introduced her to many of the diverse sub-disciplines within the field, including human geography, climatology, and remote sensing.

As an undergraduate student, Masó volunteered at the National Weather service. She worked with climatologists and hydrologists, and interacted with people in jobs she didn't know existed before then. "I realized that the Weather Service goes beyond forecasts for the nightly news." The internship also introduced her to employment with the federal government and its hiring process.

Upon completion of her Masters, Masó sought a job where she could use her GIS skills. She asked her sister in Chicago to keep an eye out for job postings that mentioned geographic information systems or GIS. After discovering a phone number for the EPA in the government section of her local phonebook, Masó contacted the Chicago office. At the time there were no openings in the Midwest, but she was offered an analyst position in San Francisco. After eight years in San Francisco, she transferred to the Chicago office.

Masó believes her undergraduate degree prepared her well for her current position. "Looking at human and physical aspects of geography and their applications helped me develop a larger picture of the world. The Environmental Protection Agency has focused on single media issues such as air, water, human interaction, or ecology. My background in geography brings all those things into the broader perspective."

Masó recently collaborated with several colleagues on a project that examined residency patterns of seasonal and migrant farm workers in the Midwest (Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio). Using data collected in 1989-1990 and updated in 2001, they created a simple three-color map depicting counties where migrants resided in 1) 1989-1990; 2) 2001; and 3) both 1989-1990 and 2001.

"We were able to paint a picture of the migrant subpopulation that we didn't have much information about. People were used to seeing a list of numbers, but with the color map we could convey information in a very clear manner. And as with every map, it created more questions we want to find answers to. Now we have a better understanding of were migrant workers our in the Region and begin to looking at a possible connection with pesticide use and the health of those workers."

Masó is a role model for young Latinos with an interest in the environmental sciences. She and her colleagues visit local schools to teach children about recycling, participate in science fairs and career days, and reinforce the need to protect the environment, as part of the EPA's Hispanic Employee Program. Masó often asks grammar school students to illustrate their vision of the future because, "for us to protect the environment now, we need to see what you want it to be like in the future," she tells the students.

For students interesting in studying geography, Masó advises that, "Geography provides a well-rounded education. Whatever you learn may not directly apply now, but it allows you to bring a new perspective that someone else may not understand. It will help you solidify how you feel about your own environment."

Phone interview with Carmen Masó, conducted 13 May 2002 by Heather Baker.