First Nations Studies class visits HCN GIS specialist

By Ken Luchterhand



Visitors from the Black River Falls High school paid a visit to GIS Specialist Niklas Anderson of the Ho-Chunk Nation Realty Division on Thursday, Nov. 29.
Sixteen students and History and Social Studies Instructor Paul Rykken came to see what kind of work Anderson does and how it fits in with the objectives of the Ho-Chunk people.
“I wanted to give the students an introduction to geography and all the tools geographers use, especially Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS),” Anderson said.
The group was from a class is called “First Nations Studies:  Introduction to the Tribal World.”
“It is a dual-credit offering with the UW-Green Bay First Nations Department,” Rykken said. “I’m an adjunct instructor through their department in something called ‘College Credit in High School’ program.
“We explore Ho-Chunk history and also many things related to First Nations people more generally.  This is our fifth year of the class and nearly 160 students have now taken the course -- roughly two-thirds non-native and one-third native,” Rykken said.
“Not every student opts for the college credit, but the vast majority do. The three-credit class satisfies a ‘diversity’ class required by the UW system and is transferable to any institution,” he said.   
The visit for the class was for students to see how geographers work with the Realty Division to research the various lands that the Nation owns, among other things, Rykken said.
“I also wanted them to see the various technologies that are utilized such as the UAVs (more commonly referred to as ‘drones’) and the Ground Penetrating Radar.  We have studied effigy mounds, for example,” Rykken said.
“Also, the traditional villages mapping work connects very well to the class, since we have explored much of that history.  This was our first attempt at this one,” he said.
One of the highlights of the trip is an outdoor excursion to watch Anderson fly the UAV in front of the Tribal Office Building.
“The benefit of our Professional UAS Program goes beyond simple photography; the program will produce several other types of geospatial products that will provide many departments with the data they need to make quicker decisions and better decisions regarding land and asset management.,” Anderson said.
“These students are going to be growing up in a world where geography and geospatial technology such as UAS are going to be utilized more in business and governments. This was a great opportunity for them to be introduced to such a fast growing field that is normally a neglected subject in high schools,” Anderson said.
Rykken said that he got to know Nik last summer and he saw some of the possibilities to offer great exposure to the students on a number of levels.
“We will definitely do it again,” Rykken said. “The kids enjoyed the visit. It was a break from regular class and also opened them up to something new.”


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