Michael Jabot of the State University at Fredonia College of Education and a SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor, is the faculty mentor to a group of students competing in the University Sprint sponsored by the U.S. Census as part of the Opportunity Project.

The team includes members from the University of Chicago, Arizona State University and Villanova University, and is partnering with national experts around the topic of Rural Economic Development. The team that Jabot is mentoring represents the YouthMappers group from across the nation.

YouthMappers is an international network of university-student-led chapters that organize, collaborate, and implement mapping activities that respond to actual development needs around the globe. Jabot founded one of the seven inaugural chapters internally, GeoVenturers, at SUNY Fredonia.

The Opportunity Project helps companies, non-profits, and universities turn federal open data into new technologies that solve real-world problems for people across the country. It focuses on the nation’s toughest challenges, from the opioid crisis and disaster relief to improving STEM education and strengthening the workforce. To date, 100 consumer-facing digital products have been created, using open data to serve families, businesses and communities nationwide.

For information about GeoVenturers or about the work that Dr. Jabot is doing with the University Sprint, contact him via email at michael.jabot@fredonia.edu.