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UCGIS I-GUIDE Community Champions expand the community reach of I-GUIDE. This year, the Community Champions will have an opportunity to develop their own instructional materials (such as a single lab exercise) that involves the use of spatial AI while it leverages the I-GUIDE Platform. The materials will involve AI-ready spatial data and related machine learning models and applications while promoting FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) data principles, and responsible and open science practices. Ultimately the materials will be hosted on the I-GUIDE Platform for wider access by the geospatial community.

Who Might Participate and Why

• An Enthusiastic Novice: You’ve never used Spatial AI or built a Spatial AI lab before (or maybe just dipped your toes), but you’re eager to learn.
• A Curious Contributor: You teach geography, environmental science, GIS, or any related field and want to bring AI into your classroom.
• A Collaborative Creator: You are experienced in geoAI and you are excited to develop and share a new instructional hands-on lab activity with peers around the world.
• Regardless of your background, you must be currently affiliated with a current UCGIS member institution. You can find that list here (https://www.ucgis.org/site/members).
• Participants selected for this 2025-26 Community Champions cohort are eligible to receive a $3,000 stipend for their contributions over the year.
• People who have served as UCGIS Community Champions in the past are not eligible to apply again.
• Participants must be US Citizens or permanent residents. Foreign holders of US visas are not eligible for this program.

Program Timeline

1. Learn and Apply (October 2025)
   • Info Session: Attend an info session (Wednesday October 8 at 2 pm ET / 11am PT, registration link here) to meet with the program coordinators and ask us questions.
   • Apply: Submit an abstract that describes your idea, even if it's only in an formative stage.  The online application links are indicated above and below on this page.
2. Onboard & Explore (November 2025)
   • Kickoff Workshop for Champions: Join a live orientation to meet fellow Champions, likely ranging from Novices to Spatial AI experts.
   • Practice and Get Inspiration: Access bite-sized lessons on core Geospatial AI concepts and tools through the Convergence Curriculum for Geospatial Data Science and discover existing content on the I-GUIDE Platform.
3. Design Your First Lab (November 2025 - January 2026)
   • Template & Toolkit: Use our easy lab template with step-by-step instructions.
   • I-GUIDE Support: Get feedback from I-GUIDE team members as you draft your activity. I-GUIDE Climbers and other I-GUIDE personnel will be available to help with geoAI technical assistance and testing.
4. Pilot & Refine (January and February 2026)
   • Trial Runs: Run your lab with a small set of students and gather their feedback.
   • Iterate: Polish instructions, datasets, and discussion prompts based on real-world use and input from I-GUIDE.
5. Publish & Teach (March and April 2026)
   • Finalize and Deploy your Lab:  It's show time. Use the activity in one or more courses and gather input on student learning.
6. Outreach & Sharing (Summer 2026)
   • Platform Upload: Submit your finalized lab to the Convergence Curriculum on the I-GUIDE Platform
   • VCO Community Showcase: Present your work in a virtual “Champions’ Expo” and inspire others.

Apply Now!