PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] – The semi-annual GIS Institute wrapped up at the PSTC on June 3 with presentations from participants including two PSTC trainees. During the first session, GIS Applications in the Social Sciences, Jennifer Bouek (Sociology) presented "Markets of Child Care," which examines the organizational markets of childcare and investigates variation across local geographies and patterns related to community sociodemographic status.

Mahesh Dahal (Economics) presented "International Migration and Entrepreneurship: Among and Beyond Migrant Origin Households" during the same session. Dahal estimates the overall impacts of international migration on entrepreneurship among migrant households and in migrant-origin communities in rural Nepal. 

The GIS Institute, lead by Associate S4 Director and Associate Professor of Population Studies Rachel Franklin, takes place twice each year in January and June. It is an intensive two-week course focused on visualization, management, and analysis of geographic data and is open to the entire Brown community.