Alum Joshua Mueller and Jin-Kyu Jung partner on community-based project

During Winter quarter IAS alum Joshua Mueller will serve as the City of Redmond’s liaison to Jin Kyu Jung’s “Mapping Communities” course project, where students will utilize various research methods to create dynamic and interactive digital maps that meet community needs. Once a student of Jung’s, Mueller is a Senior Engineering Technician with the city and jumped at the opportunity to help facilitate this partnership.

When Mueller enrolled at the University of Washington Bothell, he was already in his desired professional industry. Mueller began working for the Washington State Transportation Department after high school, and with 15 years in the field, decided to attend college to further develop his skills and knowledge of tools such as GIS technologies. One of the classes Mueller took while working towards his Law, Economics, & Public Policy degree was Jung’s “Geovisualization” course. Mueller says that he “didn’t intend for this to have that big of an impact on me,” but that after working with Jung on data and policy analysis, he feels better equipped. “I’m still using the same tools,” he says. “Only now I’m using those tools in different, better ways.”

When Mueller graduated in 2018, he regretted not having the opportunity to take Jung’s newest course “Mapping Communities,” which explores new possibilities of dramatic advancement of popularized digital data and mapping technologies, such as Geographic Webs (GeoWebs), StoryMaps, and Collector Mapping App. Although Mueller couldn’t take the course as a student, his connections through the City of Redmond once again linked him to Jung, who invited Mueller to visit his Winter 2020 course and work with students over the quarter.

“No doubt that Josh will be regarded as a role model of IAS and UW Bothell students who may be able to see their future career from him,” says Jung. “However, to me, the more important lessons he can provide is how the experience in ‘college’, in particular through interdisciplinary and engaged learning and research, can lead to ‘career’ and ‘community.’ Josh will certainly demonstrate and show the linkages among these C’s. I really look forward to working with him next quarter.”