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Hannah Corson and Surveying

Learning and leading

As president of the Surveying Society on campus, Hannah Corson is leading the way in showing others the opportunities available in her field. Corson, a senior surveying engineering major at Penn State Wilkes-Barre, took on the role of president after serving as vice president last year. As president, she coordinates employer presentations on campus, the club’s attendance at the annual Pennsylvania Society of Land Surveyors (PSLS) conference, and other events.
By: Goldie Van Horn
As Surveying Society president, student helps bring potential employers to Penn State Wilkes-Barre

As president of the Surveying Society on campus, Hannah Corson is leading the way in showing others the opportunities available in her field.

Corson, a senior surveying engineering major at Penn State Wilkes-Barre, took on the role of president after serving as vice president last year. As president, she coordinates employer presentations on campus, the club’s attendance at the annual Pennsylvania Society of Land Surveyors (PSLS) conference, and other events.

“I make sure we have companies coming in to speak to students and coordinate their visits. About every other week, we have someone from a surveying company on campus,” Corson explained. “This helps students get exposed to the professionals who are out there in our field. Companies are looking to hire the seniors who are graduating and to offer internships to younger students.”

Employer visits have included smaller, local firms in addition to large companies that operate across the country.

“I try to get a good mix of smaller and bigger companies to come speak to students here,” Corson said. “Borton Lawson, Control Point, Milnes Engineering, Bowman and SAM are some of the companies that have visited.”

Penn State Wilkes-Barre’s Surveying Society is a student chapter for PSLS, and the club attends the organization’s conference each year. Last year, five students, including Corson, went to the conference. In 2023, 15 students from the club plan to attend.

“We had a dropoff in members because of COVID, but our membership is beginning to grow again. We have about 30 students in the club now,” Corson said. “It’s my goal to keep that interest going and have more companies come in as well.”

The Surveying Society also works on service projects to benefit the community. Last year, members took part in a road cleanup along Route 115 with the campus Student Government Association. This year, they are participating in a fundraiser for the Ronald McDonald House.

Corson came to Penn State Wilkes-Barre as a transfer student after completing a year at Mercer University in Georgia, where she earned a Division 1 scholarship to run cross country and track. After tearing her hamstring and encountering some health problems, she decided to return to her hometown of New Albany, Pennsylvania, to be closer to her parents.

“My parents suggested the program at Penn State Wilkes-Barre and it sounded like a good fit for me, especially because I like to be outside,” said Corson, a graduate of Wyalusing Valley Junior/Senior High School who now lives in Dallas. “I like that it’s quiet and we have a good space outside to do our lab work. We also have a lot of nice equipment to work with, including software and GPS units.”

She said she also appreciates the opportunities she has to work one-on-one with faculty, including Associate Professor of Surveying Dimitrios Bolkas. She is in her third year of an independent study project with Bolkas, researching the differences between laser scanning using different equipment.

“We use things we don’t necessarily have a class for. It’s a good introduction to different types of equipment,” Corson said. “The equipment is used in a rapidly growing section of surveying, so it’s really important we get some training on it before we go out into the workforce.”

After she completes her bachelor’s degree, she wants to work in the surveying field, preferably at a large firm, and is already visiting those she is interested in.

To other women interested in studying STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields, Corson wants them to know it’s well worth their time.

“Surveying Engineering is a challenging program,” she said. “But stick it out, do what you like, and know you have a good chance of having a really good job at the end of it.”

Penn State Wilkes-Barre offers both a two-year associate degree in Surveying Engineering Technology and a four-year bachelor’s degree in Surveying Engineering.

In the two-year program, students develop an understanding of the skills and equipment needed to make precise measurements, ultimately preparing them for private and public service as a technician in the surveying profession.

The four-year Surveying Engineering program is the only four-year ABET-accredited surveying engineering program in the Commonwealth; it is also one of only six in the United States that combines surveying, geomatics and geospatial studies. With more time to delve into the intricacies of surveying, students enrolled in the four-year program explore more of the legal, professional, and business-related aspects of land surveying in addition to learning to use surveying instruments.

More information about studying surveying at Penn State Wilkes-Barre can be found at https://wilkesbarre.psu.edu/academics/surveying.