Support Specialist, Topcon Positioning Systems California, USA

Even the savviest users of the increasingly powerful geomatics/geospatial hardware and software sometimes need a helping hand. With great power can come great conundrums that, without excellent support resources, can be difficult to solve—especially with deadlines and spiraling costs on the line. Rebecca Aguilar has already proven to be a much-appreciated support specialist at Topcon, but she also has a background in valuable skills—both in geosciences and communications—that should raise her star, both professionally and as an asset to the industry.

Aguilar earned both a bachelor’s and master’s in geosciences at the University of Texas, Dallas (UTD). That geosciences program is an interesting mix of geology, geophysics, geochemistry, paleobiology, geomorphology, paleoclimatology, and more; many graduates form careers in the energy sector. Students receive instruction in many of the same fundamentals and use many of the same tools and solutions as geomatics or geospatial students: GNSS, remote sensing, GIS, and more. An example of Aguilar’s geoscience research is how she used photorealistic surface lidar to study fracturing around a fault zone. Her minor at UTD was in visual arts; she is a talented writer and illustrator (a published cartoonist). Science and engineering fields have the reputation of generally lacking great communicators, and they need more dynamic and talented people like Aguilar—she is off to great start.