CITT News

Originally hired as a part-time Research Assistant, Ben Olson was later promoted to full-time GIS and Research Coordinator and has become a key CITT team member through his research contributions, project management, and guidance and mentorship provided to research assistants (RAs). Managing various GIS projects, as well as serving as an intermediary between higher-level management and RAs, Olson is an inspiration for research assistants. This week, CITT’s social media team sat down with Ben to learn more about his background, achievements, and plans for the future.

Discovering the Power of Data
I received bachelor’s degrees in Statistics and Spanish from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) and a master’s in Geographic Information Science (GIS) here at CSULB. I had very little idea of what I wanted to do during my undergraduate studies, but I knew I liked numbers. I initially started as a math major, but once I learned about the power of data and its applicability to real-world problems, I switched to statistics. As for GIS, I have had an innate fascination with maps for as long as I can remember. I was that nerdy kindergartener spouting off state capitals. However, I didn’t learn about GIS until late in my undergrad years. I was studying with a friend in an urban planning GIS class, and, as soon as I saw what she was working on, I said “I want to do that.” I took an introductory class the next semester, and from there, decided to look into graduate programs.

As an undergraduate student, I assisted with cognitive diagnosis modeling research at the UIUC Statistics Department, looking at the longitudinal data of a geriatric population to assess quality of life. While working on my master’s degree, I interned with the City of Irvine and later worked as a Research Assistant at CITT before being hired for my current position.

Visualizing the Story of Research
I’ve particularly enjoyed my work at CITT creating GIS visualizations to tell the story of research processes and research related to data collection, dissemination, and availability.

One research project in particular that I enjoyed was a 2018 MetroFreight project, where we analyzed data from a digital freight-matching company to explore driver habits and incentives. I found it interesting to model proprietary data from an emerging technology that has potential to have an impact on truck delivery efficiencies. I enjoyed being able to apply both my statistics and GIS skillsets.

The Fruits of CITT Mentorship
I enjoy collaborating with interesting interdisciplinary teams and the variety of research projects at CITT. It may sound cheesy, but I am most proud of the successes of the research assistants that I have helped supervise. I started out at CITT as a naive student, and have come a long way since then; so I see the RAs making similar progress under my own and others’ guidance as proof of my own development.

Professional Growth Spurts
I am the kind of person who finds it very hard to think in a long-term strategic way. I’ve spent much of my time at CITT developing my skills, growing as a professional, and learning about all kinds of opportunities and paths to take. I still have yet to decide exactly what will come next; but I do know that, eventually, I would like to complete a Ph.D. program.