FAQ Additional details

# Do I need to move to Philadelphia or can I participate in this fellowship remotely?

Fellows are required to work at the Azavea office in Philadelphia during the program. Thus, we highly recommend moving to Philadelphia. Applicants that live outside the Philadelphia region will be eligible for assistance with relocation expenses on a discretionary basis. There may be opportunities to do field work or travel, but this is project-based and not guaranteed.

# Do I need to be currently enrolled as a student?

Applicants must be enrolled at an accredited college or university as of April 15 in the year of the fellowship. For more information, see the Fellow Resources page.

# Do I need to be enrolled in a GIS program at my university?

You do not need to be enrolled in a GIS program. However, we do suggest a working knowledge of basic GIS concepts and some experience with desktop GIS or open source software. It’s helpful if you’ve taken at least one class in GIS. That being said, the goal of the program is to support future GIS Analysts, so we especially encourage students enrolled in GIS programs to apply.

# Can I take time off during the fellowship?

Fellows are required to work at least 12 weeks over the course of the summer and must agree to the designated program start date. However, we understand summer is also the time for vacation and visiting family and friends. As long as the fellow meets the 12 week work requirement, it is permissible to take up to one week of time off during the summer, but this will extend your fellowship end date by the same number of days. Azavea is closed on July 4th.

# How many projects can I work on?

Fellows typically work on two projects over the course of the summer. If there is extra time, there may be an opportunity to work on other projects. However, Azavea tries to arrange projects and schedules so there is little downtime and menial work not part of the project or program is never required.

# What other learning opportunities will I be exposed to at Azavea?

Over the course of the summer, fellows will be treated like any other staff with the opportunity to participate in our monthly brown bag lunches with guest speakers, technical staff meetings, and design staff meetings. In addition, we host workshops run by staff or guests on topics such as project management, design, and web-mapping. Finally, Azavea has a fully stocked paper and digital library with books covering a wide-range of topics from computer programming to business management.

# Can I receive credits at my university for work completed during the fellowship?

Azavea will coordinate with academic programs to approve academic credit. The fellow must receive permission from the college or university.

# What benefits are included with the fellowship?

Although this fellowship program has a specific term limit, Azavea offers some additional benefits beyond the stipend, including:

• Applicants that live outside the Philadelphia region will be eligible for assistance with relocation expenses on a discretionary basis.
• Public Transit reimbursement: We encourage people to use public transit as an alternative to a car. We will reimburse you for your monthly public transit costs up to a maximum of $230/month.
• Bicycle reimbursement: If you use a bike instead of walking or public transit, we will reimburse you for their monthly bicycle costs for commuting (including repairs, helmet, or purchase price of the bicycle) up to a maximum of $20/month. (Please note that due to IRS regulations, this benefit is mutually exclusive with the public transit benefit).
• Flex Time options: Coordinate with your mentor if you need to come in late or leave early and make up the time when it works.
• Federal Holiday: One day of paid holiday leave on July 4th.
• Paid Sick Leave: 1.5 days paid sick leave is available, should you need it.

# If I’m not accepted into the fellowship, can I be contacted by organizations that are looking for GIS work?

When filling out the application, you will have the opportunity to opt-in to allow your email to be shared with nonprofits who may be interested in pursuing their projects if not selected by another student. We will never sell or share your email with any other third party, only nonprofits with projects we have approved. In the past, we’ve had students ask for this because they were still interested in pursuing projects for school credit.

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For more information about the application process, visit the Resources pages:

Resources for Fellows Resources for Nonprofits