UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Lily Houtman, a doctoral student in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences’ Department of Geography at Penn State, has been selected as a 2024 U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) awardee.
The GRFP “recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students who are pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) at accredited United States institutions,” according to the NSF GRFP website. The fellowship includes three years of a living stipend and a cost of education allowance.
“I’m so excited that Lily’s hard work and creativity has been recognized by this NSF award,” said Anthony Robinson, associate professor of geography at Penn State and Houtman’s adviser. “Lily’s dissertation work will help us understand how people read and consume maps on their phones in the context of news media. We know very little about what works best to design thematic maps that tell stories on mobile interfaces, and this fellowship will ensure that Lily’s research has the opportunity to reach its maximum potential.”
Houtman's research focuses on cartography with an emphasis on data journalism. As news consumption shifts towards mobile platforms, Houtman explores the design of interactive mobile maps for news stories, gathering both qualitative and quantitative feedback from users to enhance their effectiveness and engagement.
“I'm interested in thematic maps, which include data like COVID statistics and election results, rather than just navigational maps,” Houtman said. “My master's research involved interviews with news cartographers, and for my [doctorate], I plan to conduct observational studies in newsrooms and usability studies with everyday users. This fellowship will allow me to expand this research and provide guidelines for better map design in data journalism.”
In addition to their research, Houtman plans to contribute to the geography community by revitalizing the Supporting Women in Geography club and organizing academic poster design workshops for students.
Looking ahead, Houtman aspires to become a professor and lead a cartography lab at a research university.
“My long-term goal is to be an academic, managing a cartography lab and teaching and conducting research,” Houtman said. “I love the intersection of art and science in cartography and look forward to continuing this work.”
Houtman emphasized that the application for this award was not a solo effort.
"I could not have written this proposal without support, from my fellow graduate students — my officemates in particular — and my adviser, Anthony. I also want to highlight that the college hosted multiple writing workshops with former winners of the GRFP to help those of us who were applying, and they were very helpful," they said.
Houtman graduated with their master of science degree from Penn State in May and will continue on in the doctoral program in the Department of Geography. Before attending Penn State, Houtman earned a bachelor of science in cartography and geographic information systems from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.