From Weeks to Minutes: How AI Is Transforming Research and Teaching

What if the most tedious parts of your research workflow could shrink from months to minutes? In this episode, hosts Stacey Merola and William Pate sit down with Ron Wilson, Assistant Graduate Program Director for the GIS program at the University of Maryland Baltimore County, to explore how AI is reshaping the way researchers and educators work. Ron shares how AI went from helping him stress-test research ideas to slashing coding time, generating synthetic datasets, and building classroom visualizations in 20 minutes flat. But it's not all hype — Ron also gets candid about responsible AI use, the importance of prompt engineering, and why treating AI as a tool rather than a revolution is the key to getting real results. Whether you're a data professional, educator, or just AI-curious, this episode is packed with practical insight. Links to additional information For a summary of this episode, check out the notes here.  Learn more about the UMBC GIS graduate program here, including their GIS Master of Professional Studies which is a two-year (18 credits) program designed for early-to-mid-career professionals seeking a more foundational knowledge of GI that goes beyond learning the basics of technology or application of analytical tools.  For more information about this topic, check out the UMBC Mic’d Up Podcast where they recently released an episode on GIS and AI.  The podcast music was written and produced by Stacey Merola. The podcast artwork was created by Zoe Targino.