José Pilartes-Congo, Ph.D. Student

José Pilartes-Congo ‘20, ‘22, ‘26, is a third year Ph.D. Geospatial Computer Science student at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. His research consists of using remote sensing technology to monitor changes in coastal environments, including shoreline shift, local topography, and land use/cover.

 One of Pilartes-Congo's greatest accomplishments while attending TAMU-CC was competing and winning at the National Society of Professional Surveyors Student Competition. Pilartes-Congo and his team researched the modernized National Spatial Reference System (NSRS), collected new data, wrote a detailed report, and created a poster that was submitted to the competition. 

Pilartes-Congo advice to prospective students interested in computer science or geographic information science is to, “take your classes seriously, get good grades, and try to get a work position at a lab within your department”.  In overcoming obstacles, he suggests “talking to class/lab mates can help a lot. Everyone thinks differently and sometimes those different ideas go a long way in helping you solve a problem. The answer to your questions may not always be straightforward, but every little experience along the way will guide you to where you need to go; so, embrace them!” In addition to research, he enjoys playing tennis, soccer, and taking photos of nature.  

Pilartes-Congo’s dream job is to be a project manager at a research institution or agency, where he can utilize his background and experience to help with sustainable development efforts and disaster prediction or mitigation. His goal is “to have an impact and to influence important decision-making." Ultimately, he chose to study computer science and geographic information science, because “technology simplifies real-world problems. It helps find those answers.” Therefore, if you are interested in really making an impact and changing the world through technology, computer science or geographic information science is the field for you!