A smiling man in a blue plaid shirt is positioned in the foreground against a dark, blurred background with soft glowing lights.

Check made out to "GIS SIG - Cole Scholarship"
Address to send check: P.O. Box 14067, Rochester, NY 14614-4067

This scholarship fund is to honor, remember, and continue the legacy of Justin Cole, GISP <a href="https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/local/new-york/henrietta" style="text-align: start; text-decoration-color: currentcolor; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank" id="isPasted" fr-original-style="text-align: start;"></a>who passed away on September 15, 2026, after an aggressive cancer ended his life far too soon. Justin loved teaching and was deeply passionate about GIS education. He was pursued his PhD so that he could continue teaching full-time. His most recent work focused on accessibility and mapping, including closely examining color choices in maps and creating 3-D maps designed to make geographic information more accessible to people with vision impairments. His attention to those details reflected something larger about Justin: he cared about making things better and making sure more people could be included. Justin was someone who consistently thought about other people before himself, always wanting to make things easier for others. Justin loved jokes and obscure references that almost no one else understood and was perpetually surprised when they didn&#39;t land. Family and teaching brought Justin tremendous joy, but so did the things he made with his hands. He was an avid fisherman and especially loved fly fishing at Oatka Park. He built his own fly rods and tied his own flies, taking pride in every step of the process. That same patience and precision showed up in his love of building Gundam models. He could spend hours cutting pieces, sanding nubs, and carefully painting the smallest details. Even better than building them himself was getting to share that interest with other people, whether through Build Club or with the children in his life. Justin&#39;s life was far too short, but it was full of things that will continue beyond him, in the students he taught, the people he mentored, the things he created, the photographs he took, the traditions he shared with his family, the friendships he built, and most of all, in the people who loved him. Justin was a husband, father, brother, uncle, friend, teacher, mentor, colleague, and so many other things to so many people and his family asks to help support his legacy and love of GIS through this scholarship.&nbsp; Geographic Information Sharing Special Interest Group (GIS/SIG), is an educational user&rsquo;s group whose primary mission is to foster the understanding of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) technology. GIS/SIG provides a professional forum in the Rochester &ndash; Genesee Finger Lakes region for GIS education, data sharing, communication and networking with other local, state and national users, dissemination of information about trends and policies related to GIS, and technology advancement. How you can help empower Justin&#39;s legacy:<ol fr-original-style="" style="width: 100%; box-sizing: inherit;"><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Donate: Every dollar counts. Contribute now to help us reach our goal by supporting the future of GIS Education.</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Share: Share this campaign with your friends, family, and on social media. Your advocacy can amplify our impact.</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Volunteer: GIS Professionals are highly encouraged to follow in the footsteps of Justin by getting involved in the mission of GIS/SIG .</li></ol>Thank you for supporting our mission, your support is invaluable.

This scholarship fund is to honor, remember, and continue the legacy of Justin Cole, GISP <a href="https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/local/new-york/henrietta" target="_blank"></a>who passed away on September 15, 2026, after an aggressive cancer ended his life far too soon. Justin loved teaching and was deeply passionate about GIS education. He was pursued his PhD so that he could continue teaching full-time. His most recent work focused on accessibility and mapping, including closely examining color choices in maps and creating 3-D maps designed to make geographic information more accessible to people with vision impairments. His attention to those details reflected something larger about Justin: he cared about making things better and making sure more people could be included. Justin was someone who consistently thought about other people before himself, always wanting to make things easier for others. Justin loved jokes and obscure references that almost no one else understood and was perpetually surprised when they didn't land. Family and teaching brought Justin tremendous joy, but so did the things he made with his hands. He was an avid fisherman and especially loved fly fishing at Oatka Park. He built his own fly rods and tied his own flies, taking pride in every step of the process. That same patience and precision showed up in his love of building Gundam models. He could spend hours cutting pieces, sanding nubs, and carefully painting the smallest details. Even better than building them himself was getting to share that interest with other people, whether through Build Club or with the children in his life. Justin's life was far too short, but it was full of things that will continue beyond him, in the students he taught, the people he mentored, the things he created, the photographs he took, the traditions he shared with his family, the friendships he built, and most of all, in the people who loved him. Justin was a husband, father, brother, uncle, friend, teacher, mentor, colleague, and so many other things to so many people and his family asks to help support his legacy and love of GIS through this scholarship.  Geographic Information Sharing Special Interest Group (GIS/SIG), is an educational user’s group whose primary mission is to foster the understanding of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) technology. GIS/SIG provides a professional forum in the Rochester – Genesee Finger Lakes region for GIS education, data sharing, communication and networking with other local, state and national users, dissemination of information about trends and policies related to GIS, and technology advancement. How you can help empower Justin's legacy:<ol><li>Donate: Every dollar counts. Contribute now to help us reach our goal by supporting the future of GIS Education.</li><li>Share: Share this campaign with your friends, family, and on social media. Your advocacy can amplify our impact.</li><li>Volunteer: GIS Professionals are highly encouraged to follow in the footsteps of Justin by getting involved in the mission of GIS/SIG .</li></ol>Thank you for supporting our mission, your support is invaluable.

Geographic Information Sharing Special Interest Group (GIS/SIG)

Justin Cole Memorial GIS Scholarship Fund

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