JSU Senior Receives $1000 Award
from AlabamaView Consortium

Billie Jo Driggers (pictured here, second from left)

Billie Jo Driggers, a senior at Jacksonville State University, received a $1000 award from the AlabamaView Consortium.

AlabamaView is a collection of eight agencies including JSU, Auburn, US Space and Rocket Center, and other institutions to promote research in urban growth, water resources, agriculture, and resource management.

Ms. Driggers plans on using the award to investigate the directional growth of Heflin, Alabama. Since many folks who work in large cities want the small town life of places like Heflin, urban sprawl from Atlanta and Birmingham along I-20 has increased over the years. Ms. Driggers will investigate Heflin’s urban growth towards Atlanta and Birmingham from 1965 to 2005.

Ms. Driggers' academic success at JSU does not surprise Dr. Kelly Gregg, geography-geology professor at JSU. Dr. Gregg stated, "Billie Jo is one of the many outstanding students from Cleburne County."

Ms. Driggers is a graduate of Cleburne County High School and a resident of Edwardsville. Her future plans involve Geographic Information Systems, a computer-mapping program in high demand by government agencies and private businesses. Geographic Information Systems is located in the geography program in the Department of Physical and Earth Sciences at JSU.

---

Submit items for news releases by using the request form at www.jsu.edu/newswire/request.