Harrison Cole

Harrison is currently the Creative Director or the GeoGraphics Lab at Penn State, providing cartographic design, production, and research services to academic and professional clientele.

His doctoral research involved designing and evaluating tactile flood maps for disaster mitigation planning, the results of which have been published in leading scientific journals. He has also created print and web maps for a number of different clients and audiences, including books published by Stanford University Press and The University of Chicago press, academic research articles, conference presentations, grant applications, and compliance reports. Harrison also has a professional background in filmmaking, graphic design, and photography.

In addition to cartographic design and research, Harrison has served as a university-level instructor of GIS and Geography courses for 8 years, teaching classes of up to 200 students, both at the undergraduate and graduate levels. For undergraduates, Harrison’s courses introduce fundamental mapping and geospatial technology concepts. At the graduate level, he guides students through the planning, development, and implementation of industry-grade mapping tools.

Pulling all these threads together, Harrison is currently reorienting his work to focus on physical installations and mapping systems, whether in the context of wayfinding, museum exhibitions, placemaking, or otherwise. As someone new to this field with a somewhat unconventional background, Harrison would love to connect with any folks who want to chat about navigating the industry.