The first surveys begun in what would become the state of Georgia were conducted by Spanish explorers who charted the coastline. Next, French Jesuits would survey the lands further inland. One of the first British settlers, Dr. Henry Woodard, would later be credited with mapping and exploring much of present-day Georgia. Later surveying efforts were related to land distribution following the Revolutionary War, followed by rebuilding infrastructure that had been destroyed during the Civil War. During the depression of the 1930s, thousands of unemployed land surveyors were put to work surveying the entire state. As a result, Georgia was the first state in the country to have a complete survey of all boundaries and land, with complete measurements and monuments.

Since 1937, all professional surveyors within the state of Georgia have been governed by the Georgia State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors. This agency has the power to adopt standards for licensure and practice. Surveyors who do not follow the accepted land surveying standards are subject to investigation and discipline by the Board. Many land surveyors in Georgia also join the Surveying and Mapping Society of Georgia, a voluntary professional organization founded to support the interests of professional mappers and surveyors within the state. Known as SAMSOG, this organization was founded in 1947 and is affiliated with the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping (ACSM), a national society for surveyors. There are currently over five hundred professional members of SAMSOG.

The role of the Surveying and Mapping Society includes scholarships and information for aspiring surveyors, as well as continuing education opportunities for current surveyors, who are required to obtain fifteen hours of continuing education study over each two-year period to renew their land surveying license. Other resources for current or aspiring surveyors include conferences, discussion forums, and publications such as “Georgia Land Surveyor,” released six times per year with articles pertaining to surveying in the state of Georgia. The Annual Plat Contest rewards land surveyors who create exemplary plat maps of Georgia lands.

SAMSOG also works to strengthen and refine the land surveyor profession through work with the Georgia State Legislature, the State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors, and national surveying groups such as ACSM and the American Land Title Association (ALTA). Bills passed at the urging of SAMSOG include recording plats in superior courts, monument protection, and improvement in the county surveyor’s laws. The Surveyors Reference Manual for Georgia Land Surveyors, originally made available over 20 years ago, is currently being updated as a professional manual for modern surveyors in Georgia, outlining regulations and practices for surveys within the state. SAMSOG was also instrumental in the drafting of a professional code of conduct for surveyors.

The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets are always a force to be reckoned with in the tough Atlantic Coast Conference. Although this may well be considered a rebuilding season after the loss of four top players to the NFL draft, the team’s record is 3-2 as of the first week of October. There have been wins over South Carolina State, North Carolina, and Wake Forest. Their losses have been to Kansas and ACC rival NC State. The Yellow Jackets still have a tough conference schedule ahead of them, with upcoming conference games against Virginia, Clemson, Duke, Miami, and Virginia Tech. The Yellow Jacket’s last game of the season is traditionally played against in state rival University of Georgia. There are four remaining home games this season.

Paul Johnson has been the head football coach at Georgia Tech since 2008. He previously served as the head coach at Georgia Southern University from 1997-2001 and the US Naval Academy from 2002-07. Johnson amassed a 20-7 record in his first two years at Tech, and led the team to the ACC Championship in 2009. The Yellow Jackets also went on to play in the Chick fil-A Bowl in 2008 and the Orange Bowl in 2009.

The Yellow Jackets play their home games in Bobby Dodd Stadium at Historic Grant Field, in the heart of the Tech campus. Built in 1913, the stadium is the oldest on campus stadium in Division I football. The stadium is named for Georgia Tech coaching legend Bobby Dodd, the head coach for 22 years, from 1945-66. Bobby Dodd stadium provides fans with a magnificent view of downtown Atlanta’s skyline. A major expansion of the stadium was completed in 2003, adding additional seating at both end zones, new locker rooms, a player’s lounge, a media room, and coach’s offices. The current seating capacity is 55,000 seats.

Georgia Institute of Technology was founded in 1885. It is considered one of the leading research universities in the country. Located on 400 acres in the heart of Atlanta, Tech has an enrollment of over 20,000 students. US News & World Reports has consistently ranked Georgia Tech among the top ten public universities in the nation. The university offers degree programs in 36 undergraduate majors, 47 master’s programs, and 30 doctoral programs.