United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation Announces 2006 Awards Program Winners

November 17, 2006

Orlando, Fla. — United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation (USGIF) formally recognized the recipients of its 2006 Scholarship Program last night during the USGIF Hall of Fame Dinner. The event was held at the conclusion of the Foundation’s third annual GEOINT Symposium.

This year, the Foundation awarded more than $50,000 to a total of 12 scholarship recipients: two Ph.D. candidates, four master’s candidates, three undergraduates and three high school seniors. High school winners received $2,000 scholarships and the other winners received $5,000 scholarships.

“On behalf of the Foundation and its Board of Directors, I would like to congratulate this year’s recipients of the USGIF Scholarship Program for their educational excellence within this demanding discipline,” said USGIF President and Chairman K. Stuart Shea. “USGIF’s commitment to education—from spawning interest in young geographers to assisting promising collegiate students to continuing the education of the geospatial intelligence workforce—will continue to expand as we work with our members to enhance the future of our tradecraft.”

The 2006 Scholarship Program recipients are:

Mr. Seth Anderson is currently pursuing his master’s in geographic information science at the University of Akron where he also serves as a teaching assistant, assisting and mentoring students in the course’s laboratory. His future plans are to become a part of a government organization, working in the practical day-to-day operations, identifying trends, and providing strategic and tactical summaries.

Mr. Brandon Barbour is pursuing his bachelor’s degree in geography, geospatial intelligence with an Asian studies minor at Brigham Young University. A dedicated student, he would like to one day work for the U.S. government in the area of imagery analysis or human intelligence.

Mr. Austin Haller is a recent graduate of Sand Creek High School, Colorado Springs, Colo., and he is currently pursuing his bachelor’s in geological engineering at the Colorado School of Mines. He is an Eagle Scout and utilized GIS systems to visually display important data for cultural and demographic analysis.

Mr. Daniel Hosmer is pursuing his bachelor’s in aerospace engineering at the Pennsylvania State University, and he mentors college freshmen in Penn State’s engineering department. His current interests include design and control of unmanned aerial vehicles and their use in collecting geospatial intelligence.

Mr. Keir Keightley is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in geography at the University of California at Davis. He received his undergraduate degree from UC Santa Barbara and two master’s degrees, one from UC Davis in viticulture and one from UC Santa Barbara in geography. His future plans are for a career as a college level teacher with special emphasis on environmental optics and digital imagery processing.

Ms. Michelle Kinzel is currently pursuing her master’s of geography at Oregon State University. Her undergraduate degree in biology is from San Diego State University. Michelle has been the recipient of multiple scholarships including the McNair Scholars Program, the Oregon State Laurels Scholarship and three Society for Conservation GIS
Scholarships.

Ms. Lei Lei is currently pursuing her master’s degree in forestry and environmental studies at Yale University. She holds a bachelor’s from Nanjing University of Posts & Telecommunications and a master’s from Brigham Young University in computer science She plans to complete studies leading to a Ph.D. degree in geospatial science.

Mr. John David Parkes is a recent graduate of Lima Christian School, Lima, N.Y. He is currently pursuing his bachelor’s in imaging science at the Rochester Institute of Technology. He currently works for Geospatial Systems Inc. and is a member of Air Force ROTC. He plans on becoming an intelligence officer upon graduation.

Mr. Edward (Heath) Robinson is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in geographic information sciences at the State University of New York at Buffalo. He received the award of excellence by the National Council for Geographic Education and the Association of American Geographers in 2004. Heath has been accepted into NGA’s Student Temporary Employment Program.

Ms. Dena Schulz is currently pursuing her master’s in geographic information systems at the Pennsylvania State University World Campus. Dena currently serves as an Air Force Reserve pilot with the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron “Hurricane Hunters.” She plans to finish her degree and seek public sector employment in the geospatial intelligence field.

Ms. Katherine Schulz graduated from Archbishop Hannan High School in Meraux, La. and is currently pursuing her bachelor’s in geography at Louisiana State University at Baton Rouge. She was the 2002 Louisiana State Champion in the National Geographic Bee and 2003, 2004 and 2005 State Champion for Louisiana at the AAA Travel Challenge.

Mr. Matthew Vitale is pursuing his bachelor’s of science with dual majors in geographic information systems and geology, with a concentration in environmental science, at the State University of New York at Cortland. He was his high school’s valedictorian in 2005, Cortland State College Academic Merit Award, Dean’s list, and President’s list. He is looking into graduate schools and the Peace Corps as options upon graduation.

“It is our hope that as the Foundation’s Scholarship Program grows,” Shea said, “it will inspire more students interested in geospatial sciences to pursue studies in disciples relevant to the field for the advancement of the tradecraft.”

This is the first year the Foundation’s scholarship program was open to high school seniors planning to study the geospatial discipline at the college or university level. All recipients were chosen based on their academic and professional excellence in a field related to the geospatial intelligence tradecraft. Qualified candidates were selected by the Foundation’s Scholarship Subcommittee made up of industry professionals.

Information and applications for the 2007 Awards Program are available from the Foundation’s web site at www.usgif.org.
The United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation is a Virginia-based non-stock, not-for-profit corporation. The Foundation is dedicated to promoting the geospatial intelligence tradecraft and developing a stronger community of interest between government, industry, academic and professional organizations and individuals who share a mission focus around the development and application of geospatial intelligence data and geo-processing resources to address national security objectives. For more information on the Foundation, visit www.usgif.org.

Download the pdf press release.