UMaine named Center of Academic Excellence in Geospatial Sciences
The University of Maine has been named a national Center of Academic Excellence in Geospatial Sciences in a joint application and designation process sponsored by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and the U.S. Geological Survey.
UMaine is among 17 universities from across the nation selected to receive the award in the first year of the program. While centered in the School of Computing and Information Science in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, faculty from across several colleges detailed their course offerings and research in the bid to receive the campuswide designation.
The recognition reflects UMaine’s dedication to teaching the breadth and depth of theory and real-world applications of geospatial sciences that prepare students for success in the public, private and academic sectors.
According to the participating federal government agencies, a goal of the Centers of Academic Excellence (CAE) in Geospatial Sciences Program “is to build, strengthen and cultivate the current and future geospatial sciences workforce for the U.S. government — make it second to none.”
A U.S. workforce of government and industry personnel is needed with the appropriate mix of emerging skills, education, knowledge and competencies to keep America on the leading edge in the application and use of geospatial sciences for global security issues in energy, health and the environment; homeland security and disaster management; Earth sciences; and for national security, military planning and operations.
The award was presented recently to UMaine at a CAE in Geospatial Sciences meeting in Washington, D.C. Accepting the award for UMaine was Harlan Onsrud, a professor of spatial information science and engineering.
Representatives of the CAE in Geospatial Sciences Program will visit the campus to tour research and teaching facilities; meet in roundtable sessions with students, faculty and administrators; and discuss research, internship and job opportunities with the federal government.
Reapplication for the designation is required every three years.
Contact: Max Egenhofer, director of the School of Computing and Information Science at 581.2114, max.egenhofer@maine.edu.