Harris-Stowe Immersion Program Empowers Next Generation of GEOINT Professionals

A recent trip to New York City gave 14 college students immersive insight into geospatial careers. The trip was an extension of the HBCU Immersion in GEOINT program, hosted by Harris-Stowe State University in partnership with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, which offers students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities a unique, four-week experience in geospatial intelligence, or GEOINT. After spending four weeks at Harris-Stowe in St. Louis this past summer, the students came together again for three days this fall to further expand their geospatial knowledge, network, and career pathways.

“St. Louis’ geospatial community made this trip happen,” said Andy Dearing, Lead of GeoFutures, an initiative of Greater St. Louis, Inc. working to make St. Louis a global geospatial hub. GeoFutures partners that provided support for the trip include GEO261, C-Edge Technologies, Reinventing Geospatial (RGI), Scale AI, The Globe Building, and The Post Building. “Because of their support, students from all over the country gained access to some of the top mentors, organizations, and experiences in GEOINT today. They are the next generation of geospatial professionals, and investment in their future is imperative to the growth of the sector in St. Louis and beyond.”

Immersed in GEOINT

Founded by Harris-Stowe State University Vice President for STEM Initiatives and Research Partnerships Dr. Freddie E. Wills, Jr., Ph.D., the immersion program launched in 2022, growing from eight to 20 students in just three years, and has received significant support from GeoFutures, as well as other GSL Investors and companies.

“The students participating in the program (go) back to their institutions and spread the word, but then (we also get) more attention here in the city of St. Louis around our geospatial science efforts throughout the country,” Wills said in an interview with theSTL.com. “Harris-Stowe has definitely advanced this work by opening doors to other HBCUs to understand what’s happening here in St. Louis and to introduce this field of study across the HBCU community.”

An Interactive Experience

Students began their experience in New York City with an interactive day of engagement curated by Dr. Demetrice “Dee” Jordan, an Instructor in the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School. The full-day experience provided mentorship from distinguished leaders across STEM and geospatial fields who offered insights aimed at inspiring students, building interest, and fostering a supportive network for those considering paths in geospatial careers.

"The Interactive Day of Engagement in New York City was a valuable experience for the scholars," said Wills. "For the entire group, this opportunity represented the first experience any of them had of being on an Ivy League campus by visiting Columbia University. This opportunity allowed them to understand that they had the potential to be students at an Ivy or other prestigious institutions such as NYU, which we visited as well. The day was special for me as I had the opportunity to experience young people at their best; they were inquisitive and stayed intimately engaged in every learning opportunity presented to them. The growth and development of young people is a part of my why. This experience impacted me just as much as it did for the scholars."

Solving Global Challenges

Students attended the American Geographical Society’s 10th annual Geography 2050 fall symposium at Columbia University Climate School, which brought together leading practitioners and thinkers from government, industry, academia, and the non-profit world to discuss how cooperation and conflict will impact a changing climate. Participation provided students with a unique opportunity to expand upon the geospatial knowledge, network, and career pathways gained during their 4-week program and discover how geospatial analysis connects to purpose-driven careers that aim to solve large global challenges, including climate change.

“Scale was excited to support this trip to ensure that these students could better understand the career opportunities available to them within GEOINT," said AJ Segal, Scale AI, St. Louis AI Center Lead. "We are pleased to be part of the St. Louis defense tech community and employ hundreds of people working on exactly what these kids were learning about, and opportunities like this is why we are so proud to be part of the St. Louis ecosystem. We look forward to continuing to work with the entire community to position St. Louis as the Defense Tech hub for the United States.”