March 17, 2025
The University of Missouri–St. Louis (UMSL) chapter of YouthMappers hosted a well-attended Off-Ramp Speaker Series event featuring Keith Barber of BAE Systems and retired Vice Admiral Robert Sharp, now a research fellow with UMSL’s Geospatial Collaborative. The event, held in the Geospatial Advanced Technology Lab, attracted a large audience eager to learn about careers in the geospatial sector. Sharp highlighted the growing geospatial ecosystem in St. Louis, fueled by the development of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s new campus. UMSL’s YouthMappers chapter, which helps cultivate GIS skills among students, is part of a global network supporting mapping activities for humanitarian purposes.
YouthMappers President Torin Hovander and Vice President Samantha Dobson are passionate about making GIS technology accessible to students across disciplines. Hovander, with a background in national security, is focused on using GIS for issues like North Korea’s energy divide, while Dobson, a master’s student in public policy, hopes to apply GIS in city planning and housing policy. The organization’s work includes mapping the impact of disasters and providing GIS tools like ArcGIS to students. BAE Systems supports the group with scholarships, training, and internship opportunities, offering students a chance to engage with real-world applications of geospatial technology.
