Saint Louis University Receives $1 Million Grant to Form TGI Academy - Saint Louis University

Grant volition assistance SLU and Taylor Geospatial Institute physique infrastructure to train the region’s geospatial workforce

ST. LOUIS — A $1 cardinal assistance from the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development (MDHEWD) to Saint Louis University volition make the TGI Academy wrong the Taylor Geospatial Institute. 

The funds volition alteration SLU and Taylor Geospatial Institute (TGI) to physique the infrastructure that volition alteration the grooming of the region’s geospatial and geodetic workforce at aggregate levels, from undergraduate STEM and geospatial grade and credential programs to precocious nonrecreational improvement opportunities for the existent geospatial workforce, focusing connected the captious and under-resourced areas of geodesy and photogrammetry among others specified arsenic geospatial AI (GeoAI), drone technology, virtual reality/extended reality (VR/XR), and bundle engineering. 

“This assistance enables america to broaden our halfway ngo of geospatial probe and training the adjacent procreation of geospatial researchers,” said Vasit Sagan, Ph.D., acting TGI manager and subordinate prof of geospatial subject astatine Saint Louis University. 

During the 2022 legislative session, the Missouri General Assembly appropriated $20 cardinal from American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) backing for 2 assistance programs to be administered by the department: Private MoExcels and Agriculture Innovation & Workforce Development. 

The assistance from the Private MoExcels money to SLU allows SLU and TGI to scope and serve caller populations portion enhancing enactment for underrepresented students.

The assistance volition supply effect backing to:

• Establish a high-performance computing grooming laboratory with high-end graphical processing portion (GPU) machines,
• Develop VR/XR applications to thatch foundational geospatial science, and 
• Develop micro-credentials successful sensors, manned aircraft, and drone information collection, geodesy, and photogrammetry, arsenic good arsenic accepted geospatial subject degrees.

Sagan said that arsenic the geospatial assemblage grows successful the St. Louis region, determination is a greater request to supply workforce grooming opportunities for those successful the field, in summation to the acquisition successful geospatial sciences that SLU and different TGI subordinate institutions supply to their students. 

The TGI consortium includes SLU, the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, Harris-Stowe State University, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Missouri University of Science & Technology, University of Missouri-Columbia, University of Missouri-St. Louis, and Washington University successful St. Louis. Collectively, these institutions encompass much than 5,000 module and 100,000 students.

“There is simply a existent menace to U.S. nationalist quality if we autumn down successful halfway geospatial sciences,” Sagan said. “This assistance is an illustration of TGI leveraging authorities resources, on with our private/public partnerships to make the geospatial workforce.”

The TGI Academy grant besides supports a Geospatial Data Science Summer campy with cutting-edge grooming materials that volition people the adjacent procreation of geospatial investigators – the Summer astatine SLU camp, slated for June 5-9, is unfastened to students successful grades 4-12.

“This is an concern successful the future,” said Ness Sandoval, Ph.D., acting TGI associate manager for diversity, acquisition and grooming and a prof of sociology astatine SLU. “With the camp, we are highlighting the pathways to geospatial careers for the next generation.” 

Enrollment for the campy opens March 1. 

The Taylor Geospatial Institute builds connected St. Louis’ important geospatial assets and is funded by a bequest concern by Andrew C. Taylor, Executive Chairman of Enterprise Holdings, Inc. and Founding Chair of Greater St. Louis, Inc. with supporting investments from each of the 8 subordinate institutions. 

TGI’s ngo is to beforehand geospatial subject done multi-institutional, interdisciplinary collaborations to make innovative, real-world solutions to societal expansive challenges. It supports a collaborative probe and grooming situation with a absorption on:

• Core geospatial subject & computation – leveraging an interdisciplinary web of knowledge, technology, and skills to marque geospatial subject much almighty and impactful.
• Food information – informing climate-smart farming practices portion simultaneously increasing biodiversity and cultivation output.
• Geospatial wellness – measuring determination and its power connected assemblage wellness to improve healthcare systems and outcomes worldwide.
• National information – maintaining a starring borderline implicit adversaries done innovation successful cutting-edge technologies and a committedness to creating a highly-skilled geospatial workforce.

About Saint Louis University

Founded successful 1818, Saint Louis University is 1 of the nation’s oldest and astir prestigious Catholic institutions. Rooted successful Jesuit values and its pioneering past arsenic the first assemblage westbound of the Mississippi River, SLU offers much than 13,500 students a rigorous, transformative acquisition of the full person. At the halfway of the University’s diverse assemblage of scholars is SLU’s service-focused mission, which challenges and prepares students to marque the satellite a better, much conscionable place.