United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation (USGIF) Ken Miller Scholarship for Advanced Remote Sensing Applications Awardee Erin Macri Connects Environmental Issues and National Security
Changes in the environment are a national security issue, and Ken Miller Scholarship recipient, Erin Macri, is passionate about monitoring the climate and geography to spot challenges for national security—and to solve them. Macri was awarded the scholarship to continue her studies.
It’s All Connected: Geospatial Sciences and National Security
Macri is working toward a master’s in geospatial intelligence at the University of Maryland. Her second master’s in the field, she will use the scholarship award to fund the remainder of her degree. Her first degree is in environmental geosciences from Mississippi State University, which she achieved after completing her bachelor’s degree in geographical science and cartography from University of Maryland College Park.
For Macri, the decision to pursue geospatial science came after she realized the integral nature of the field and its critical role in keeping our nation safe.
“I found that there was a connection,” said the 2025 scholarship recipient. “Geography is an important science because it shows how everything overlaps. I was looking into further education to pivot my career and became interested in the University of Maryland’s GEOINT Program, where the connections between national security, the environment, and human geography were clear. And through science, we can predict how these systems interact with each other. This data informs various government policies that relate to my current role at the Department of Defense and my career ambitions.”
For her requisite capstone project, Macri will monitor arctic sea ice to predict changes in Russian military strategy. “I enjoy studying the arctic and other extreme climates,” said Macri. “I do have a passion for the environment. Everything is connected; changes in the environment affect the way we do everything including how we interact with other nations and each other within our government and its policies. All this input can be used with predictive modeling.”
Macri’s continued studies are made possible by the Ken Miller Scholarship for Advanced Remote Sensing Applications, sponsored by Riverside Research.
The Future of Geospatial Intelligence
About the future of the GIS field, Macri sees an integrated approach between humans and AI, noting that major decisions and final analyses should always have human review. “It’s a great tool to speed up certain steps,” Macri expressed. “Decisions based on AI-assisted predictive modeling could affect an entire country. While we should use AI advantageously, we need to prioritize human brainpower.”
Macri works full time while studying, is the parent of two small children, and is an avid traveler. Having been to over 25 countries and multiple national parks in the United States, Macri understands the significance of preserving the environment for future generations while maintaining a national security advantage.