Erick Posner holds up a stress ball that looks like a miniature globe. 鈥淲e think of the Earth as round, but it鈥檚 not,鈥� he says, and then gives the ball a slight squeeze. 鈥淚t鈥檚 like this.鈥�

Understanding the world 鈥� and how to map it out as accurately as possible 鈥� is critical to Posner鈥檚 job as an analyst at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA). The data and imagery that NGA collects informs decisions about national strategy, military operations, and disaster relief efforts. As a geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) professional, Posner sees an opportunity for Gallaudet students to follow in his footsteps.

Since 2021, when Gallaudet and NGA signed an Education Partnership Agreement (EPA), Posner has served as an adjunct professor at the University teaching courses on Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping software. 鈥淚鈥檓 passionate about this. I care about the future of the deaf and hard of hearing community. I want to give them the opportunities I鈥檝e experienced myself,鈥� says Posner, who views the collaboration as a win-win for everyone involved. 鈥淭hese students have unique skills, and mentally process things in a different way. They have the ability to make the world a better place.鈥�

They have already started on campus, notes Landscaping & Grounds Manager Eric Kaika, 鈥�02. One student project for Posner鈥檚 courses involved studying where lighting is installed in relationship to roadways. 鈥淚t helped us step back and see the big picture,鈥� says Kaika, who has gotten hooked on doing real-time data collection and wants to expand the use of GIS. 鈥淣ow we鈥檙e trying to move indoors to look inside classrooms and see how we use space that鈥檚 available.鈥�

When Kaika joined Posner at the 2024 Esri Federal GIS User Conference at the Washington Convention Center in February, the two stood in front of a seemingly endless row of exhibitors. 鈥淗e is like a kid in a candy store,鈥� Posner joked, pointing to Kaika, who was studying all of the posters and gear. Then Posner steered him over to the front of a booth, where a company representative asked if they were interested in products for facilities management or teaching.

鈥淚t鈥檚 both,鈥� Posner replied. 鈥淥ur philosophy is we recruit students to collect data. Students get experience, and the university gets the data it needs.鈥� After the chat, he turned to Kaika and announced, 鈥淚 know where we need to go next.鈥� They zipped around visiting various booths, Posner constantly waving and exchanging greetings.

At lunch, they joined a large group of deaf attendees, including NGA鈥檚 Paula Ayres, 鈥�95, as well as a contingent of Gallaudet faculty and students. It makes sense that so many of them would be interested in GIS, noted Emily Nover, 鈥�24, who had taken part in the campus lighting survey. 鈥淥bviously deaf people are very visual. I鈥檝e fallen in love with maps,鈥� she said. Nover explained that her honors project involved working with a data set to plot out where deaf people live and where deaf institutions are located, so being at the conference was exposing her to new ideas, tips, and strategies. 鈥淚鈥檓 seeing there鈥檚 a whole world of this,鈥� she added.

That is exactly the lesson Posner hopes his students get from this experience. At the 2023 Esri Federal GIS Conference, three groups of students presented their research projects developed in the classroom under the auspices of the EPA. 鈥淚t was so inspiring to see them realize the impact they could make,鈥� he says. 鈥淧eople in the world have this bias that deaf people can鈥檛 do anything. No, I鈥檓 not accepting that. We need the right resources and tools to succeed.鈥�

Posner also participated in student field trips to NGA Washington located in Springfield, Va., so they can explore potential career options. 鈥淚鈥檓 not the kind of person who teaches class and then just says, 鈥楬ave a good summer,鈥欌�� Posner says. 鈥淚 try to put resources together, and help people figure out how to access what they need.鈥�

To Posner, the way forward is clear: Train students, point them in the right direction, and then watch them succeed.