University Park,PA-- Military spouse Donna Bridges has been able to achieve academic success through Penn State World Campus. Online professor Dr. Dennis J. Bellafiore’s research and dedication to the geospatial field has impacted the long-term education and professionalization of the geospatial intelligence workforce.

For their academic and research accomplishments, the 2010 U.S. Geospatial Intelligence Foundation (USGIF) Award Program will honor these two Penn Staters at its GEOINT Symposium on Nov. 3 in New Orleans.

Bridges is the recipient of the USGIF Academic Achievement Award. She holds a graduate certificate in geospatial intelligence from Penn State in addition to a bachelor of science degree in psychology and a master of health care administration from George Washington University.

Currently, Bridges is enrolled in Penn State's Master of Professional Studies in Homeland Security Program, delivered through the World Campus. She has assisted the online teaching of the “Advanced Analytic Methods in Geospatial Intelligence” and “Culture and Civil Security” courses.

Additionally, Bridges has served the intelligence community and Penn State’s Geospatial Intelligence program through her research, focused on adapting existing intelligence analytic techniques to geospatial intelligence analysis. Recently, she had a paper accepted for publication on the Structured Geospatial Analytic Method by the International Association of Law Enforcement Intelligence Analysts (IALEIA). She is looking forward to a career in the geospatial intelligence field.

Bellafiore, senior lecturer in the Department of Geography and the John A. Dutton e-Education Institute at Penn State, is the recipient of the USGIF Academic Research Award. Bellafiore is the coauthor and instructor of the World Campus course “Advanced Analytic Methods for the Geospatial Intelligence Professional” and a major contributor to “The Learner’s Guide to Geospatial Analysis.”

He also serves as a consultant and coach to intelligence-based decision-makers in large and small organizations within business and government. Over the past 20 years, Bellafiore has been a leader and organizational development adviser to several geographic information systems and information technology projects at all government levels throughout Pennsylvania.

According to the USGIF, this is the first time both the student and research achievement awards have been conferred to individuals at the same institution. USGIF (http://www.usgif.org/) is dedicated to promoting the geospatial intelligence tradecraft and developing a stronger community of interest between government, industry, academia, individuals and professional organizations focused on the development and application of geospatial intelligence to address national security objectives.

Penn State's World Campus, at http://www.worldcampus.psu.edu/ online, specializes in adult online education, delivering more than 70 of Penn State’s most highly regarded graduate, undergraduate and professional education programs through convenient online formats.