Todd Bacastow
- Phone: (814) 863-0049 (The country code for the United States is 1)
- FAX: (814) 863-1564 (The country code for the United States is 1)
- E-mail: Please use the course e-mail system in Canvas
- Availability: My office hours (in person or by phone calls) are Monday through Friday, 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time.
I am a Teaching Professor in Penn State’s College of Earth and Mineral Sciences and the founder and lead faculty of Penn State’s Geospatial Intelligence program. Penn State’s Geospatial Intelligence program is accredited by the United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation and is part of Penn State’s award-winning portfolio of Online Geospatial Education programs (link is external) that has served over 5,000 students since 1999.
My current research focuses on determining the optimal training and educational means to improve the sensemaking of the geospatial analyst working as part of an intelligence team. Sensemaking refers to the process by which humans are able to generate explanations for data that are otherwise sparse, noisy, and uncertain.
Before joining Penn State in 1994, I retired from the United States Army where I served in a variety of infantry, engineer, and geospatial intelligence assignments and positions. I was previously an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography and Computer Science and an Associate Professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Engineering at the US Military Academy. I hold a BS in Engineering from the United States Military Academy and an MS and Ph.D. in Geography from Penn State University.
Cheers,
Todd