Tyson J. Quink was selected to receive the 2016 Lt. Michael P. Murphy Award in Geospatial Intelligence. Quink was presented with the award from Jack Dangermond, president and founder of Esri; Keith Masback, CEO of the United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation; Heath Rasco, director, of technical programs for DigitalGlobe; and Steve Handwerk, geospatial intelligence faculty member with the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences’ John A. Dutton e-Education Institute. Named in honor of Lt. Michael P. Murphy, a Medal of Honor recipient and distinguished Penn State alumnus, the award recognizes achievement by a graduate of Penn State’s geospatial intelligence program who has served in the U.S. Armed Forces or with the geospatial intelligence community and demonstrated exceptional contributions to the discipline.
“It is an honor to be selected for the Lt. Michael Murphy award for Geospatial Intelligence. Both in and out of the service I have seen the importance of GIS and how the capabilities of having correct data and products can help leaders make informed decisions. As a result of robust GIS capabilities, mission execution can be more precise and, more importantly, GIS can help keep soldiers safe,” said Quink, who earned a postbaccalaureate certificate in geographic information systems as well as a graduate certificate in geospatial intelligence analytics through Penn State World Campus.
Quink served as a fire direction officer and platoon leader for the U.S. Army’s 3rd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) during Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. After combat, Quink returned to serve as assistant coach for the U.S. Army’s athletics department. In 2013, Quink began working as a program manager for Hewlett-Packard while pursuing his master’s degree online. He then completed an internship with U.S. Department of Defense as a GEOINT analyst before joining Esri as a solution engineer. Quink is on track to graduate this year with a master's degree in geographic information systems through Penn State World Campus. “We are very proud of this year’s recipient of the Lt. Michael P. Murphy Award in Geospatial Intelligence, Mr. Tyson Quink. The eighth person to receive the award, Tyson joins a growing list of individuals who have demonstrated academic excellence and provided significant contributions to the profession,” said Handwerk. Read More