Director of the Geospatial Education Institute
Dr. Sheila Lakshmi Steinberg is the Director of the Geospatial Education Institute, a GIS, Social, and Environmental Sciences professor at UMass Global, and a GIS author for applying GIS across disciplines to empower people. Dr. Steinberg's passion is teaching understandable geospatial skills in bite-size nuggets for people across geographies.
A Welcome Message from Our Director, Dr. Sheila Lakshmi Steinberg
I believe that a positive difference in the world can occur by understanding the power of people and place including local culture, knowledge and understanding.
We teach how to use data, environmental, cultural and geographic literacy to solve problems.
Our new approach to education occurs through the application of a bite-size nugget approach to education for K-12, higher education, non-profits and organizations.
Organizations today face significant challenges of rapidly changing physical and social environments, challenges that can benefit from the support of geospatial analysis.
Through our geospatial institute, we take a creative approach to teaching how to solve problems using GIS. empower our partners utilizing industry-relevant curriculum to enhance employee skills and abilities.
We invite you to join us as part of this new international collaborative and look forward to building valuable relationships to help you to achieve success through geospatial education and applications.
Building Communities and Collaboration
We understand that effective problem-solving happens through interdisciplinary collaboration, often at the intersection of disciplines. At UMass Global, we are committed to teaching cross-disciplinary problem-solving using geospatial technology and applications. We recognize the value of the ethical application of geospatial technology to drive the effectiveness and impact of our global partners.
Driving Effectiveness and Impact
Our goal is to further enhance and reinforce international and domestic partners’ use of geospatial technology through innovative online geospatial education. We understand the value of collaboration and the important work you do. Together we impact and strengthen your people with geospatial skills. The Institute provides co-created customized educational offerings, including micro-credentials, certificates and programs in an innovative online environment. We draw on the expertise of our interdisciplinary board of advisors and trusted industry partners to design and deliver relevant curriculum.
About Dr. Sheila Lakshmi
Dr. Sheila Lakshmi Steinberg is the Director of the UMass Global Institute for Geospatial Education. She is also a Full Professor of GIS, Social, and Environmental Sciences at UMass Global. Sheila is an accomplished GIS advocate and author for applying GIS across disciplines. She is a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (RPCV) having served in the country of Guatemala and is fluent in Spanish. Dr. Steinberg leads the integration of innovative geospatial concepts and curriculum design into micro-credentials, certificates, and programs at the university.
Dr. Steinberg is a keynote speaker at professional conferences and meetings and served as an invited panelist at the Esri UC Science Symposium and invited keynote GIS Day speaker for The University of Miami (2022), the City University of New York-College of Staten Island (2021), and Kansas State University (2017). In 2016, she was invited as the international keynote speaker at the European Sociological Association (ESA) Qualitative Methods Research Network Conference in Krakow, Poland where she presented on how to use GIS research methods for community engagement and empowerment. Her research focuses on the connection between people, places, and environments considering local knowledge, networks, and the power of community engagement using GIS.
Dr. Steinberg recently completed a co-edited volume entitled Resilient Communities Across Geographies for Esri Press (2021). She also co-edited GIS Research Methods for Esri Press (2015). In 2016 she co-edited Extreme Weather, Health, and Communities: Interdisciplinary Engagement Strategies for Springer Press. For Sage Publications, Professor Steinberg also co-authored GIS for the Social Sciences: Investigating Space and Place (2006).
Contact
Dr. Sheila Lakshmi Steinberg
Director, Geospatial Education Institute
ssteinbe@umassglobal.edu