Home / On Track with Geospatial Intelligence – Dr. Lucy Vlietstra Faculty Spotlight

On Track with Geospatial Intelligence – Dr. Lucy Vlietstra Faculty Spotlight

Stefanie Senkow | OCTOBER 28, 2021

Dr. Lucy Vlietstra loves working with cadets. And when she’s not challenging them with the marine & environmental sciences (MES) curriculum, she’s being challenged by them.

“Cadets have an outstanding work ethic that inspires me to develop challenging, authentic, and meaningful learning experiences,” said Vlietstra.

Having lived all over the United States, Vlietstra brings a wide array of dynamic interaction to her classroom. She promotes a positive, open atmosphere where cadets are encouraged to think aloud, discuss ideas, and ask questions about anything on their minds.

“I feel that the undergraduate classroom should be a place where students can explore ideas both within and outside their typical scopes of interest, so I celebrate unexpected ‘what if’ questions that take the discussion one step further than my lesson plan had intended,” said Vlietstra.

Currently, Vlietstra ‘s areas of expertise in marine ecology emergency management are being combined to support cadet research.

“I am working with cadets on research that investigates sea ice loss in the Arctic Ocean and its effects on the location, type, and volume of ship traffic in the region,” said Vlietstra. “The cadets recently presented their work to working professionals at the annual GEOINT Symposium in St. Louis, MO.”

These projects are part of the expanding curriculum in geospatial intelligence at the Coast Guard Academy, which Vlietstra helps oversee.

Discover all the opportunities the MES major offers.

Sponsor Family Application

Thank you for submitting your application to be part of the Sponsor Family Program. Your application will be processed in the upcoming week. Coast Guard Academy’s policy on background screening now requires all adults (everyone 18 and older living in the home) who volunteer to mentor, teach, coach or sponsor cadets, whether on or off Coast Guard Academy grounds, to be screened every 5 years. They are required to provide personal information (name, birth date and social security number) for the purpose of conducting a criminal background check.

The Security Officer at the Coast Guard Academy, CWO2 Gina Polkowski, is overseeing this process. Her email is: Gina.M.Polkowski@uscg.mil.

Sponsor Family designations fall into several different categories. Below are the guidelines to help you determine how best to meet the background screening requirement:

If you are Coast Guard active duty you do not need to apply for an additional Background Check. You will be vetted through the Coast Guard system by CWO2 Polkowski.
If you are a Civilian working for the Coast Guard you do not need to apply for an additional Background Check. You will be vetted through the Coast Guard system by CWO2 Polkowski.
If you are non-Coast Guard Active Duty, you are required to provide proof of your current security clearance or National Agency Check that is to be emailed by your Command Security Officer (CSO)/ Security Office to CWO2 Polkowski at Gina.M.Polkowski@uscg.mil.
If you are non-Coast Guard civilian who has a current security clearance or National Agency check, you are required to provide proof of your current security clearance or National Agency Check that is to be emailed by your Command Security Officer (CSO)/ Security Office to CWO2 Polkowski at Gina.M.Polkowski@uscg.mil.
All civilians in the families who are 18 years or older and do not have a security clearance or a National Agency Check are required to be vetted through Mind Your Business, the third party vendor hired by the Coast Guard Academy for the vetting process.

After you complete your application, please e-mail the Sponsor Family Program Coordinator at CadetFamilySponsorProgram@uscga.edu. In your e-mail, you must include the e-mail address and phone number of every adult living in the home. The Sponsor Family Coordinator will then initiate the background check process and you will receive an email with further instructions.

Important things to note:

There is a Sponsor Family Training that is a one-hour training which we ask sponsors to attend once every four years. This training is designed to give you an overview of the program, what is expected of you as a sponsor, and what you can expect from your cadets. This training will also help familiarize you with the cadet regulations onboard CGA. You will be notified via e-mail once the training is scheduled.

The matching process of swabs to families will occur during July and August. Please bear with us and remain flexible through this process. There will be a meet and greet scheduled on Campus, typically in late August. This will give families an opportunity to formally meet their cadet if they have not already done so. Details on this will also be via email.