Geographical Sciences receives a Major Endowment from Jingli and Peter Li to Support our Graduate Students

Dr. Jingli Yang

The Department of Geographical Sciences is pleased to announce the commitment of Dr. Jingli Yang (1995 PhD alumni and ERT CEO) and her husband Dr. Peter Li (ERT President) for a major endowment for our graduate students. The endowment fund will be awarded on a merit basis to graduate students in the department in pursuit of summer research opportunities, specifically those focused on developing remote sensing and geographic information systems projects. Endowments such as the Jingli Yang Award expand the possibilities for graduate students dedicated to advancing the field of geographical sciences through their research and the department is proud to have such avid supporters of our young scientists. Dr. Yang has made individual annual contributions to support our graduates since 1995 and this new endowment creates a mechanism for permanent support. We would like to thank Jingli and Peter for thier most generous endowment.

Jingli Yang
Dr. Jingli Yang (left) and Dr. Peter Li (right)

Dr. Jingli Yang is an accomplished marketer, strategist and entrepreneur and holds a Ph.D. in Geographical Sciences from the University of Maryland. She has over 20 years of experience in Earth remote sensing, science data systems, and geospatial interoperability for NASA and NOAA. Prior to ERT, she held a series of progressively more responsible technical and management positions in the Earth remote sensing and satellite data systems fields with companies including Raytheon and Space Imaging EOSAT. Dr. Yang also served as President of ERT for several years, during which time she initiated ERT’s Earth remote sensing science support and science data systems development and maintenance activities.

Dr. Yang is President of the Maryland Space Business Roundtable (MSBR), serves on the Board of Visitors of the University of Maryland’s College of Behavioral and Social Sciences, and is active in both the American Meteorological Society and the American Geophysical Union. She previously served as Vice President of MSBR, Chair of the NASA Goddard Contractors’ Association, and member of the Maryland Federal Facility Advisory Board under Governor O’Malley. She has received numerous awards including a NASA Global Change Research Fellowship, National Geographic Young Explorer award, and the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing’s Ta Liang Memorial Award.

 

Dr. Yang's bio has been altered for the purpose of this article and her full bio can be found on the ERT official website.

Published on Fri, 11/15/2019 - 14:27