Luis A. Martinez, Jr.

Growing up in a military family, Luis always knew he wanted to serve. In May 2013 he started his dream by enlisting in the U.S. Marine Corps. Upon completing recruit training and Marine combat training, he reported to Marine Corps Detachment Ft. Belvoir to begin the Basic Geospatial Intelligence Specialist (BGIS) course. He graduated in May 2014 with the highest overall GPA, as well as earning the title of BGIS Honor Graduate. Upon graduation Luis reported to 1st Intelligence Battalion at Camp Pendleton, California, where he would spend the remainder of his service.

Luis was selected as a tactical intelligence instructor for Weapons and Tactics Instructor course (WTI) at Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron One (MAWTS-1). He later was selected to support Alpha Company, 1st Reconnaissance Battalion where he discovered his passion for geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) and noticed critical gaps in military geospatial capabilities. Luis would go on to combine the Marine Corps-trained skillset with knowledge from his Texas A&M graduate studies to develop his current research protocol. Through his research and extracurricular activities, he aims to educate and mentor the future of GEOINT and improve geospatial capabilities for the U.S. military and intelligence community. Luis will research the development and evaluation of automated means for generating maps and collecting intelligence about subterranean environments.