UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State graduate student Anthony Altobelli, a Pennsylvania Army National Guard staff sergeant, is the recipient of the 2026 LT. Michael P. Murphy Award.
The annual award recognizes a Penn State student who has made exceptional contributions to the global geospatial intelligence community. It honors Navy SEAL LT. Michael P. Murphy, a Penn State alumnus who was killed on June 28, 2005, during a reconnaissance mission in Afghanistan.
Altobelli has served for more than six years in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard, gaining hands-on leadership experience supporting mission planning and intelligence operations across multiple classified environments.
“We are meant to step outside of what's comfortable, to seek out the unknown and to use everything we've learned to leave the world a little better than we found it,” he said.
Altobelli works full-time as a geographic information systems (GIS) analyst for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT). He is a student in Penn State’s online master of geographic information systems program, which is offered in partnership with the Penn State College of Earth and Mineral Sciences through Penn State World Campus.
“I’m drawn to work that sits at the intersection of national security and the wider world. I have a genuine passion for history and other cultures, and I want a career that lets me engage with that,” Altobelli said. “GIS is a powerful tool, but for me, it’s always been in service of something bigger — understanding the world and helping protect it.”
Altobelli said his perspective is shaped by those he’s met through his military service, including deployments to Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.
“What I found there changed me,” he said. “The young men I met my age weren’t so different from me. They just grew up in a harder world, one that demanded more of them earlier. It shaped them into men of incredible character and moral depth. That’s something a lot of Americans never get the chance to see for themselves.”
Altobelli sees daily connections between his Penn State course work and his career. As a GIS analyst with PennDOT, he builds web maps, dashboards and automation tools. He enjoys combining his technical skills with creative problem-solving and storytelling to make data more meaningful and actionable.
“What has meant most to me are the connections I’ve made with other GIS professionals within my courses,” he said. “Seeing what projects that are using GIS has really broadened my perspective on the field.”
The LT. Michael P. Murphy Award
Penn State established the LT. Michael P. Murphy Award in honor of Murphy, a Penn State alumnus who was killed in Afghanistan and posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his valiant service as a Navy SEAL.
The award recognizes a student in one of Penn State’s master’s degree programs in geospatial education who has served in the U.S. military or within the geospatial intelligence community and demonstrated exceptional contributions to the discipline. At Penn State, those programs are offered online by the Department of Geography in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences through Penn State World Campus.
The award is made possible by the generosity of the U.S. Geospatial Intelligence Foundation; Maxar; and faculty, staff and friends of Penn State.
Altobelli said receiving the award named for Murphy is an honor.
“The selflessness he had when trying to extract his surveillance team from enemy fire is the type of courage a lot of us strive to have — that's not a legacy you accept an award without feeling the weight of it,” he said.
Greg Thomas, the lead faculty director of the degree programs offered online in geospatial intelligence, said the award committee selected Altobelli based on his accomplishments and experiences in the academic setting as well as in his professional endeavors.
“The geospatial intelligence program is delighted to honor him as this year's recipient of the award,” Thomas said. “Through his course work at Penn State combined with his military background, Anthony has a vision to push the geospatial intelligence field forward and make complex spatial data easier to analyze and more useful to decision-makers."
Altobelli hopes to use his military and GIS experiences to make the world a better place.
“All it takes is one brave connection — one moment where you choose curiosity over fear — and that bond can last decades. That's what I want my life and my career to reflect,” he said.
Online geospatial intelligence education at Penn State
Penn State World Campus has been offering a Penn State education online for more than 25 years, and today, its comprehensive portfolio consists of more than 200 degrees and certificates.
The geospatial intelligence (GIS) offerings include graduate programs in geospatial intelligence, spatial data science, geographic information systems and more.
Visit the Penn State World Campus website to learn more about the graduate portfolio of geospatial programs offered online at Penn State.