Geographic imaging software:

Flexibility inspires innovation.

Decades before "El Niño" became a household term, geography professor J. Ronald Eastman was devising a software system that would help examine the geography of climate teleconnections, the links between environmental phenomena occurring around the world. Clark's openness to unconventional ideas paved the way for Eastman to focus on software development—which, at the time, was not considered a typical academic endeavor.

Today, the world recognizes the wisdom of Eastman's foresight. His Idrisi software is used by environmentalists, farmers, health officials, and policymakers around the world to help preserve habitats, plan for natural disasters, manage food security, and stem the spread of infectious diseases.

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"I went to the provost and told him what I wanted to do. His answer was: 'Fine, go for it.' At Clark, when you have an interesting idea, the first answer is always, 'Yes.' And then comes the question, 'How are we going to do it?'"
—Professor J. Ronald Eastman

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