MANTIS Director Dr. Michael J. Starek served as a panelist at the 2026 ASPRS Gulf South Region Geospatial Conference. The panel, moderated by Kent Groh of The Geoholics, focused on geospatial science and geomatics engineering, including the current state of the field and future directions. Alongside Starek, panelists included Dr. Nicholas Enwright and Rob Crawshaw (representing both academia and industry). The discussion provided valuable and unique perspectives on emerging trends, the evolving role of geospatial technologies, and the growing influence of artificial intelligence and related innovations.