Dr. Laura Guertin, or “Dr. G” as her students call her, is a Professor of Earth Science at Penn State Brandywine.  Born in Massachusetts and raised in Connecticut, she received her BA in Geology from Bucknell University (PA) and PhD in Marine Geology & Geophysics from the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science (FL).

Dr. G began at Penn State in 2001 and teaches a variety of general education (GN) science courses for nonscience majors that focus on geoscience, oceanography, climate and energy. She serves as the Dean’s representative for Penn State’s College of Earth & Mineral Sciences.  She is the campus coordinator of the Environmental Inquiry Minor and the Earth Sustainability Certificate.

Dr. Guertin’s primary research focus is the effective integration of innovative technologies to improve student learning in introductory-level geoscience courses, and use of technology to advance scientific and information literacy in students. She has been awarded the Penn State Brandywine Distinguished Teaching Award, Penn State –Commonwealth College Award for Teaching Excellence, Penn State’s George W. Atherton Award for Excellence in Teaching, Penn State’s Teaching with Technology Award, and in 2009 was recognized at the national level with the Geological Society of America’s Biggs Earth Science Teaching Award. In 2015, Guertin was elected as a Geological Society of America Fellow and recognized as one of INISGHT Into Diversity’sTop 100 Women in STEM. She was selected as part of PKAL’s Faculty for the 21st Century in 2003, served as a mentor for PKAL’s Summer Leadership Institute for STEM Faculty in 2012, and in 2008 was awarded a U.S. Congressional Citation for her work in civic and community engagement. She has received funding from the National Science Foundation, EPA, and the Society of Women Environmental Professionals. Dr. Guertin has published her pedagogical work in journals such as the Journal of Geoscience Education, Journal of College Science Teaching, The Earth Scientist, Current: The Journal of Marine Education, and the Journal of Science Education and Technology. She is the past chair of the Geoscience Division of the Council on Undergraduate Research (GeoCUR) and a former councilor-at-large with the National Association of Geoscience Teachers. She blogs on geoscience education for the American Geophysical Union (GeoEd Trek) and serves on the Board of Trustees of Tyler Arboretum in Media, PA. She began science storytelling through quilts in 2018.

Online portfolio –http://sites.psu.edu/drlauraguertin/

AGU blog GeoEd Trek – http://blogs.agu.org/geoedtrek/

Journeys of Dr. G – http://journeysofdrg.org/

Science quilts – https://journeysofdrg.org/tag/sciquilt/

I was able to do a little of everything on the ship – including helping the crew raise the anchor in the morning to get underway!