Biography
Laura Guertin received her B.A. in Geology from Bucknell University and her Ph.D. in Marine Geology and Geophysics from the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science. Dr. Guertin’s areas of research include: [A] the effective integration of innovative technologies to improve student learning in introductory-level geoscience courses, particularly to improve student scientific literacy, information literacy, and geospatial skills; [B] the generation of analog visualizations, primarily via quilting, for science storytelling and communication; and [C] establishing an oral history for the field of scientific ocean drilling.
Her courses cover Earth science and geospatial topics in the areas of oceanography, climate science, sustainability, and data visualizations. Penn State University has honored Guertin with university-wide awards, including the George W. Atherton Award for Excellence in Teaching (2006), Teaching and Learning with Technology Impact Award (2019), and The President’s Award for Excellence in Academic Integration (2020).
Dr. Guertin has earned numerous national awards for teaching and science communication, including being named one of 100 women nationwide as an INSIGHT Into Diversity Inspiring Women in STEM in 2015. She has been elected a Fellow of the Geological Society of America (GSA) and American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). She has been honored with a U.S. Congressional Citation for civic and community engagement efforts, and a United States Senate Certificate of Special Recognition for her work at sea with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
She is the campus coordinator for the environmental inquiry minor and Earth sustainability certificate. She has received grant funding from the National Science Foundation, EPA, and the Society of Women Environmental Professionals. She is the past chair of the Geoscience Division of the Council on Undergraduate Research and a former councilor-at-large with the National Association of Geoscience Teachers. She is a former blogger for the American Geophysical Union (AGU) on geoscience education and educational technology, with her blog GeoEd Trek was named to EdTech’s Dean’s List for Must-Read Higher Education I.T. Blogs in 2015. Images and descriptions of her science storytelling quilts are available for viewing: https://journeysofdrg.org/category/sciquilts/
Publications
Select Publications
Guertin, L. (2026). Expanding Ocean Literacy with Storytelling Through Collaborative Quilts. In: Kennedy, T.J. (Ed.), Ocean Literacy: The Foundation for the Success of the Ocean Decade, Volume II. Sustainable Development Goals Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-032-09453-7_19
Guertin, L., E. Doyle, T. Peixoto. (2025). Scientific Ocean Drilling: Exploration and Discovery through Time. Open Education Resource (OER) through Pressbooks. Available at: https://psu.pb.unizin.org/sciod/
Guertin, L. (2025). Tales from the Deep: Audio narratives from the Scientific Ocean Drilling community. Oceanography 38(4), https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2025.e405
Guertin, L., K. Theveny, D. Barber. (2021). Virtual community building via nature-themed podcast discussions. Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America, 102(1): e01798. https://doi.org/10.1002/bes2.1798
Guertin, L. (2020). Audio and video clips provide connections between authentic voices, social justice, and global water challenges. Science Education and Civic Engagement: An International Journal, 12(2): 34-35.
Guertin, L., N. Clements. (2018). Starting the research process with information literacy in introductory-level Earth science courses. In: N. Hensel (Ed.), Course-Based Undergraduate Research – Educational Equity and High-Impact Practice. Virginia: Stylus Publishing, 25-34.
Committee for Convocation on Integrating Discovery-Based Research into the Undergraduate Curriculum (Guertin and 11 others), Division on Earth and Life Studies, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education, and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2015). Integrating Discovery-Based Research into the Undergraduate Curriculum: Report of a Convocation. Washington DC: National Academies Press. http://www.nap.edu/catalog/21851