A steady stream of awards and accomplishments continue to mount for Teacher at Sea alumna Laura Guertin (TAS 2014). She was one of 100 women selected to receive the National STEM Award. INSIGHT Into Diversity 2015 Inspiring Women in STEM Award for inspiring young women to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Dr. Guertin was also named a Geological Society of America (GSA) Fellow and received the 2015 Distinguished Teacher Award given by the Pennsylvania Geographical Society (PGS). In addition, she was named the Distinguished Teacher of the Year at Penn State Brandywine and was promoted to full professor!  

As a professor of Earth System Science and Oceanography at Penn State Brandywine, Dr. Guertin strives to bring real world experiences to her students and feels strongly about the importance of sharing what she learned aboard NOAA ship Thomas Jefferson, with them.  

 “My students can be advocates for the ocean. Whether they are science majors or not, they can really make a difference for our ocean with a better understanding of the process of science. For 99.9% of my students, my Oceanography course is their first and last formal introduction to the ocean. My time as a TAS has provided me a valuable, authentic experience that I can share.” – Laura Guertin  

In addition to sharing experiential science with her college students, Dr. Guertin reaches out to local middle schools. On May 12, 2016, she led discovery-based sessions for 7th grade girls for the STEM Options Program at Penn State Brandywine. This was a one-day event for girls from schools in the region to learn about careers in STEM fields. The girls were broken up into groups and participated in hands-on activities. Dr. Guertin spoke about her Teacher at Sea experience and facilitated a nautical chart exercise. Read more here.