I was so honored to be contacted by the American Geophysical Union (AGU), an international organization with >60,000 members from more than 130 countries, to learn that I was going to be honored for my volunteer work with the organization. Below I’ve included the announcement from AGU and the February 2025 volunteer highlight. Thank you, AGU, for this recognition! I look forward to continuing with my volunteer efforts.
AGU is about people as much as it is about science. It’s the dedicated, driven people who power the science and advance our mission as a global community. In that spirit, we’re pleased to share February’s AGU Monthly Volunteer Spotlight.
This month’s featured spotlight is Laura Guertin!
Laura joined AGU in 1993 while earning her Ph.D. in Marine Geology & Geophysics at the University of Miami. AGU’s Annual Meeting was Laura’s first foray into professional networking. Initial fears of intimidation and anxiety at the Annual Meeting quickly turned to feelings of acceptance and belonging in the AGU community. Since her first Annual Meeting, Laura has been on a mission to give back to our AGU community through service, with the goal of celebrating and supporting fellow Earth and space scientists.
Laura has accomplished this goal through her many years as an AGU volunteer. She has been heavily involved in the planning of the Annual Meeting as a Meetings Committee member (including Chair of Virtual Engagement and Sustainable Meetings Advisory Group), AGU Talent Pool Strategy Task Force member, and Educational Consultant for the AGU Affiliation and Engagement Task Force. She has also helped with the search for and selection of multiple Annual Meeting Chairs.
While working to strengthen the Annual Meeting, Laura also took part in advancing science policy as a member of the Voices for Science Advocacy Program, working to build valuable dialogues and relationships with communities, journalists and stakeholders.
After many years of involvement with Meetings committees, Science Policy advocacy, and as an active member of AGU’s mentoring programs, Laura was invited to serve as the AGU geoscience education blogger. From May 2014 through December 2023, GeoEd Trek was where she blogged about pedagogy, educational technology, and science communication. During that time, Laura authored about 400 posts and received 28,000-40,000+ page views each year!
Beyond AGU, Laura volunteers with the National Association of Geoscience Teachers (NAGT) and serves on the U.S. Advisory Committee for scientific ocean drilling. When she’s not teaching or volunteering, you can find Laura quilting! Many of Laura’s quilts are science-themed and are used for teaching and outreach – she’s even displayed some of her quilts at past AGU Annual Meetings!
Laura received her bachelor’s degree from Bucknell University in Geology. She graduated from the University of Miami with her Ph.D. in Marine Geology & Geophysics. Currently, Laura is a Distinguished Professor of Earth Sciences at Penn State University – Brandywine.
Thanks for all that you do, Laura!
Add your own note of thanks and congratulations below.
Learn more about Laura’s quilt displays at the AGU Annual Meetings in New Orleans and San Fransico! You can also apply to the next Voices for Science cohort, apply to be an AGU Mentor, or support AGU’s work advancing Earth and space science discovery and solutions.
——–
AGU Monthly Volunteer Spotlight
Pioneered by long-time member and volunteer, Mark Moldwin, and other members of the AGU Development Board, the AGU Monthly Volunteer Spotlight features and celebrates the extraordinary AGU members who devote their time to AGU’s mission.
Login to read past months’ features by using the #AGUMonthlyVolunteerSpotlight hashtag in the AGU Member Community on AGU Connect.
Journeys of Dr. G 