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Ian Lauer

Program: Student Career Program

Year: 2016 , 2017

Mentor: Beth Pratt-Sitaula

Position

Student Assistant in Field Education

About Ian

Ian has been working with UNAVCO since summer 2016 on a NSF grant to improve undergraduate education in geoscience technologies. Under the guidance of advisors, Beth Pratt-Situala and Ben Crosby, he wrote field education guides and curriculum for GETSI: High Precision Positioning module. This module is a field based curriculum designed to teach practical skills in conducting GPS surveys for geoscience based problems, with a focus on societally important issues such as natural hazards and resources. Additionally, Ian’s research is funded through and directly supports the curriculum by providing an example dataset of a societally relevant problem solved with GPS surveys. Ian enjoys long hikes down landslides and climbing the nearest or most prominent outcrop in the vicinity (and will argue this is the only way to properly view and assess the local geology). He gained an appreciation for nature by growing up outdoors as a child through family adventures on the rivers and in the mountains. This appreciation grew into a broad love for the natural sciences, which was solidified by graduating with a B.S. Geology in 2016. Ian hopes to always continue learning, and is currently pursuing a M.S. Geology focused on geomorphology and natural hazards. He hopes to never grow up, and looks forward to a life with his wife Brandi, daughter Sofia, and exploring the world with them.