Geysers, geothermal pools, glaciers, volcanoes, columnar basalt, tectonic plates, oh my! Iceland is a geologist’s dream. Just ask Penn State Brandywine associate professor of earth sciences Laura Guertin, who spent five days studying the country’s unique geological phenomena in early May.
Guertin traveled with 12 colleagues from across the United States as part of a short field study course hosted by the University of Texas Austin called “Exploring Iceland’s Physical Geography and Geomorphology.” Guertin said the experience was one of the highlights of her distinguished career and she can’t wait to share with her students at Brandywine the treasures she uncovered during her trip.
“The best way to learn geology is to go out and do geology,” Guertin said. “I teach my students about Iceland every semester. It’s a unique geologic environment. To be able to go to a geologic setting with fellow geologists, led by an expert of Icelandic geology (Jim Wysong) was really exciting,” she said.
Guertin said she’s most looking forward to bringing Iceland to life in the classroom now that she has seen and experienced its magnificence first-hand.
“It makes it real that I have visited and been there. It’s not someone else’s description, it’s my authentic experience,” she said.
“Instead of using someone’s images I find online or the images in the textbooks, I can now speak more about the specific features in my own photos and I can explain the broader setting and the context. I’ve learned more than what an intro level textbook includes so I can frame it better and get my students to realize the bigger picture about why Iceland is a good environment for us to learn more about and study.”