Education
Post-Bac/Licensure: Secondary Science (Broadfield)
University of Montana, Missoula, MT
Received June 2021
Master of Science: Geosciences
Thesis: Modeling Stromatolite Formation with Diffusion-Limited Aggregation
University of Montana, Missoula, MT
Received June 2021
Bachelor of Science: Astrophysics, Physics, Biology
College of Charleston, Charleston, SC
Received May 2013
Experience
… in teaching & communcating
Lab Specialist
2021-Present
Department of Physics, Gonzaga University
Teaching the lab for PHYS 104: Scientific Inquiry. The lab component of this course explores epistemology and the process of doing science. Students learn how to gather data, how to analyze their data using statistics and linear regression, how to report and explain uncertainty, and how to build and test mathematical models.
- Prepare students for the week’s lab with a pre-lab lecture.
- Facilitate a lab with open, drop-in hours.
- Develop new materials and modify previously existing materials.
Teaching Assistant
2019-2020
University of Montana, Missoula, MT
Taught the introductory geosciences lab for both majors and non-majors.
- Prepared students with a mini-lecture introducing new concepts and connecting back to their regular lecture.
- Facilitated weekly lab activities including chemical and physical testing of rocks and minerals, mapping activities, and modeling earth system dynamics.
Freelance Script Writer
2017-2021
SciShow Space
Wrote scripts for SciShow Space, an educational YouTube channel.
- Pitched and developed video ideas.
- Summarized new research for a public audience.
- Communicated science to the public in, hopefully, an engaging way.
Click here to watch one of my favorite videos.
STEM Teacher
2013-2014
Palmetto Scholars Academy, North Charleston, SC
Taught high school physics, middle/high school robotics, and middle/high school programming at a gifted/talented public charter school.
- Developed programming curricula for eighth-graders and high schoolers incorporating Scratch and Python; differentiated with open-ended projects for skilled programmers.
- Taught the principles and process of engineering with the VEX Robotics kits, culminating in a class-wide competition at the end of the school year.
- Taught classical physics with a little introductory astronomy for high school.
… in research
Graduate Research Assistant
2016-2021
Department of Geosciences, University of Montana
Adviser: Dr. Nancy Hinman
Conducted field work and lab simulations focusing on the formation of signatures of life around hot springs.
- Measured geochemical data at hot springs in Yellowstone National Park.
- Conducted computer modeling of chemical precipitation in hot springs environments.
Undergraduate Research Assistant
2012-2013
Strategic Exploration of Exoplanets and Disks with Subaru (SEEDS)
Department of Physics and Astronomy, College of Charleston
Adviser: Dr. Joe Carson
Conducted a search for planets around other stars (exoplanets) by direct imaging.
- Processed telescope data and interpreted results.
- Modified and improved the programs we used to process our data.
- Team discovered an exoplanet around kappa Andromedae, the most massive star known to harbor a planet.
Publications
- Stevens, Laura E., “Modeling Stromatolite Formation with Diffusion-Limited Aggregation” (2021). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 11766.
- “Direct Imaging Discovery of a ‘Super-Jupiter’ around the Late B-type Star κ And” Carson, J., Thalmann, C., Janson, M., Kozakis, T., Bonnefoy, M., Biller, B., Schlieder, J., Currie, T., McElwain, M., Goto, M., Henning, T., Brandner, W., Feldt, M., Kandori, R., Kuzuhara, M., Stevens, L., et al. ApJL 763.2, L32 (2013).
Skills
- Programming & Scripting: Python, R, PHP, Java, Markdown, LaTeX, HTML/CSS, Javascript
- Software: Microsoft Office, iMovie, Audacity, free analogs
- Operating Systems: Linux, Windows, OSX