It is time to vote for the next cadre of leaders for Geo2YC: the two-year college division of NAGT. The ballot includes President, Vice President (and President Elect for the following year), and Newsletter Editor. Voting begins on June 1 and ends on July 1, 2021.
Officer Candidate Biographies
President
Karen Layou is a professor of geology at Reynolds Community College in Richmond, Virginia. She teaches seated and online physical and historical geology classes, while also serving as the Reynolds Honors Program Coordinator. Karen holds a B.S. in Geoscience from Pennsylvania State University, M.S. in Geology from University of Cincinnati, and a Ph.D. in Geology from the University of Georgia with a research background in Paleozoic invertebrate paleoecology. She recently participated as a Virginia SAGE 2YC Change Agent working with colleagues across the state to increase use of research-based high impact teaching strategies and to build professional networks. Karen has served the NAGT Geo2YC Division on the Outstanding Adjunct Faculty Award subcommittee (2013-2018). When she's not in the classroom, Karen can be found working on her goal of exploring as many National and State Parks as possible.
Vice-President
Becca Walker, Professor of Earth Sciences at Mt. San Antonio College (Mt. SAC- Walnut, CA), teaches physical geology, historical geology, natural disasters, oceanography, and field studies courses. Mt. SAC's proximity to many outstanding field sites allows Becca to regularly lead and co-lead single-day, multi-day, and multi-week field trips within and outside of California. In 2019, she taught for a semester in Seville, Spain as part of the Southern California Foothills Consortium for Study Abroad, including a field trip to Cabo de Gata in Almeria, Spain.
In addition to teaching, Becca has been involved with a variety of projects focusing on geoscience education, curriculum development, and career preparation. She is currently a co-PI on the GETSI (Geodesy Tools for Societal Issues) project; a peer leader for the SAGE2YC (Supporting and Advancing Geoscience Education at 2-Year Colleges) program; a member of the NAGT Teach the Earth Website Subcommittee; and a participant in the development of the Mt. SAC Geotechnician Certificate Program. Recently, she was co-PI of the ESTEM (Environmental STEM) field and career preparation program and co-led the community-based virtual field camp working group as part of NAGT's Designing Remote Field Experiences project.
Newsletter Editor
Andrea Bair is an Associate Professor of Geology at Delta College in the Bay City region, Michigan. She teaches a variety of introductory-level geology courses, heads the geology program, and works on STEM education and outreach-related initiatives and faculty professional development. Andrea is the faculty lead on Delta College's STEM K-12 and community outreach program, the STEM Explorer Project, and is a member of the college's Climate Action Pursuit Team, charged with incorporating student leadership, carbon neutrality, and racial justice into sustainability and climate education across the college. She recently participated in the SAGE 2YC Project as a Change Agent on the Michigan Team, working to improve student success through research-based teaching strategies and supporting the whole student. Andrea has continued work with SAGE-2YC as a Peer Leader in the latest version of the project. Andrea recently served as a member of the Earth Educators' Rendezvous planning committee and has been the interim newsletter editor for NAGT Geo2YC Division.
