Laura TriplettFaculty

I am driven to help people understand our planet and protect the resources that people and ecosystems depend on.  I investigate how human activities have changed the water quality of lakes, rivers and groundwater, and I'm curious about how the glacial history of southern Minnesota leads to rapid erosion in various ways.  I've done research on a variety of streams and rivers in the U.S., working with wetland ecologists, geomorphologists, park managers, government agencies and nonprofit organizations to find collaborative solutions to problems and reach society's environmental quality goals.

I am also active in finding ways to address climate change.  In all of my courses, I teach at least a little about climate science because it is so intertwined with the geology of the earth's surface.  Students always ask me, "What should we be doing to address the enormous problem of rapid human-caused climate change?"  I strive to provide practical and tangible answers to that question, and lead through example.  

I grew in up in Minneapolis, then went to college first in Massachussetts and then finishing in Colorado.  I have Master's and Ph.D. degrees in geology from the University of Minnesota, with expertise in quantifying environmental change through geochemical analysis of sedimentary records.  I love to travel, hike and camp, and I also love indoor activities like working in my lab, reading books, and cooking good food.

Courses Taught