Councilor – Sarah Fortner

Sarah Fortner is an assistant professor of geology and environmental science at Wittenberg University. She has been a GeoCUR councilor since 2012.

“Mentoring undergraduate research brings me great joy! As we work through the scientific method, my students learn how to think in new ways and make their own discoveries. Scientific explorations expand our ability to think critically and creatively and I am thrilled to do this as my career. My students and future students will work on a variety of small-scale field sites using geochemistry as the framework. Small scales are ideal for determining geochemical processes (e.g. the relation between land use and watershed response, the affect of glacial melt on stream geochemistry) that can be used to understand global issues (e.g. water quality & quantity, climate change). While I am a new professor at Wittenberg, I am broadly trained and have worked with students of all ages and scientific backgrounds at field sites around the world. Recently, I have enjoyed exploring issues of interest to my students, seeing their personal connection to projects enhance their scientific experience.”