Nominators share a long list of teaching and mentoring experiences for Kristin Kimble, a fourth-year PhD Candidate in the Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences (DEEPS).
Kimble has been a teaching assistant for two courses, EEPS 0220 and 1240; she has led departmental outreach efforts at Providence elementary and high schools and individually mentored two high school students and four undergraduate students in cutting edge research projects. She has designed and will teach an upcoming Brown pre-college course and continues to lead new TA Orientation for DEEPS as a Sheridan Center Liaison. Lastly, she has spoken widely to the community at Brown about important climate issues as a panelist in a Brown-wide Climate Forum and through the Graduate School’s Research Matters event.
Kimble’s favorite course to TA has been EEPS 0220, which is an introduction to Earth science and plays an essential role in the curriculum for undergraduate concentrators. She co-led the course labs, which involved preparing hands-on learning activities for three sections of students and interactively guiding the students through the material, as well as two field trips. She also gave a lecture on ocean and atmospheric circulation and its ties to climate.
“Kristin’s lectures were exceptionally clear and engaging, and were key in motivating the students,” shares Karen Fischer, nominator and Louis and Elizabeth Scherck Distinguished Professor of Geological Sciences.
For a second year in a row, Kimble has also worked with new first-time TAs. She organized introductory meetings each semester and, along with other faculty, helped to provide feedback on mock lessons the students were asked to prepare.
Beyond the Brown classroom, Kimble joined her department’s outreach program (DEEPS STEP), which has the goal of encouraging science teaching and learning in Providence elementary schools by supporting teachers through creation and co-teaching of multi-lesson Earth and Planetary modules. This is made possible through volunteer efforts of DEEPS students.
“From the beginning Kristin deeply impressed me with her outstanding dedication, enthusiasm, and reliability in her work with curriculum design and teaching,” said Olga Prilipko Huber, DEEPS Outreach Coordinator and nominator.
She has also helped to design and implement a new outreach program, DEEPS CORES (Career Opportunities and Research in Earth Sciences), with the goal of exposing Providence high school students to Earth Science topics and career opportunities. Kimble took on the leadership role of DEEPS STEP/CORES coordinator that she still holds.
“I thoroughly enjoy working with the high school students on activities designed to introduce them to topics in the earth and environmental sciences. The high school students have taught me the importance of developing engaging and relevant lessons, and this experience inspired me to propose a pre-college course on Rhode Island's climate history,” shares Kimble.
For her dissertation research, Kimble uses ocean sediments to reconstruct ancient climate conditions from the tropical Pacific Ocean and relate these conditions to modern climate change. She uses tiny skeletons and organic molecules embedded in the sediments as clues about past ocean temperature and biological productivity. For more on her research, listen to Kimble’s Research Matters talk.
Olivia Lafferty, kristen iemma, Haley Keglovits, and Kristin Kimble received Excellence in Teaching Awards at the University Awards Ceremony on May 1, 2023.