Nick Soltis recently defended his Ph.D. in Earth System Science in the Department of Geosciences. His dissertation was titled: "Exploring and Measuring the Teaching and Development of Earth Systems Thinking Skills in Undergraduate Geoscience Courses." He also has masters degrees in geoscience from Mississippi State University and education from Muskingum University in New Concord, Ohio. Prior to graduate study, he worked as a middle school science teacher for 6 years at Garaway Local Schools in Sugarcreek, OH. At Auburn, he served as instructor of record for Earth and Life through Time for three semesters and online Dynamic Earth for two semesters. He also has served as a teaching assistant for Earth and Life through Time lab, Introduction to Paleobiology, Sedimentary Petrology, and Field Camp. He also has taught summer field courses for the University of Texas, Austin's GeoFORCE program, which provides free field experiences to underserved high school students with the goal of making the geosciences more diverse and inclusive. During his Ph.D., he also worked in the Geoscience Education and Geocognition Lab under his Ph.D. advisor Dr. Karen McNeal. Nick is a native of Western Pennsylvania and has also been recognized for his teaching with the Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award from the National Association of Geoscience Teachers.
