Freeman Research Group
Isotopic Biogeochemistry
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Kate's thoughts on graduate education

Students begin graduate school convinced they know very little about their chosen field. Over time, they gain confidence in their knowledge and in their abilities as scientists. Finally, as they near completion of their degree, they realize that they were right in the first place.  There is a lifetime of questions to pursue in science, and a good dissertation opens more questions than it answers.

My educational goals for graduate students emphasize problem solving, critical thinking and writing, and hands-on experience.  I encourage students to tackle problems by reading the published literature, by working with more senior students and post-doctoral associates and by conducting fieldwork, experiments and analyses themselves.  My students take on analytical challenges presented by the complexities of natural samples, and often invent or optimize methods in the lab.  I provide ample guidance to students initially, and step back as they become increasingly independent in their work. I hope to learn as much from my students as they do from me.

Students should not be clones of their professors. I encourage my grad students to spend time in other laboratories across campus and at other institutions to broaden both their skills and their concept of ways to conduct research. My students work with scholars from around the world who provide expertise that complement what our lab offers.  I encourage students to participate in local, national and international professional meetings. Such experience helps students grow professionally and improve their oral communication skills. Moreover, it helps them develop a better sense of the context for their own work, and exposes them to new ideas.

I have always enjoyed a strongly interdisciplinary research group.  My students typically have undergraduate degree(s) in geology, chemistry or the life sciences, but all join the group through the Geosciences graduate program.  Most students elect to participate in either the Astrobiology or the Biogeochemistry dual-title degree programs at Penn State.

I have mentored over 30 graduate students and postdoctoral scholars.  My former group members are professors, research scientists with DOE, NASA and the USGS, and gainfully employed in the energy industries.  


Courses taught by Kate

Geosc 419       Organic Geochemistry  (Fall)
Geosc 597E     Topics in Biogeochemistry (Fall)
Geosc 587       Academic Careers in the Geosciences (Fall)
Geosc 597C     Petroleum Geosystems (Fall)
Geosc 597J     Advanced Biomarkers and Biosignatures (Fall)
Geosc 518       Stable Isotope Geochemistry (Spring)
Geosc 501       Words to Live by: Writing Science (Spring)
Earth 002         Gaia: the Earth System (Spring)

Graduate Programs

Click below for links to Penn State graduate programs associated with our group.
Geosciences (PhD and MS)
Biogeochemistry Dual-Title Program (PhD)
Astrobiology Dual-Title Program (PhD)