Biography
Dr. Elisabeth Ervin-Blankenheim
AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow
Division of Research, Innovation, Synergies and Education
Directorate for Geosciences
Class of 2024-2026
Dr. Elisabeth Ervin-Blankenheim joins the U.S. National Science Foundation Office of Research, Innovation, Synergies and Education as the Belmont Forum International Global Research Fellow working with the Global Change Research Program. She earned her doctorate in scientific and geologic literacy in educational studies at St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia, with her research focused on experiential learning and methods of teaching foundational ideas in geology. She earned her master's degree in geology from Binghamton University and her bachelor's in geology and anthropology from Dickinson College.
Ervin-Blankenheim previously worked for the U.S. Geological Survey and is a licensed professional geologist and author of Song of the Earth: Understanding Geology and Why it Matters. This book was inspired by her Front Range Community College students' desire to know more about the story of geology, Earth’s long biography and implications for the future, especially climate change, after taking her classes and led to her fellowship journey. She was awarded an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation grant to complete the manuscript. Ervin-Blankenheim brings a passion for promoting an understanding of science and its implications for the problems, especially global climate change, the world is facing to her work as a fellow.