Sarah Austin didn’t set out to become a geologist. In fact, she jokes that she “messed up” when she first enrolled at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, mistakenly thinking the College of Education and Human Development was the right path to medical school. But one introductory geology course changed everything.
“I sat in the second row and was so enthralled the whole class, and then was like, ‘Can I do this as a major?’” she recalled. That spark eventually carried her to graduate school at the University of Rochester, and later to teaching positions at the University of Minnesota-Duluth and a postdoctoral appointment at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Now, Austin has joined the Department of Earth Science and Environmental Change at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where she will teach classes like physical geology, natural disasters, and geotectonics, and other classes on geologic structure. For her, the classroom has always been the heart of her career. “I’m so excited to get back into teaching,” she said. “I’ve taught an intro geology class before, and it’s my favorite thing. We have a lot of rock and mineral-based labs, and those are the most fun!”
She is equally thrilled about the chance to help with the department’s field camp, an opportunity that holds personal significance. She fell in love with structural geology at the Wasatch-Uinta field camp, so “being able to teach at field camp every summer is the dream,” she said.
Austin describes the department as warm and welcoming from the start: “Everyone was so incredibly kind, and genuinely so. It feels like a really nice community.” As she settles in, she hopes students will see her as approachable and ready to help: “I want students to feel comfortable talking to me. If they have any questions about anything, I am more than happy to chat.”
When she’s not in the classroom or out in the field, Austin enjoys hiking, playing video games, and spending time with her dog, Balto. Her advice for students reflects her own journey: “Follow what you’re interested in and don’t be afraid to ask questions. Some of the coolest opportunities I’ve had were all because I asked the right person the right question.”