Donaghey College of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
Associate Professor of Earth Sciences
Dr. Laura Ruhl is an associate professor in the Department of Earth Sciences. She is known to be an attentive educator who works intentionally to hone her own skills and willingly offers assistance to others interested in professional development.
Former students wrote of Dr. Ruhl’s availability and capability to inspire and motivate them with earnesty and eagerness during fieldwork, in the classroom, and in her office. She provides her students with real-world experiences that teach them to be scientists, including guiding them in crucial areas like proper field techniques, lab etiquette, and new ways to approach statistical analysis. Writing in support of Dr. Ruhl’s nomination for the Faculty Excellence award, Dr. Mark Baillie specifically referenced her dedication and support to the Mobile Institute on Scientific Teaching workshops delivered to faculty. Dr. Ruhl was an “enthusiastic” and “invaluable” leader for the 2021 workshops, and she showcased her commitment to not only learning how to be a better teacher herself but also in helping other faculty become better teachers.
Her recent awards include the DCSTEM Faculty Excellence Award for Public Service in 2021, UA Little Rock ATLE Teaching Fellow in 2021, an Arkansas Department of Higher Education SURF grant in 2020, and the EIT Faculty Excellence Award for Research in 2018. She is a member of several professional and honorary societies, including the Geological Society of America and the International Medical Geology Association. Her university service in the past five years includes her tenure as the DCSTEM College Assembly president and her membership in the UA Little Rock Provost’s Academic COVID-19 Taskforce and on the EIT College Undergrad and Graduate Curriculum committees. Her recent public outreach includes the Mill Creek Bayou Community Group, the Fourche Creek Watershed Management Plan Development Team, and providing professional development for local science teachers.
Ruhl received a Ph.D. in Earth and ocean sciences from Duke University and a M.S. and B.S. in geological sciences from the University of Florida.