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Assistant Professor, Department of Geosciences
Julie Baldwin was always interested in the sciences as a young girl; she loved being involved in the ecology center during junior high school and participating in a marine biology camp as a high school student. Julie was also devoted to her flute and entered college at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill as a music major determined to make a career out of her passion. However, during her freshman year she chose to enroll in a geology course because the inclusion of field trips, an excellent professor, and open-book exams met two of her other passions—working outdoors and learning from a professor who was excited about his work. Upon completion of this introductory geology class Julie was hooked; music became her hobby and, later, her outlet during the intense years of doctoral work.
Geology became Julie’s major and for her senior thesis project she worked closely with her mentor, who she met during an undergraduate petrology class. It was this mentor, a female assistant professor in the department, who got Julie hooked on geology and more specifically, petrology (the study of how rocks form). “My senior thesis project was one of my best undergraduate experiences; my mentor was so supportive and accessible that this project became one of the defining experiences of my academic career,” relates Julie.
Entering as a doctoral candidate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1997 Julie found herself in a high stress environment full of unique and challenging experiences, both good and bad. Throughout her graduate studies Julie’s internal curiosity for figuring out problems kept her going to an extent, but she is also a strong proponent of having a life outside of work during graduate school. Music was one of her outlets, along with the outdoor activities that came with the seasons—skiing, hiking, kayaking. Time with her husband also reminded her of the importance of life outside of work and he helped Julie to retain a balance throughout graduate school. “Looking back,” Julie comments, “graduate school was one of the greatest experiences of my life. It’s the one time in your life when you can focus entirely on a single research problem, without distraction.”
After completing her Ph.D. and postdoctoral work at the University of Maryland, Julie arrived in Missoula to join The University of Montana’s Department of Geology (now Geosciences) in August 2005. Her current research interests are threefold: the petrology of metamorphic rocks (new rocks that form from pre-existing rocks subjected to heat and pressure); geochronology (the timing of geological events and the age of rocks based on radiometric dating); and earth history (understanding formations in the past as keys to current formations). Her current location at UM allows for her to do this right in her backyard as much of southwestern Montana and northern Idaho contain great metamorphic rocks (for example, the Bitterroot and Tobacco Root Mountains).
In addition to her research Julie also teaches three undergraduate classes, including General Geology, Earth Materials, and Petrology. She is a strong advocate for undergraduate teaching and mentoring and has educated herself extensively in new education techniques, specifically in techniques for active learning approaches in large lecture classes like Geology 100. Julie tries to move away from the standard lecturing and into a more interactive and fun learning approach, especially in the lower level classes because “these classes are my opportunity to not only influence future geoscientists, but also educate our future voters and policymakers and that is a huge responsibility.”
Coupled with her passion for teaching, Julie is also an undergraduate advisor in the Geosciences Department. When asked about mentoring undergraduates Julie states that “it is fun to work with students who are figuring out what they want out of life and their careers.” One of her greatest satisfactions comes with her interactions with students through both teaching and mentoring. “It creates a more diverse day after doing so much research during my graduate and postdoctoral careers” claims Julie.
Her advice for students on how to be successful in academia? “Do what you want to do in your academic career; explore all of your career options. Pick a thesis that covers a topic you are interested in and a mentor who is willing to invest their time and resources in you.”
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