Renee Aubry

Biography – Renee L. Aubry

Eastern Section Treasurer

My passion for all things Earth began before I can remember.  I was a 4 year old kid who was seriously into dinosaurs.  I have never lost that.  My current classroom is full of dinosaur stuff. When I was a little older, my father’s cousin gave me her mineral collection.  I loved the crystals.  As a ninth grader, my Earth Science teacher sparked my interest even more.  I knew then that I wanted to be a geologist.

I entered SUNY Albany as a geology major (often the only girl in my classes in the 80s). I graduated with my B.S. in 1985.  University of Vermont was my next stop as a graduate student studying metamorphic petrology in the Green Mountains.  Unfortunately, my time there was cut short by a torn ACL, and I could not finish my field work.  However, I had a teaching assistantship there, and as it turns out, I loved the teaching!  I transferred to Queens College and finished my MS in Earth Science Education.

I began my teaching career in 1989 and landed my current teaching position at Port Chester High School in Westchester County in NY in 1990.  I have been there ever since. I teach courses in Earth Science and Natural Disasters. I have taught an elective in Paleontology in the past. I currently serve as a mentor for the newest of our Earth Science teachers.

My association with NAGT began in 2005 when I was recruited to be a counselor for NY.  Shortly after that, we hosted the Eastern Section meeting at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University. I have attended every Eastern Section conference since. In 2011 I also took on the role of treasurer for Eastern Section.  In this position I maintain the checking account, pay all necessary bills, prepare year-end statements, and file the required IRS tax information.  In addition, I have been in charge of printing and sending copies of the quarterly newsletter to our members who prefer to receive paper copies.

I was also honored to be the OEST for NY in 2009. Eastern Section officers have been extremely  welcoming to this high school teacher, and I believe the collaboration between high school and university is unique to this organization.

As well as my association with NAGT, I am also a founding member of the New York Earth Science Teachers Association (NYESTA), where I serve as its treasurer, and I am involved in planning its yearly field conference each summer.  Our plan was to model our conference after NAGT in that we travel to different areas of New York State each year so that attendees may experience different areas of geologic interest. I have served as a Subject Area Representative (SAR) for Earth Science for the Science Teachers Association of New York State (STANYS).  I feel that my experience and knowledge serve me well to assist others in the field of education.