Initial Publication Date: July 19, 2014

Karen Layou


J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College

Karen Layou is a SAGE 2YC local workshop leader and a Professor of Geology at Reynolds Community College in Richmond, VA. She co-convened the 2015 workshop Supporting Student Success for Under-prepared 2YC Students and Students with Disabilities at the College of William and Mary and the 2014 workshop Supporting the Whole Student: Strategies for Success in the Classroom, Transferring, and Finding Professional Opportunities at Reynolds Community College.

Layou co-compiled the SAGE 2YC resources on Supporting Geoscience Student Transfer. You can read how she and others developed the Jobs in Geosciences Speaker Series at Thomas Nelson Community College when she was an instructor there. Prior to joining Reynolds Community College, she was a Visiting Assistant Professor at the College of William & Mary.

Courses

Layou teaches Physical Geology (lecture/lab, hybrid, online) and Historical Geology (lecture/lab) at Reynolds Community College. At the College of William & Mary, she taught Physical Geology (lecture/lab), Physical Geography, Paleontology, The Sedimentary Record, and seminars on Extinction and Carbonate Sedimentology.

Professional Interests

Layou's education interests include increasing geoscience literacy using relevant local resources and supporting transfer students. Her geoscience interests focus on invertebrate paleontology and paleoecology.

Institution

Reynolds Community College serves the City of Richmond, Virginia and five surrounding counties across three campuses. Over 12,000 students attend Reynolds, 36% of whom are African American or Black.