Photo: Catherine Gautier Catherine Gautier
Professor, Geography
Pull quote. I want to prepare students to be informed citizens of the world, earth citizens, capable of evaluating policies and their implications," says Catherine Gautier, professor of geography. Originally from Paris, France, Gautier directs the Institute for Computational Earth Systems Science at UCSB.

In her teaching, Gautier emphasizes critical thinking, teamwork, and public speaking. With teams of students she stages two-day environmental summits in her undergraduate classes, complete with panel discussions and student presentations. The groups represent different countries, with students playing leadership roles such as minister of health or environment. Then they evaluate their country's environmental status from air and water quality to biodiversity-and explain how the situation came about from a historical perspective.

As a researcher Gautier is focused on understanding the role of clouds in the environment. "Clouds are one of the major uncertainties in how the climate works," says Gautier, noting that clouds could help to reduce global warming.


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