James Lauer

Ph.D. Candidate, Earth System Science, Stanford University

Courses

The Oceans: An Introduction to the Marine Environment — Co-Instructor of Record, Stanford University Spring 2026

  • Introductory course covering major ocean ecosystems, their dominant organisms, and interactions under natural conditions and anthropogenic stress.
  • Designed and delivered lectures, created assignments and exams, and held office hours.

Remote Sensing of the Oceans — Teaching Assistant, Stanford University Winter 2026

  • Required course for Earth Systems students in the Oceans track covering principles of satellite remote sensing, sensor calibration and validation, and interpretation and processing of satellite data with SeaDAS.
  • Led four lab sections covering reprojection and mosaicking, masking and data extraction, satellite–in situ matchup validation against SeaBASS data, and Level 1–4 product discovery using NASA Earthdata Search.
  • Rebuilt lab materials for a new SeaDAS release, held office hours, graded assignments, and supported student final projects.

Honors Organic Chemistry — Structured Study Group Leader, University of Michigan Fall 2019, 2020; Winter 2020, 2021

  • Led weekly honors discussion sessions for Organic Chemistry I and II.
  • Planned and taught lessons (in-person and virtual) covering course material and advanced topics, graded assignments, and served as a mentor to first- and second-year undergraduates.

Pedagogical Development

Teaching as Research (TAR): Leverage Your Skills as a Scholar to Improve Your Teaching — Center for Teaching and Learning, Stanford University Summer 2025

  • Graduate course on evidence-based pedagogical strategies and techniques for course design and instruction.

Mentoring Experience

Stanford Young Investigators Program — Research Mentor Summer 2025

  • Mentored a visiting high school student in their first laboratory research position.
  • Student developed and presented a research poster at the Stanford Young Investigators Symposium and submitted an abstract to the 2025 American Geophysical Union (AGU) Annual Meeting.

Stanford Science Small Groups — Mentor Winter 2026, Spring 2026

  • Mentored 5 community college students through a virtual research training program designed to increase access to careers in STEM.
  • Program aims to address educational inequities by providing research training to students from institutions without research laboratories.

University of Michigan — Undergraduate Research Mentor Jun. 2021 – Feb. 2022

  • Supervised and mentored undergraduate research assistants working in the Denef Lab using bacterial and algal culture techniques to detect natural products exchange.