I started my career writing feature articles and profiles for a business magazine in southwest Florida. One day my editor assigned me something a bit different: a story about sharks and their resistance to cancer. I interviewed the scientist at the marine laboratory, where he gave me a hands-on (literally!) experience with baby sharks in the lab’s tank. That was the start of my science writing career.
Since then I’ve written feature stories, blog posts, and web content related to a variety of earth and planetary science topics, including global climate, geology, natural hazards, oceanography, water resources, remote sensing, and planetary science. In 2005, my fascination with space exploration turned into a career dream project: working on the Phoenix Mars Mission and writing the educational content for the mission’s web site.
My passion is making science accessible to general audiences. Using storytelling and engaging language, I create content that captures the reader’s attention, addresses common misconceptions, and makes the subject relevant by relating the unfamiliar to the familiar.

Clients and Publications
- AAAS Science
- Cengage Learning
- Colorado Mesa University
- Colorado School of Mines
- Colorado State University
- EARTH Magazine
- NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory
- NASA Global Climate Change
- National Parks
- Natural Hazards Center
- Pacific Disaster Center (PDC Global)
- Pearson Higher Education
- Popular Mechanics
- Popular Science
- Sierra
- University of Arizona Lunar & Planetary Lab
- Water Education Colorado
- Wiley
Laurie did an outstanding job writing the “Mars 101” section of our web site. Her ability to make complex science topics accessible to a public audience was essential for the site’s success.