Grace Winer

Geologist and naturalist Grace grew up among woods, rivers, and mountains, loving the outdoors, nature and rocks. After high school she became a Registered Nurse and was soon studying midwifery at Queen Charlotte’s Maternity Hospital in London, England. Back in the United States she served as an officer in the USAF Nurse Corps during the Vietnam War. In a major career change, Grace turned to the Earth Sciences and received degrees in geology (BS and MSc) from Montana State University. Funded by a grant from the National Geographic Society, Grace pursued her master’s degree in Alaska’s remote Pribilof Islands. In her study of basaltic volcanism in the Bering Sea region, she investigated the volcanic evolution of St. Paul Island, creating a geologic map, and predicting volcanic hazards in the event of a future eruption. Her knowledge of the Pribilof Islands and the Bering Sea region led to her work as a consulting geologist on St. George Island for NOAA’s Pribilof Restoration Project.

Grace’s background is as varied as her love of all types of nature, science, and teaching. She lived in Alaska’s interior for several years where she was an avid skier, birder, wilderness camper, marathon runner, and sled dog racer. As an instructor at Montana State University, Grace taught courses on environmental geology and led seminars on the geology of Alaska and the geology of diamonds. She also led field trips to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. Grace participated in several geological research expeditions to the Cascade Mountains volcanoes, including a hike into the crater of Mount St. Helens. After several years as a volunteer crew/educator on the tall ship Adventuress, Grace moved on to expedition ships. She has been sailing as a guest speaker and expedition team member on educational voyages since 2005.  Her travels have taken her in search of volcanoes into the North Pacific, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, as well as across the Ring of Fire along the Aleutian Chain to Kamchatka and the Kuril Islands to Japan. Grace brings her enthusiasm and knowledge of geology and natural history to fellow expedition voyagers in these wild and remote places.