Marcia Kemper McNutt

Oceanographer and Geophysicist

“My mother and father allowed me to pursue every dream, unfettered, regardless of whether they understood anything I was doing.”

Career Highlights
  • Editor-in-Chief of Science journals, the first female to have this title since the publication’s founding in 1880
  • World expert on the ocean floor in the southern hemisphere, participating in 15 major oceanographic expeditions, more than half as chief scientist
  • Chosen to be the first woman in history to lead the 135-year old U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
  • Credits her mother and father for allowing her to pursue every dream regardless of whether they understood anything she was doing

STEM Gems Club

Is a career in Oceanography and/or Geophysics in your future? Have you ever considered these career options? STEM Gem Marcia Kemper McNutt is passionate about uncovering the great mysteries of the world’s oceans. Read her story and digest. Watch one of her online videos. Then, with your STEM Gems Tribe, discuss, explore, reflect, and act.

Videos