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The Academic Director and primary designer of the field course is Beth Pratt-Sitaula. She received her PhD in geosciences from the University of California Santa Barbara (2005) and subsequently worked as both a university faculty member and Earth science education specialist.

Beth has worked on geoscience and education projects in Nepal since 2000. Her geoscience research has focused on the intersection between plate tectonic movements from below and climate forcing from above to give us the dynamic Earth surface we witness with changing river, hill slope, and glacial processes. Since 2008 she has worked in partnership with Tribhuvan University faculty to install and maintain a global positioning system (GPS) station network in central Nepal to help monitor Earth-surface movements and better understand earthquake hazard for the region. Prior to starting with SIT several years ago, she also led summer programs for MS students and science teachers to study interdisciplinary watershed issues in the Annapurna region of Nepal. One of her particular passions is helping people understand geohazards and how societies can combine sustainable development with risk reduction. She has co-led programs for Pacific Northwest educators to help them better understand earthquake/tsunami hazards and mitigation strategies and has taught about Himalayan geology and earthquake risk reduction in Kathmandu schools. The Cascadia EarthScope Earthquake and Tsunami Education Program, which Beth directs, received the Western States Seismic Policy Council’s 2016 National Award in Excellence for Educational Outreach to Schools. Beth lives in Colorado but travels frequently to Nepal for research and to visit family.