She is a computer scientist with a research focus on visualizing geospatial-temporal data. She uses controlled studies and eye tracking technology to investigate innovative ways to represent and interact with geospatial data. Her work includes aesthetic climatology geovisualization, coastal terrain time-series visualization, gaze-based map interaction, geo-mining narrative archives, story-telling with maps, and open-source natural resources Web mapping. Laura has developed graduate courses in geospatial algorithms and programming, including Principles of Geospatial Information Systems, Programming for GIS (in Python), and an advanced special topics course on Geospatial Visualization.