View Laurie Harmon's curriculum vitae in PDF format.

Dr. Laurie Harmon is an Assistant Professor in Parks and Outdoor Recreation, in the School of Recreation, Health & Tourism at George Mason University. She received her Ph.D in Leisure Studies at Penn State with a minor in Social Psychology. Her research interests include the social psychological connections people have with the natural world (i.e. place attachment), technology and how it can be used to relate to the natural world, and recreation land planning.

Dr. Harmon has been working with underwater remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) to explore the effect they have on our understanding of and interaction with underwater resources.� Her research also includes assessment of experiential learning outcomes in non-formal settings.� She currently teaches Research Methods, Human Behavior in the Natural Environment & People & Nature but has also taught courses in Recreation Facilities Planning, Recreation Facilities Management, and Golf Course Design.

Before coming to George Mason University,� Dr. Harmon� instructed in Recreation & Park Management at Penn State and also practiced Golf Course Architecture in Michigan. During her Master’s degree she was also given the opportunity to raise a Leader Dog for the Blind and complete a research project measuring self-efficacy in people with visual impairments who used dog guides. She continues to pursue research and teaching that allows her to explore human behavior in the context of the natural environment.

• Social psychological perspectives of person/place relationships
• Using technology in natural environments: strategies, outcomes, and implications
• Motivations of natural and wilderness area visitation and activity participation
• Psychometric properties and development of place construct scales

See current vita above.

Favorite Links

• Home page: http://mason.gmu.edu/~lharmon3/
• Leader Dogs for the Blind – www.leaderdog.org

Courses taught at GMU

• PRLS 316 - Outdoor Education and Leadership
• PRLS 450 – Research Methods
• PRLS 402 – Human Behavior in the Natural Environment
• PRLS 300 – People & Nature

• School of Recreation, Health and Tourism
• Center for Recreation and Tourism Research and Policy
• Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies

No courses taught this semester.

• People With Nature (PRLS - 300)
• Outdoor Education and Leadership (PRLS - 316)
• Research Methods (PRLS - 450)