Lara Ducate is originally from Aiken, SC and received her PhD from the University of Texas at Austin. She has been at UofSC since 2003 and teaches courses on German language and culture and foreign language teaching methods, including using technology in language classes, and sustainability in Germany. In addition to getting students excited about studying the German language and culture, she is dedicated to training future foreign language teachers to be motivated and passionate members of the teaching profession. She is also intrigued by how to effectively use technological applications, such as blogs, wikis, and podcasts, to enhance the learning of language and culture and her research focuses on using new technological tools and applications in the classroom. She regularly leads the UofSC Wittenberg trip and organizes a Maymester study abroad program that focuses on sustainability in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt.