Laurence McKinley Gould (born: August 22, 1896; died June 21, 1995) was an explorer, geologist, educator and geographer who spent two research seasons in the Arctic before serving as the chief scientist on Admiral Richard Byrd’s first expedition to Antarctica (1929-30). During this trip, he climbed Mount Fridtjof Nansen where he studied the rock outcrops and found evidence that Antarctica had at onetime been geologically linked to the other continents. This must have been an exciting discovery because it was more than 25 years before the theory of plate tectonics was confirmed during the International Geophysical Year in 1957.

Later in his life, Gould taught at Carleton College in Minnesota and eventually served as its president.

The US Antarctic program honors Gould’s contributions to polar science by naming the icebreaker ship after him.