Her hands-on teaching approach in both her graduate hydrology course and undergraduate course on nanotechnology is particularly effective. This style of teaching lead her to incorporate a service learning project into her hydrology course as well as leading two Drexel student teams in EPA's People, Prosperity, and the Planet competition. Dr. Olson is also very active in service projects. She initiated an afterschool science program for young girls in urban Philadelphia and was involved in Drexel's student chapter of Engineers without Borders.