In 1984
Wellesley College awarded Freeman her B.A. in
geology and
classical civilization. At
Indiana University, Bloomington she obtained her M.S. (1989) and Ph.D. (1991) in geology under the direction of
John M. Hayes. Freeman then did a
postdoc at the
Skidaway Institute of Oceanography (Savannah, Georgia) in 1990-91, and subsequently joined
Pennsylvania State University in 1991. Freeman was appointed a Distinguished Professor in 2015 and later an Evan Pugh University Professor in 2016 by Penn State. An Evan Pugh University professorship is the highest honor that Pennsylvania State University can bestowed on a member of its faculty. ==Awards==