“We’re in a world where environmental problems are everywhere and they are not going away. We need so many people to do that work.”

Growing up in Minnesota led to camping and trips in the wilderness, leading to a love of the outdoors. In addition to heading off to college, Karen took a 6 week canoe trip to the Canadian Arctic without resupply. She had so much fun she then began taking other groups of women on similar trips to explore the wilderness too, spending  hundreds of days leading remote excursions and observing a diversity of ecosystems with curiosity. It seems a forgone conclusion she would end up as a Wildlife Ecologist and that is what she did. After graduating with her PHD she took time to travel the world for a year with her husband.

She was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to University of Lapland, above the Arctic Circle after completing her undergraduate degree. That is in Finland by the way. She then continued to get her PhD at the University of Alaska. Join us for a visit with a new Faculty  who brings an impressive portfolio of travel, experience and passion for her chosen field.

We also talked about her approach to including diversity in the classroom and how to include traditionally underrepresented participants in her class. A key strategy is ensuring the students feel like they belong there. There are a lot of stereotypes about science, but she works to show the value of this course of study. This piggybacked into online teaching and future plans including  collecting outdoor lab data using motion-activated  camera “traps” with her students. This was done in collaboration with Ashland’s North Mountain Park staff. 

As a bonus, I learned that Caribou and Reindeer are really the same thing, and do, in fact, pull sleds. Don’t miss this opportunity to meet an exciting new faculty member.
For the full Zoom Video, follow the link.