Kat’s dissertation research examines the role of melatonin, DHEA and neurosteroids in regulating seasonal aggression in hamsters. She has been quite productive in this work, and has already published three empirical papers in top-ranked journals, as well as two review articles and a methods paper.

Kat has made student mentoring a priority in her research, working with many undergraduates during her time at IU. This includes guiding a student through the design and implementation of an undergraduate honors thesis, mentoring several students in our REU program in animal behavior, and a high school student via the Jim Holland Summer Science Research Program. Seven of her mentees are co-authors on at least one published paper in peer-reviewed journals!

At IU, Kat has been very active in helping to organize the annual Animal Behavior Conference, serving on organizing committees, moderating sessions, and serving as a judge for the undergraduate poster competition. She has also contributed to Biology’s Ecology Evolution and Behavior program, serving as co-founder and co-chair of EEBorg, an organization representing graduate student interests. At the university level, she has been actively involved in the Graduate and Professional Student Organization, moderating GPSO’s Graduate Student COVID-19 Town Hall and serving on their COVID-19 Ad Hoc Committee and the Diversity Advocacy Committee. In terms of outreach to the broader community, Kat is an active contributor to ScIU, IU’s science blog. She was an instructor for the College’s Foundations in Science and Mathematics Program, designing and teaching an Animal Diversity course for local middle and high school students; a guest speaker in IU’s STEM Research Bootcamp; leader of a workshop on writing abstracts and giving poster presentations to undergraduate students; and a volunteer for IU Science Fest and for “Skype a Scientist”, where she talks with elementary, middle, and high school students from across the United States about research and career as a scientist; and a judge in the Indiana Junior Academy of Science Outstanding Junior Scientist Competition.

In summary, Kat combines her talents and efforts in research and mentoring with her civic obligations to give back to her community in the form of science communication and outreach. As her mentor Greg Demas puts it, “In this age of science misinformation and distrust, this is a critical task and it’s important to have ambassadors like Kat to help lead the way.”