Karen Chin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Karen Chin
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Chin in 2008
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| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | University of California San Diego (BS) Montana State University (MS) University of California, Santa Barbara (PhD), |
| Known for | Coprolite Research |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Paleontology |
| Institutions | University of Colorado, Boulder, University of Colorado Museum of Natural History |
| Thesis | The paleobiological implications of herbivorous dinosaur coprolites: Ichnologic, petrographic, and organic geochemical investigations (1996) |
| Doctoral advisor | Bruce H. Tiffney |
| Other academic advisors | Jack Horner (MS) |
Dr. Karen Chin is an American paleontologist. This means she studies ancient life, like dinosaurs. She is also a taphonomist, which is someone who studies how living things become fossils. Dr. Chin is known as one of the world's top experts on coprolites. These are fossilized animal droppings, or ancient poop!
Early Life and Education
When Karen Chin was a kid, she loved learning about living things. She spent time in her garden and memorized the names of different species. In college at the University of California San Diego, she worked as a nature guide. This job was for the National Park Service.
Later, while studying modern grasslands at Montana State University, she got a job at the Museum of the Rockies. There, she worked with famous paleontologist Jack Horner. She helped prepare fossils from the Two Medicine Formation. She started by slicing maiasaura bones for Horner to study.
Among the fossils were dinosaur eggs, nests, and some strange "blobs." No one knew what these blobs were. Karen asked if she could study them. Her research proved that these blobs were actually coprolites, or fossilized dinosaur poop!
This experience was so exciting that Karen says it gave her "fossil fever." After that, she decided to focus her studies on fossils.
Dr. Chin has shared that she was an unusual student in her field. She was female, a person of color, and older than most other students. She is thankful for the help of three male mentors. They believed in her skills and gave her important advice. She is happy to show that paleontologists can come from all backgrounds.
After earning her Master's degree, Chin continued her studies. She received her PhD in Geological Sciences in 1996. This was from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Her advisor there was Bruce H. Tiffney.
Career and Research
Today, Dr. Chin is a professor at the University of Colorado, Boulder. She is also the Curator of Paleontology at the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History.
Her research looks at how ancient ecosystems worked. She focuses on the Mesozoic era, which was the time of the dinosaurs. She studies how ancient animals interacted with each other. This helps her understand what the climate was like back then.
Awards and Achievements
Dr. Chin has done many amazing things:
- She has written two children's books. These include Dino Dung (Step into Reading) from 2005. Her other book is The Clues Are in the Poo: The Story of Dinosaur Scientist Karen Chin from 2023.
- In 2023, she won the Bromery Award from the Geological Society of America. This award is for big contributions to geology. It also honors those who help people from underrepresented groups join the geosciences.
- Dr. Chin has been featured in National Geographic magazine. She has also appeared in The Washington Post newspaper. You might have seen her on the NOVA television show. She also spoke on "Science Friday" about "Why Dinosaurs Matter."
See also
In Spanish: Karen Chin para niños
