Kathleen R. Johnson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kathleen Johnson
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| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | University of Michigan (B.S.) and University of California, Berkeley (PhD) |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | University of California, Irvine |
| Thesis | A Multi-Proxy Speleothem Record of Asian Monsoon Variability during the Late Pleistocene from Wanxiang Cave, Gansu Province, China (2004) |
| Doctoral advisor | Lynn Ingram |
Kathleen R. Johnson is an American scientist. She is a member of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians. Kathleen is a geologist, which means she studies rocks and the Earth. She is also a paleoclimatologist. This means she studies Earth's past climates. Her research helps us understand how our planet's climate has changed over many years.
Dr. Johnson often studies special cave formations called speleothems. These are like natural climate records hidden in caves. She also watches caves today to see how climate affects them. Her work helps us learn about natural climate changes. She earned her PhD from the University of California, Berkeley in 2004. Today, she is a professor at the University of California, Irvine.
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Becoming a Scientist
Kathleen Johnson studied geology at two major universities. She earned her first degree from the University of Michigan in 1992. Later, she went to the University of California, Berkeley. There, she earned her PhD in Geology in 2004. After finishing her studies, she worked as a research fellow. She spent time at the University of Oxford in England from 2004 to 2007.
Exploring Earth's Past Climate
Dr. Johnson joined the University of California, Irvine in 2007. She is now a tenured Associate Professor there. This means she has a permanent teaching position. She leads a research group called the Johnson Lab. Her lab focuses on paleoclimate research.
She is an expert in understanding past climates and water cycles. Her research has looked at many important topics. For example, she has studied the history of droughts in California. She also researches the Asian monsoons and climate in northern Mexico. Her work helps us prepare for future climate challenges.
Helping Future Scientists
Kathleen Johnson cares a lot about helping young people. She strongly believes that more Native American students should work in STEM fields. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. She thinks it's especially important for them to study Earth science. This can help solve environmental problems.
Dr. Johnson was the director of a special summer program. It was called the American Indian Summer Institute in Earth System Science. This program brought high school students to UC Irvine. They lived on campus and learned about Earth science. Dr. Johnson started this program in 2011. It received over $1 million in funding. By 2016, 129 students from more than 50 different tribes had joined the program. It ended in 2017.
In 2016, she received a special award. During her speech, she shared her passion. She said that Native Americans are not often seen in Earth sciences. She also said that while she loves her research, working with Native youth brings her the most joy. She feels it gives her hope for our planet's future.
Awards and Recognitions
Dr. Johnson has received several awards for her work. These awards recognize her contributions to science and education:
- Outstanding Contributions to Undergraduate Education, University of California Irvine, 2010 and 2012
- Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Fostering Undergraduate Research, University of California Irvine, 2013
- Geological Society of America Bromery Award for Minorities, 2016
- Fellow of the Geological Society of America
More About Her Work
You can find more details about Kathleen Johnson's research on her Google Scholar page: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=vhy8SzUAAAAJ&hl=en
