Kathleen R. Johnson facts for kids

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 Earth's rocks and history. She is also a paleoclimatologist. This means she studies Earth's past climates.

Her main work involves studying speleothems. These are cave formations like stalagmites and stalactites. She uses them to learn about how Earth's climate has changed over long periods. She also studies how climate affects these cave formations today. Dr. Johnson is a professor at the University of California, Irvine. She earned her PhD in 2004 from the University of California, Berkeley.

Kathleen Johnson's Education

Kathleen Johnson studied geology at two major universities. She earned her first degree, a Bachelor of Science (BS), in Geological Sciences. This was from the University of Michigan in 1992.

Later, she continued her studies at the University of California, Berkeley. She earned her PhD in Geology there in 2004. Her advisor was Lynn Ingram. After her PhD, she worked as a research fellow. She was at the University of Oxford in England from 2004 to 2007.

Kathleen Johnson's Career and Research

Dr. Johnson joined the University of California, Irvine in 2007. She is now an Associate Professor in the School of Physical Sciences. She leads a research group called the Johnson Lab. This lab focuses on understanding past climates.

Studying Past Climates with Caves

Dr. Johnson is an expert in paleoclimatology and hydrology. Hydrology is the study of water on Earth. Her research uses speleothems, which are cave formations. She looks at tiny chemical changes in these formations. These changes act like a record of past temperatures and rainfall.

She studies how temperature and rain affect the chemicals in stalagmites. Stalagmites are formations that grow up from the cave floor. By studying both modern caves and old cave formations, she can learn a lot. Her work helps us understand big climate systems. These include the Asian monsoon and El Niño–Southern Oscillation. She has done research in places like Laos, Vietnam, and Mexico.

Supporting Native American Students in Science

Kathleen Johnson strongly believes in helping more Native American students. She wants them to have careers in STEM fields. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. She especially wants them to join geoscience. She feels this is important for solving environmental problems.

She was the leader of a special summer program. It was called the American Indian Summer Institute in Earth System Science. This program helped high school students. It was held at UC Irvine. Dr. Johnson started the program in 2011. It ran until 2017. In 2016, over 120 students from many different tribes took part. She once said that helping Native youth brings her the most joy. She also said it gives her hope for the future of our planet.

Awards and Honors

Dr. Johnson has received many awards for her work. These awards recognize her teaching, research, and efforts to help others.

• 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.
• UCI Inclusive Excellence Spirit Award, 2018-2019.
• College-Level Promotion of Education Award, 2018.
• UCI Inclusive Excellence Spirit Award, 2017-2018.
• Gary Comer Abrupt Climate Change Foundation Fellowship, 2004-2007.
• Graduate Student Research Grant, Geological Society of America, 2002.
• Scholarship in Geochronology, Berkeley Geochronology Center, 1999-2002.

Published Works

You can find more about Dr. Johnson's research papers on her Google Scholar page: Kathleen Johnson's Google Scholar page.