Education

University of Minnesota, PhD Candidate, 2002-present 
Advisor: Dr. Clarence Lehman (Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior)
Committee: Dr. Anne Pusey (Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior), Dr. Tamara Giles-Vernick (Department of History), Dr. Alex Dehgan (Wildlife Conservation Society, Afghanistan Country Director), Dr. Beth Kaplin (Antioch New England Graduate School)

Undergraduate degree, BSc.: 1998, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wildlife Ecology

Employment and Research Resume

September-December 2003 and September-December 2004
Teaching Assistant, Fisheries & Wildlife Dept. Ecology and Management of Wildlife Habitats and an Introduction to Wildlife Law at University of Minnesota

June - August 2002, 2001, 2000, 1996
Mentor for groups of high school students in an intensive 7-week summer biology program, The Summer Science Institute at the University of Wisconsin , Madison
Advised high-school students on group projects: The distribution of macroinvertebrates in Lake Mendota, Madison, WI; The effects of an oxygen-depleting event on macroinvertebrates in Black Earth Creek, WI.; Transport of phosphorus into an urban watershed; Bluebird nesting patterns

Publication
Kettenring, K., B. Martinez, A. Starfield, W. Getz. 2006. Good practices for sharing ecological models. BioScience 56(1): 59-64.

Why Lemurs? My story

I decided to major in Wildlife Ecology at UW Madison on a whim, but I have never been disappointed about that decision. I was first introduced to field work when I worked as an undergrad on Mandarte Island, British Columbia, with thousands of screaming gulls and fewer (but more interesting!) song sparrows. The gulls were always talking, but aside from din of the gulls, the island was the best place I had lived; we heard the waves crashing at night, eagles frequented the island for a gull-snack, orcas were often sighted off the island, and the cormorants on the island were smelly, but very cool.

Post BSc at Madison, I took a job as a field assistant in the Dja Rainforest Reserve, Madagascar, studying seed dispersal by hornbills and monkeys. I loved this job because I was woken up almost every morning by something interesting; the chimps or black and white colobus screaming, numerous birds singing, or knowledge of the large spider that lived above my tent. I got over my fear of spiders during this job. I also worked with some of the best field biologists ever (shout out to Amielle, Katy, Claudia, and Connie). Katy was one heck of a travel companion, too! Ahh, if only we could again use the last bit of our money to get a one-way ferry out to Zanzibar.

I returned to Madison post Cameroon and took up with the limnologists counting zooplankton. If you've never tried it for 8 hours straight, you should. It's a great lesson in patience.

I found an announcement on PIN for an assistant on the Ranomafana Fragments Project and applied immediately. My roommates in college (Amy in particular) say they learned all they know about lemurs from me. They say I was obsessed. I just say I was determined to study lemurs.

The Ranomafana Fragments Project experience helped shape my research goals. And here I am, finally, starting my own work in Madagascar. It was a simple process from a whim, to birds, to seeds & monkeys, to zooplankton, and finally to lemurs.