Karen M. Johnson

Education

I graduated from University of California, Irvine with a bachelors of science degree in Biology. During my undergraduate schooling, I studied in Scotland at St. Andrews University for one year in marine and environmental sciences.

Cetacean Research Experience

Before I came to the Cetacean Behavior Laboratory in San Diego in 1996, I spent time as a research assistant on several marine mammal projects. I was a intern in the Texas A & M Marine Mammal Research Program. While there, I participated in a photoidentification study of bottlenose dolphins along the Texas coast. In particular, I was directly involved in sorting, matching and analyzing photographic data from bottlenose dolphin surveys along the Corpus Christi coastline. It was in Texas that I learned some basic skills of small-boat handling and photographic mark-recapture techniques commonly used to study cetaceans. After interning in Texas, I worked in New Zealand as a field assistant on a project designed to study the population biology of the threatened Hector's dolphin. During this time, I refined my skills in small boat handling and photoidentification methodology including the use of stereo-photogrammetric and underwater video equipment.

Current Research

Presently, I am conducting thesis research on the behavior of free-ranging bottlenose dolphins in the coastal waters of San Diego . I plan to use a multi-dimensional approach for studying behavior visible at the water's surface from a land-based perspective. The goal of this research is to refine the description and identification of dolphin behavior states and provide a methodological foundation for more complex analyses of the impacts of temporal and environmental variables.

Research Interests

Aside from dolphin behavioral research, I have several other interests. During the past two years I have been a teacher for Elderhostel which is an educational program for retirement age men and women. My involvement in Elderhostel includes giving marine mammal lectures during a one-week course on dolphins. In my Elderhostel work I have conducted field seminars on dolphin research, and more recently, developed a two-day course on the biology and behavior of seals.

Currently, I am participating in an internship program designed by San Diego Community Colleges to provide mentoring for graduate students wishing to pursue careers in academia. I will be mentored by a community college professor for one semester and I hope to teach a class on my own during the second semester this year. During the summers I enjoy working at the world famous San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park as a wildlife naturalist and narrator.

My future plans are to complete my education at the Ph.D. level and to pursue an academic career where I will be able to carry out cetacean research and inspire students in my area of expertise.

Personal

During my leisure time, I enjoy spending time in outdoor activities such as camping, hiking, diving, beach going, and nature marveling with my fiancée, Eddie. When possible, I visit my family in Bakersfield, where my 12 little nieces and nephews have no problem keeping me entertained and energized.

Last updated on September 1, 1998.