2012 California Science Education Conference

Center for Accelerator Mass Spectrometry, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Karis grew up in St. Louis, Missouri and spent a lot of time in the woods canoeing and camping with her family. She received her Bachelor's degree in Environmental Science from DePaul University in Chicago. As a college student, she worked as a research assistant studying restored prairie, oak savanna, and woodlands. Her interest in forest ecology led her to Syracuse, New York where she earned her Master's degree in Forest and Natural Resources Management at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. She then moved to the West Coast to pursue her PhD in Forest Engineering with a minor in Soil Science For her dissertation, she investigated the effects of forest management on soil organic matter, which is important for carbon sequestration and sustainable forestry. She was awarded her PhD in 2007 and was hired by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory as a post-doctoral researcher. She works at LLNL's Center for Accelerator Mass Spectrometry where she and other scientists measure rare isotopes like radiocarbon (14C) for lots of different kinds of scientific research. Karis uses radiocarbon and other measurements to study terrestrial carbon cycling, particularly in soils and natural ecosystems. Her work is contributing to the development of more realistic carbon cycle models that will improve our ability to model changes in climate and anticipate the effects of climate change in the future. When she isn't working, Karis enjoys running, bicycling, and yoga and spending time with her husband, son, and their two big dogs.