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Katherine Kaplan
310 Fernow Hall - Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14583
(914) 772 5660
Email: [email protected]
Education:
Ph.D. candidate, Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University, 2012-current, Ithaca, NY
Areas of focus: applied ecology, fishery and aquatic science, population ecology, human dimensions of
natural resource management, quantitative ecology, ecosystem modeling, endangered species, marine
fisheries conservation, ecosystem-based management, benthic ecology, tropical and temperate ecology,
invasive species
Advisor: Patrick Sullivan
Committee: Deborah Hart, Drew Harvell, Barbara Knuth, Lars Rudstam
Dissertation: Evaluating the effects of marine protected areas on ecological processes in benthic
fisheries: applying ecosystem based strategies to fishery management
M.S. Ecology, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, 2012, Quito, Ecuador
Thesis: Concepts of vulnerability as drivers of conservation priorities: an applied study of fish
communities in the Galapagos Marine Reserve
B.A. Biology and Global Development Studies, Grinnell College, 2008, Grinnell, IA
Research Experience:
National Marine Fisheries Service / Sea Grant fellow in population and ecosystem dynamics, June
2014-current Woods Hole, MA and Ithaca, NY
Research benthic ecology surrounding the Atlantic sea scallop fishery including assessing ecological
interactions with invasive species and protected area impacts.
NMFS Advisor: Deborah Hart, stock assessment scientist for Atlantic sea scallops
NOAA sea scallop research survey summers 2015 and 2016 Mid-Atlantic Bight and Georges Banks
Participant in research cruise using dredging and habitat camera mapping system to collect data for
Atlantic sea scallop stock assessment, 20 days at sea on R/V Hugh Sharp
Graduate Research Assistant summer flounder stock assessment, 2013, Cornell University, Ithaca,
NY
Research assistant modeling summer flounder population dynamics to inform stock assessment used to
guide commercial and recreational fishery allocations, PI: Patrick Sullivan
Intern ‘Solving the mystery of marine protected areas’ project, World Wildlife Fund 2013,
Washington D.C.
Statistical analyst and database manager of social and ecological data used to determine the impacts of
marine protected areas in the greater Caribbean area, PI: Helen Fox
Tropical field ecology course, 2013 winter session Cornell University, Big Island, Hawaii Conducted
study of marine cyanobacteria abundance and diversity in fringing coral reef waters impacted by terrestrial
run-off and pristine sites, PI: Ian Hewson
Field Assistant, Galapagos National Park, 2010, San Cristobal, Galapagos, Ecuador
Assisted in fish biodiversity monitoring project in mangrove, coral and rocky reef ecosystems. Helped
conduct underwater transects for identifying fish species
Laboratory technician, Center for Genetics and Human Genomics, Feinstein Institute for Medical
Research, North Shore University Hospital, 2009-2010, Manhasset, NY
Sample acquisition and processing, conducted DNA processing from blood and lymphocyte isolation
techniques, also used pyrosquencing technique for DNA sequencing,
Intern for the Journal of Molecular Medicine, Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, North Shore
University Hospital, 2009-2010, Manhasset, NY
Helped edit articles for publication and wrote summaries of articles for website (www.molmed.org)
Teaching Experience:
Teaching Assistant, Applied Population Ecology, Department of Natural Resources, Cornell
University, Fall 2014 and 2015, Ithaca, NY, Professor: Evan Cooch
Taught mathematical applications in ecology including single and multi species population dynamics,
stability analysis, competition, predation, foraging models, harvest models, spatial modeling, and
community dynamics
Teaching Assistant, Society and Natural Resources, Department of Natural Resources, Cornell
University, Spring 2014, Ithaca, NY, Professor: Richard Stedman
Taught and developed lesson plans for two weekly discussion sections as part of introductory course on
social science of environmental studies
Teaching Assistant, Wetland Ecology, Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University, Fall
2013, Ithaca, NY, Professor: Barbara Bedford
Organized and led students in field laboratory monitoring hydrology, soils and plant biodiversity in local
wetlands around Ithaca including swamp, bog and fen ecosystems
Teaching Assistant, Introduction to Ecology, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology,
Cornell University, Fall 2012 Ithaca,NY, Professors: Alex Flecker and Christine Goodale
Taught three course sections per week focusing on ecological research and current issues in the field
English teacher 2010-2012, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Galapagos Academic Institute for
the Arts and Sciences (GAIAS), San Cristobal campus, Galapagos, Ecuador and Cumbaya campus,
Quito, Ecuador
University and adult education English teacher for beginner to advanced levels
Publications:
Kaplan, K.A.; Hart, D; Bolles, K; Gallager,S; York, A; Taylor, R; Sullivan, P 2016. The invasive tunicate
Didemnum vexillum limits commercially valuable Atlantic sea scallop Placopecten magellanicus habitat
on Georges Bank (in review at Marine Ecology Progress Series)
Kaplan, K. A.; Ahmadia; G; Glew, L; Pomeranz, E; Fox, H; Sullivan, P 2015. Linking ecological
indicators to enforcement of marine protected area regulations in the greater Caribbean region. Marine
Policy 62:186-195. DOI: 10.1016/j.marpol.2015.09.018
Kaplan, K. A., I. Montero-Serra, E. L. Vaca-Pita, P. J. Sullivan, E. Suárez, and L. Vinueza. 2014.
Applying complementary species vulnerability assessments to improve conservation strategies in the
Galapagos Marine Reserve. Biodiversity and Conservation 23:1509–1528. DOI: 10.1007/s10531-0140679-5
Chamberlain, S. D., K. A. Kaplan, M. Modanu, K. M. Sirianni, S. Annandale, and I. Hewson. 2014.
Biogeography of planktonic and benthic cyanobacteria in coastal waters of the Big Island, Hawai’i.
FEMS Microbiology Ecology 89:80–88. DOI: 10.1111/1574-6941.12337
Fellowships and awards:
NOAA/ Sea grant fellowship in ecosystem and population dynamics 2014-current
Provides graduate student stipend and travel costs for three years. ($115,500)
Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Cornell
University, 2016, Award for performance as a teaching assistant in population ecology course ($100)
International Council for Exploration of the Seas (ICES) Annual Science Conference travel grant,
2016
Funding to present at ICES conference in Riga, Latvia September 19th-23rd, 2016 ($550)
Cornell Graduate School travel grant, 2014
Funding to present American fisheries Society conference in Mazatlan, Mexico 2014 ($515)
Trustee honor scholarship, Grinnell College, 2004-2008
Partial tuition merit scholarship for four years of attendance ($48,000)
Presentations:
Kaplan, K; Sullivan, P; Hart, D. Marine protected areas limit the spread of the invasive tunicate
Didemnum vexillum on Atlantic sea scallop Placopecten magellanicus habitat on Georges Bank. Sea Grant
fellows meeting, June, 2016, Santa Cruz, CA
Kaplan, K; Sullivan, P; Hart, D. Evaluating protected area effects on competitive interactions between
the invasive tunicate (Didemnum vexillum) and the Atlantic sea scallop (Placopecten magellanicus)
(January, 2016) Graduate Student Symposium, Department of Natural Resources, Ithaca, NY
Kaplan, K; Sullivan, P; Hart, D. Evaluating protected area effects on competitive interactions between
the invasive tunicate (Didemnum vexillum) and the Atlantic sea scallop (Placopecten magellanicus) 12th
National Stock Assessment Workshop, (August 2015) Portland, OR (poster)
Kaplan, K. Concepts of vulnerability as drivers of conservation priorities: an applied study of fish
communities in the Galapagos Marine Reserve. Second international mangroves as fish habitat
symposium, Western Division American Fisheries Society and Mangroves as Fish Habitat conference,
(April, 2014) Mazatlan, Mexico
Skills and Qualifications:
Computer skills: R statistical programming language, Program MARK, QGIS, ArcGIS, Python for
processing oceanographic satellite imagery, SQL, Microsoft office suite expert
Languages: English native speaker; Fluent Spanish
SCUBA advanced diver, PADI certified 2010
Experienced in tropical fish identification and underwater transect method of data collection
Laboratory skills: DNA processing, PCR, pyrosequencing
Other Service and professional organizations:
Reviewer for the journal of Marine and Coastal Fisheries
Treasurer, Department of Natural Resources Graduate Student Association, Cornell University,
Ithaca, NY 2013-2014 Oversaw yearly budget and planned for activities including graduate student
symposium and other events
Member, American Fisheries Society Cornell subunit