Karen Simpson
From Santa Fe Institute Events Wiki
I am a graduate student in the Environmental Sciences PhD Program at Wright State University. I am originally from Rochester, NY and have a BS in Biology and Environmental Studies from Niagara University (in Niagara Falls, NY). My prior research has involved aquatic ecology of invasive zooplankton, molecular ecology of invasive and hybrid plants and fish, and the effects of environmental stressors to biological organisms in rivers and streams. I now work in the Nonlinear Dynamics and Complex Systems Laboratory at WSU. My current research looks at and compares underlying dynamics within aquatic ecosystems by analyzing dissolved oxygen (an important water quality parameter) fluctuations over time in lakes, rivers, streams and estuaries. The programming environment I use most is MATLAB for analyzing and displaying environmental data.
I am very interested in improving water quality since clean water is such a valuable resource, and the amount of drinkable freshwater in the world is slowly diminishing.
My hope in attending the CSSS at SFI is to meet other individuals who are interested in similar research, but also to learn about how complex systems (of all kinds) are studied.
When I'm not working on solving the world's drinking water crisis, you can find me playing in the water, walking my 2 beautiful hound-dogs (Jack and Otis), training for triathlons, or playing tennis or volleyball.
Please feel free to e-mail me (or facebook me) at simpson.59@wright.edu. I very much look forward to meeting all of you at CSSS 2009!!
