Karen Walker , University of Minnesota

Karen Walker earned a BA in Environmental Studies from Oberlin College in 1993. Since 1994, she has been at the University of Minnesota, working in forest ecology labs in the Departments of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior and Forest Resources. Currently a Masters student in the Department of Forest Resources, she is developing a GIS database for keeping historical forest management records at the Cloquet Forestry Center in Cloquet, MN. In addition, she is working in cooperation with the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service developing a GIS database to aid in management planning at the Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge in northwestern Minnesota. She also continues her work studying the interactions of vegetation and climate in the Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior.

Ms. Walker has been working with Margaret Davis and Shinya Sugita since beginning work at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Davis is an internationally well-known paleoecologist, and a member of the National Academy of Science. She was a Regents Professor at the University until her recent retirement. Dr. Sugita began at the University as a Post-Doc in paleoecology, and continued as a Research Associate. After some years away as a Professor in Japan, he has returned to the University as an Assistant Professor. He continues his work investigating the historical interactions of vegetation and climate through modeling and fossil pollen studies.