Katherine Kling
Grad program: Biological Anthropology
Undergrad: BA in Anthropology, University of Texas at Austin
Hometown: Houston, TX
Advisor: Patricia Wright
How does it feel to earn an NSF GRF?
It has been both a very thrilling and humbling week since I found out about the NSF GRFP. I am honored to be recognized in such a way and feel very motivated by the fellowship’s announcement.
What will this award allow you to do that you might not have done without it?
I am very excited by the prospect of taking advantage of NSF GRFP’s GROW and GRIP programs which would allow me to either research abroad or through partnerships with federal agencies like the Smithsonian Institute, opportunities that would allow me to broaden my perspective on conservation and research. I am also thrilled by the general opportunity this fellowship affords in allowing me to focus on my research, writing and other projects.
What will you research and how might it benefit the world?
I am interested in human-dominated, fragmented landscapes and the ways in which primates navigate the pressures human influence places upon them. My research takes an interdisciplinary approach that addresses both the ecological and human aspects of fragmentation in Madagascar. I hope to support lemur and other non-human primate populations by focusing on conservation in a way that both benefits wild animals and the human populations that live among them.
What sparked your interest in your research, or science in general?
I think my family knew I was going to work with animals before I could even talk! My interest in primates in particular, however, was sparked by first reading one of Jane Goodall’s memoirs in middle school while my passion for the importance of conservation solidifies the more I read about and witness the challenges wild animals experience across the globe.
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