Katie joined the lab as a Ph.D. student in the fall of 2023. She is broadly interested in freshwater ecology, with a focus on communicating science and increasing research engagement.

Katie graduated in January 2021 from St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN with a B.A. in Biology and Environmental Studies. During her undergrad, she worked with Dr. Meredith Holgerson to look at urban ponds across a residential gradient. She also joined the GLEON What is a Pond? Project to functionally define small lentic ecosystems (ponds). After graduation, she joined Dr. Jacques Finlay’s lab at the University of Minnesota as a research technician. In the Finlay Lab, Katie sampled stormwater ponds and lakes, was part of a team stormwater pond literature review, and helped coordinate and run sample analysis for colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) and dissolved organic carbon/total dissolved nitrogen (DOC/TDN) for the Northern Lakes and Forests Region of the 2022 National Lakes Assessment.

At Virginia Tech, Katie is excited to explore larger lentic ecosystems (lakes and reservoirs) in the Carey Lab and to delve into using data to forecast physical, chemical, and biological variables. She is especially interested in furthering phytoplankton forecast development and communicating forecasts with water managers and end users to aid in decision making.