Katherine Ann Allen
Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences
Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory
Columbia University
61 Route 9W, Palisades, NY 10964, USA
katallen@ldeo.columbia.edu
(845) 365-8668
EDUCATION
Columbia University
PhD candidate, Paleoclimate & Paleoceanography
2007 – present
University of Cambridge
MPhil, Geochemistry
2007
Case Western Reserve University
B.S., Geological Sciences
2006
EXPERIENCE
Field Work:
Culturing marine plankton (Ph.D. thesis)
Puerto Rico
Catalina Island, California
Tidal Wetlands (NSF GK-12 Program)
Piermont Marsh, New York
Geochemistry of tropical lake sediment (M.Phil)
Lake Tanganyika, Tanzania
March-April 2010
July-August 2008
2010-2011
June-July 2006
Certifications and internships:
AAUS Scientific Diver
Foraminifera culturing course, Catalina Island
NSF REU Internship, Tropical lakes
CWRU Lab Assistant, Geochemistry
NSF REU Internship, Mineral physics
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
TEACHING & MENTORING
NSF GK-12 Fellow, Columbia University
Learning through Ecology and Environmental Field Studies
The Young Women’s Leadership School of East Harlem
2010-2012
ISEF Mentor, The Young Women’s Leadership School
2010-2011
Students: Marjana Chowdhury and Maryama Diaw
1st Place Award at the New York City Science & Engineering Fair
Participants at the ISEF International Science and Engineering Fair
Columbia University, Teaching Assistant
Introduction to Climate Systems
2008-2009
Cambridge University, Demonstrator
Introductory Geology
2006-2007
FELLOWSHIPS & AWARDS
Columbia University Presidential Teaching Award ($5,000)
Chevron Student Initiative Fund ($400)
NSF GK-12 Fellowship ($81,000)
Department of Earth Science Teaching Assistant Award ($250)
Student Poster Award, International Conference on Paleoclimate
Sara Langer Book Prize for Contributions to Student Life
Columbia Climate Center Grant ($8,000)
Winston Churchill Foundation Scholarship ($50,000)
Senior Project Award, CWRU
Adelbert-Squire Scholarship, CWRU (full tuition)
2011
2011
2010-2011
2010
2010
2009
2009
2006-2007
2006
2002-2006
PUBLICATIONS
“Controls on boron incorporation in cultured tests of the planktic foraminifer
Orbulina universa” (2011) K. Allen, B. Hönisch, S. M. Eggins, J. Yu, H.J. Spero,
H. Elderfield, Earth and Planetary Science Letters, v. 309, pp. 291-301.
“Planktic foraminifers as recorders of seawater Ba/Ca” (2011) B. Hönisch, K.
Allen, A.D. Russell, S.M. Eggins, J. Bijma, H.J. Spero, D.W. Lea, J. Yu. Marine
Micropaleontology, v. 79, issue 1-2, pp. 52-57.
“B/Ca in the calcite tests of foraminifers: A review” (in review) K. Allen and B.
Hönisch, Earth and Planetary Science Letters.
“Carbon cycle proxies (δ11B, δ13Ccalcite, δ13Corganic, shell weights, B/Ca, U/Ca,
Zn/Ca, Ba/Ca)” (in press) B. Hönisch and K. Allen, Encyclopedia of Quaternary
Science, 2nd edition.
“Geochemistry of Lake Tanganyika Sediment: Insights into the Ge/Siopal proxy
and East African paleoclimate from isotopes and trace elements,” K. Allen.
MPhil thesis at Cambridge University, England, 2008.
PRESENTATIONS
*presenter
**high school student presenter, mentored through NSF GK-12 fellowship
“Secondary Schools Field Research Programs: A Model for Raising Student
Achievement,” (2012) S. Vincent*, R. Newton*, K. Allen*. The National
Conference on Girls’ Education, Washington, D.C.
“Carbonate system and salinity controls on B/Ca of tropical and subtropical
planktic foraminifera: Insight from culture experiments” (2011) K. Allen*, B.
Hönisch, S. M. Eggins, Y. Rosenthal. Poster, AGU Fall meeting.
“Culture experiments reveal carbonate system and salinity controls on B/Ca of
three planktic foraminifer species” (2011) K. Allen*. Invited lecture, Princeton
University Graduate Student Symposium.
“Insight into the B/Ca proxy for past ocean chemistry from culture experiments
with tropical foraminifera” (2011) K. Allen*. Invited colloquium lecture, Queens
College, New York.
“Influence of vegetation type on the carbon content of sediment in Piermont
Marsh, Hudson River Estuary” (2011) D. Torres**, R. Fernandez**, M. Lopez**,
C. Lopez**, A. Haroon**, D. Peteet, K. Allen, and S. Vincent. Poster, Geological
Society of America Annual Meeting, Minnesota.
“Contrasting reproductive success of female stream fishes across drainages in
northwestern Florida: A life history study on the Gambusia holbrooki” (2011) M.
Chowdhury** and M. Diaw**. ISEF International Science and Engineering Fair,
Los Angeles.
“B/Ca and Mg/Ca in O. universa and G. sacculifer: Comparison of cultured and
sediment-core material,” K. Allen*, B. Hönisch, S. Eggins, Y. Rosenthal, J. Yu,
H.J. Spero, J.N. Richey. Poster, International Conference on Paleoclimatology,
2010. (received student poster award)
“Comparing planktic foraminiferal B/Ca and boron isotopes as paleo-CO2
proxies,” K. Allen and B. Hönisch*. Poster, AGU Ocean Sciences 2010.
“Reduced temperature sensitivity of foraminiferal Mg/Ca thermometry in ancient
oceans,” S. Eggins*, B. Hönisch, S. Doo, L. Vetter, K. Allen, H.J. Spero, A.D.
Russell. AGU Ocean Sciences 2010.
“Validating the B/Ca proxy for seawater carbonate chemistry – evidence from
culture experiments with the planktic foraminifer Orbulina universa,” K. Allen*, B.
Hönisch, S. Eggins, H.J. Spero, J. Yu, H. Elderfield. Talk, AGU Fall Meeting
2009.
“Insights into B/Ca from culturing experiments,” K. Allen* and B. Hönisch, LDEO
Boron conference, August 2009.
“Effects of pH and temperature on calcification of the planktic foraminifer O.
universa,” K. Allen*, B. Hönisch, K. James, S. Eggins, H.J. Spero. Poster, AGU
Fall Meeting 2008.
“Impacts of ocean acidification on zooplankton,” V. Fabry*, K. Allen, S. Eggins,
B. Hönisch, F. Lombard, H.J. Spero. The Second Symposium on the Ocean in a
High-CO2 World, Monaco, 2008.
“Geochemistry of Lake Tanganyika sediments: what can we learn from Ge/Si?”
K. Allen, Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory Geochemistry seminar, 2007.
“Mid- to Late Holocene environmental changes recorded by sediment from Lake
Erie’s eastern basin,” K. Allen*, B. Saylor, E. Barrerra. Talk, North-central GSA
2006.
“Dependence of Water Solubility in Mantle Olivine on the Silica Activity,” K.
Allen, L. Wang*, J. Chen, D.J. Weidner, Z. Liu. Poster, AGU Fall Meeting 2004.
RELEVANT GRADUATE COURSEWORK
Urbino Summer School in Paleoceanography (2010), Physical Oceanography,
Quantitative Methods of Data Analysis, Paleobiology, Chemical Oceanography,
Terrestrial Paleoclimate, Chemical Geology, Chemistry of Continental Waters,
Carbon Cycle, Geochronology & Thermochronology, Isotope Geology,
Sedimentary Geology.
MEMBERSHIPS
American Geophysical Union
Geological Society of America
Geochemical Society
2007-present
2006-present
2008-present
REFERENCES
Bärbel Hönisch (Ph.D. advisor)
(845) 365-8828
hoenisch@ldeo.columbia.edu
Robert F. Anderson (Ph.D. committee)
(845) 365-8508
boba@ldeo.columbia.edu
Peter deMenocal (Ph.D. committee)
(845) 365-8483
peter@ldeo.columbia.edu
Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory
Columbia University
61 Route 9W
Palisades, NY 10964
USA