User:Nicfoodie/Karen Vaughan

= Karen Vaughan =

Dr. Karen Vaughan (née Castenson) is an Assistant Professor of Pedology at the University of Wyoming, where she researches soil development and wetland biogeochemistry.

Education
Vaughan completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Delaware, where she initially became interested in soil science. She says of her career choice, "I didn't chose soil science; soil science chose me." She completed her MS in Pedology & Hydric Soils at the University of Maryland and her PhD in Pedology at the University of Idaho.

Research and career
After completing her PhD, Vaughan was employed by the United States Department of Agriculture - Natural Resources Conservation Service as a federal soil scientist in the Snow Survey and Soil Survey programmes. She made the decision to switch back to academia as she missed the research and teaching aspect of work.

Vaughan is now an Assistant Professor of Pedology in the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management at the University of Wyoming. She teaches both classroom based and field courses. Vaughan is an advocate for diversity and inclusion in soil sciences and has researched how the discipline could attract more diverse scientists.

Science Communication and Art
In addition to her research, Vaughan is an active science communicator, engaged in several projects that aim to make the field accessible and relevant. She is a co-founder and committee member of the Wyoming Science Communication Initiative (WySCI), a campus-wide initiative that values and supports science communication and engagement.

In 2017, Vaughan was a participant in the "Storytelling Science through Film" workshop, hosted by Wyoming EPSCoR and led by Jane Zelikova and Morgan Heim. The workshop aimed to teach scientists the tools needed to tell their story through film. Vaughan's group in the workshop was assigned the topic "Women in STEM" and their final film "Science for All" explores Vaughan's life as a scientist and a mother.

Vaughan also bridges the gap between science and art by turning soils into watercolour pigments. The colours of the pigments reflect the

Selected publications
Vaughan, K., H. Van Miegroet, A. Pennino, Y. Pressler, C. Duball, E.C. Brevik, A.A. Berhe and C. Olson, 2019. Women in Soil Science: Growing Participation, Emerging Gaps, and the Opportunities for Advancement in the USA. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 83 (5), 1278-1289. https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj2019.03.0085

Castenson, K.L. and M.C. Rabenhorst, 2006. Indicator of Reduction in Soil (IRIS): Evaluation of a New Approach for Assessing Reduced Conditions in Soil. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 70 (4), 122-1226. https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj2005.0130

Useful links

https://www.womeninagscience.org/post/meet-dr-karen-vaughan-soil-scientist-and-creative-science-communicator

http://www.uwyo.edu/wysci/about/board-karen-vaughan.html

https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/post/university-wyoming-professor-transforms-soil-art#stream/0

https://oldnwise.com/environment/soil-color-painting-art/

https://500womenscientists.org/updates/2017/3/19/soil-science-chose-me

http://www.uwyo.edu/uw/news/2021/02/uw-libraries-selects-alternative-textbook-grant-recipients.html

https://foodtank.com/news/2017/12/sustainable-soil-scientists/

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/meet-western-soil-scientists-using-dirt-make-stunning-paints-180976796/

https://handwovenmagazine.com/beauty-in-soil/

https://acsess.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.2136/sssaj2019.03.0085