Karin Kettenring

S.J. & Jessie E. Quinney College of Natural Resources

Watershed Sciences

Dr. Karin Kettenring is Associate Professor of Wetland Ecology in the Department of Watershed Sciences and the Ecology Center. Although not originally from Utah, her first job out of college was in Zion National Park, a stark biological contrast to her time at Oberlin College in rural northern OH and her upbringing in northern NJ. Prior to starting at USU, Dr. Kettenring obtained her Ph.D. in Applied Plant Sciences from the University of Minnesota and was a postdoctoral researcher at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in MD.

Her research focuses on wetland plant ecology, with emphases on understanding wetland plant invaders and the restoration of native plants following invasive species control. She has worked closely with a number of Great Salt Lake wetland managers as part of her research efforts, to partner to improve wetland management and restoration outcomes.

Dr. Kettenring teaches courses in restoration ecology and wetland ecology. She also finds mentoring graduate and undergraduate students extremely rewarding. She and her graduate students have benefited greatly from the talented undergraduate students who have worked as technicians on their projects. In addition, recent undergraduate research efforts have resulted in exciting new research angles to on-going projects.