University of Wisconsin Stout | Wisconsin's Polytechnic University

Education

2003 PhD Plant Microbiology and Pathology, University of Missouri, Columbia

2004 Postdoctoral Research Associate, Virginia Tech

Research Interests

My teaching, research and service accomplishments are linked by the sentiment that “Everyone can be great…because anybody can serve” (Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., 1968). In my opinion there’s no better way to serve as a faculty member than to create opportunities for students to serve while they learn and to participate in learning experiences that are in some way tied to societal need. It’s these types of experiences that result in “transformational” learning outcomes that change the way students think and the way they approach future learning opportunities.

My students work on Community Gardens (Rain Gardens: A Beautiful Service Learning Activity). Students grow native perennials from seed and design and install rain gardens for local community members. We are just beginning to work on community vegetable gardens working with a local Head Start organization to design and install a garden for their facility.

I am interested in investigating how these service learning activities enhance the classroom experience. Some of my SOTL work also focuses on STEM faculty attitudes towards service learning as well as community perception of service learning activities.

Laboratory Research Activities

The pursuit of knowledge through systematic, evidence based inquiry is the foundation of science. As a faculty research advisor it’s my goal to facilitate opportunities for students to immerse themselves in meaningful research experiences that allow them to not only develop laboratory skills but require them to critically analyze a problem, review the known literature, and propose and implement strategies to achieve their research goals and share their results with a larger audience.

I have research underway investigating medicinal plant use in the local Hmong population that is part of a collaborative NSF STEP Proposal with my colleagues at UW-Manitowoc.

Teaching and Research Publications and Presentations

Carlson, K.M. (2007). Rain Gardens: A beautiful service learning project. Academic Exchange Extra http://asstudents.unco.edu/students/AE-Extra/2007/5/Carlson.html

Carlson, K.M. (2007). Assessment of the Impact of Service-Learning in the S.T.E.M. Classroom. Opid Spring 2007.

Carlson, K. (2007) Rain Gardens: A How-To Guide. Luck Community Education.

Carlson K. (2006) City of Menomonie-UW-Stout Rain Garden Collaboration. City of Menomonie Planning Commission.

Abler, R., Carlson, K (2009) Screening Hmong Medicinal Plants for Medicinal Potential. Botanical Society of America Conference.

Carlson, K (2009) Botany without Borders: Investigation of Hmong Medicinal Plants. Proceedings from the 23rd annual Hmong Stout Student Organization Conference at UW-Stout.

Luke, C. Carlson, K. (2009) Screening Hmong Medicinal Plants for Medicinal Potential. National Council on Undergraduate Research.

Carlson, K., Luke, C., Koenig, B., Abler, R. (2008) Evaluation of Medicinal Plant Use in the Wisconsin Hmong Population. Botanical Society of America Conference.

Shreshtha, A., Jenness, N., Carlson, K. (2007) Callous Tissue Development in Opuntia fragilis. UW-System symposium on undergraduate research.

Reichstadt, T., Carlson, K. (2007) Salt Tolerance in Native Plants. UW-System symposium on undergraduate research.

Hannum, M., Carlson, K. (2006) Detection of Aster Yellows in Potato using SSCP. UW-System symposium on undergraduate research.

Hannum, M., Smith, E., Carlson, K. (2005). Screening Potatoes for Bacterial Soft-Rot. UW-Stout Research Day.

Carlson, K., Richardson, P.,Kong. P, and Hong, C. (2004) Pilot Survey for Sudden Oak Death (SOD) in Virginia Nurseries. Presented at the Virginia Landscape and Nursery Association.

Shrestha, A, Carlson. K (2009) A Rapid DNA Extraction Technique used for the Characterization of Genetic Diversity in a Threatened Plant Species, Opuntia fragilis. Haseltonia (submitted to Haseltonia Spring 2009/Annual Publication and currently under review)

James, K. Carlson. K, Mason, K (2009) WEEB Invasive Plant Species Instructor’s Manual

Luce-Carlson, K., English, J. (2003) Characterization of Phytophthora sojae colonization in susceptible and tolerant soybeans using real-time quantitative PCR. Phytopathology 93:S114
 
Carlson, K. M. (2003). Spatial and temporal analysis of chitinase accumulation and pathogen colonization in soybeans with tolerance to Phytophthora sojae infection. Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2003.

Research Awards and Honors

• 2005 UW-Stout Undergraduate Research Award presented to my student researchers
• 2005 GWIS Undergraduate Research Award presented to my student researcher
• 2006 Student Research Fund grant (SRF) awarded to my undergraduate student researchers ($1600)
• 2009 UW-Stout Researcher of the Year
• 2009 UW-System Board of Regents Diversity Award co-recipient

Funded Grants

• (2005-2007) Awarded $9,789 Xcel energy grant “Rain Gardens: A beautiful solution to water pollution” to support the rain garden service learning initiative (and recently invited to apply again).
• (2004) Awarded $1,000 OPID grant to assess needs of new instructors.
• (2007 ) Awarded $1,000 OPID grant to fund guest speaker for UW-Stout Learning Communities Workshop
• (2005) UW-Stout Faculty Research Initiative Grant: Opuntia Genetic Diversity Research $6500
• (2006) Foundations Grant : Potato Disease Diagnostics Research $2000
• (2006) Faculty Research Initiative Grant: Potato Disease Diagnostics Research $2027
• (2007) UW-System Race and Ethnicity Grant: Hmong Medicinal Plant Research $4500
• (2008) WiscAMP: Bridges to Baccalaureates $21000
• (2009) UW-Stout Research Incubator Proposal $8500
• (2009)UW-System Race and Ethnicity: Peer Mentors $1900
• (2009) NSF S-STEM: Applied Science Vision, Polytechnic Mission $560,000
• (2009) NSF STEP: Portals to Discovery (collaborative) $996,400

Courses Taught

Biology 101 (Introductory Biology)
Biology 111 (Science Society & the Environment)
Biology 135 (Organismal Biology)
Biology 141 (Plants and People)
Biology 210 (Biotechnology Issues)
Biology 242 (Botany)
Biology 306 (Microbiology)
Biology 470 (Advanced Biotech)
Biology 489 (Research Experience)

Courses Developed

(developed plant science minor with Colleague, Dr. Mandy Little)
Biology 141* (Plants and People)*with colleague, Amanda Little
Biology 322 (Plant Pathology)
Biology 324* (Plant Taxonomy)* Developed by colleague, Amanda Little
Biology 342 (Plant Physiology)
Biology 352* (Plant Ecology)* Developed by colleague, Amanda Little
Biology 372 (Plant Biotechnology)