Katie  L. Willis
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  • Home
  • CV
  • Papers
  • Courses
  • Resources
  • Writing
  • Outreach Consulting

Curriculum Vitae

Department of Biology
University of Oklahoma

730 Van Vleet Oval
Norman, OK 73019

Current Position
Research Fellow
      Neural control of movement with Dr. Ari Berkowitz   

EDUCATION
University of Maryland, College Park
    PhD, Neuroscience & Cognitive Science, May 2014
    “Anatomical and physiological characterization of the turtle brain stem auditory circuit”          
University of Oklahoma
    Bachelor of Science, Zoology, cum laude, May 2008

RESEARCH
July 2015-March 2017: University of Oklahoma, Dept. of Biology
  Dr. Michael Markham Development & Sexual Dimorphism in Electrocytes of Weakly Electric Fish
August 2008-June 2015: University of Maryland, Dept of Biology,
   Dr. Catherine E. Carr

September 2006-August 2008: University of Oklahoma
    Neural Control of Movement, Dr. Ari Berkowitz
              (Honors Thesis)                                        

October 2005-August 2006: University of Oklahoma. Zebrafish Development and Genetics Lab.
Summer 2005: Summer Research Student, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation,

    Dept of Arthritis and Immunology. Genetic underpinnings of lupus.
Summer 2004: Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation,

    Sir Alexander Fleming Scholar
    Dept of Arthritis and Immunology. Genetic underpinnings of lupus

TEACHING
Guest Lecture, UMD, BSCI 353, Principles of Neuroscience, summer 2015
Teaching Assistant, UMD, Dept of Biology,
    Neurophysiology Lab, 2008-13
    Mammalian Physiology lab, 2012
    Neurophysiology Lecture, 2009-10
    Developmental Biology Lecture, 2014

FUNDING
Pre-doctoral Fellow, Center for Comparative and Evolutionary Biology of Hearing, 2011-14
Capita Foundation travel award, summer 2012
Howard J. Brinkley Travel Award, Dept of Biology, summer 2012
Eugenie Clark Summer Research Fellowship, Dept of Biology, UMD, 2011
Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (U. Oklahoma, Honors College), spring 2008

HONORS
Outstanding Teaching Assistant, Honorable Mention, Dept. of Biology, UMD, 2009
Outstanding Graduating Senior, Dept. of Zoology, U. Oklahoma, 2008
National Merit Scholar

MEMBERSHIPS
Society for Neuroscience
Society for Integrative & Comparative Biology
International Society for Neuroethology
J.B. Johnston Club for Evolutionary Neuroscience
 
SERVICE
Student Representative to Neuroscience and Cognitive Science (NACS) Executive Committee, UMD  2012-14
Student Representative to NACS Internal and External Review, UMD
Student Representative to Department of Biology Faculty Search Committee, UMD. Fall 2012-Spring 2013
Fundraising Coordinator, JB Johnston Club fundraiser, 2012-present
Member, Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Outreach Committee, UMD 2011-14
Member, Dean’s Graduate Student Advisory Council, UMD. 2011-13
Member, Department of Zoology, U. Oklahoma Student Advisory Committee 2007-08
Volunteer, Family Science Night, Sam Noble Museum of Natural History, 2007, 2008
Volunteer, Brain Awareness Week 2006, 2007   

REVIEWER
Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências
Journal of Comparative Physiology A
Journal of Herpetology

Proceedings of the Royal Society B
Royal Society Open Science

MENTORING
High School: 
J. Sargeant (Summer 2009). Montgomery-Blair STEM Magnet Program.
    Female, underrepresented minority.
N. Stares (Winter 2012). The Field School

Undergraduates:
A Johny (Winter 2013- Summer 2015). Female, underrepresented minority
    Supervised honors thesis, graduated with high honors    

C. O'Brien (Winter 2015-Summer 2015). Female
A. Nahar (Summer 2016-present)

Outreach

Brain Awareness Week, Science Museum Oklahoma 
Electric Fish Road Show
Family Science Night, Sam Noble Museum of Natural History, 2007, 2008
ScienceFest Oklahoma, 2016 (targets 4th and 5th grade)
Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Outreach Committee, UMD 2011-14
                  Maryland Day 2013, 2014
                  People to People, speaker, 2013
                  PGCPS 3rd grade, 2011, 2012
                  DCPS, 9th & 10th grade 2013
Women in Science Day, 2016 (Tulsa, OK)

ARTICLES
Willis, K.L., & Carr, C.E. (accepted). A circuit for detection of intramural time differences in the nucleus laminaris of turtles. Journal of Experimental Biology
Willis, K.L., Christensen-Dalsgaard, J., Ketten, D., & Carr, C.E. (2013). Middle ear cavity morphology is consistent with an aquatic origin for Testudines. Public Library of Science ONE

Mui, JW, Willis, KL, Hao, Z-Z, Berkowitz, A (2012). Distributions of active spinal cord neurons during swimming and scratching motor patterns. Journal of Comparative Physiology A: Sensory, Neural, and Behavioral Physiology. doi:10.1007/s00359-012-0758-6

Christensen-Dalsgaard, J, Brandt, C, Willis, KL, Christensen, CB,Ketten, D, Edds-Walton, P, Fay, RR, Madsen, PT, Carr, CE (2012). Specialization for underwater hearing by the tympanic middle ear of the turtle, Trachemys scripta elegans. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. doi:10.1098/rspb.2012.0290


REVIEWS & CHAPTERS

Carr, C. E., Christensen-Dalsgaard, J., Edds-Walton, P., Koppl, C., Tang, Y., Young, B. A., & Willis, K. L. (2017). Evolutionary Trends in Hearing in Nonmammalian Vertebrates. In: Evolution of Nervous Systems (pp. 291–308). Elsevier

Willis, KL, Christensen-Dalsgaard, J, Carr, CE Auditory Brainstem Processing in Amphibians and Reptiles: Roles of Coupled Ears. (2014) In: Insights from Comparative Hearing Research, ed.  Koppl C, Manley GM, Popper AN, Fay RR, Springer New York.

Willis, KL. Underwater Hearing in Turtles (2016) Effects of Noise on Aquatic Life.

 
CONFERENCE ORAL PRESENTATIONS

Willis, KL, J.S. Chrabaszcz. (2016) Exploring Statistical Methods for Measuring and Classifying Neurons. JB Johnston Club

Willis, KL, CE Carr. Sound Localization in Turtles. (2016). Society for Integrative & Comparative Biology

Willis, KL. Underwater Hearing in Turtle. (2013) Effects of Noise on Aquatic Life. Invited

Willis, KL, J Christensen-Dalsgaard, CE Carr. (2012) Specialization for Underwater Hearing in the Testudines. Gordon Research Seminar on the Auditory System

Willis, KL, CA McCormick, CE Carr. (2011) JB Johnston Club. Anatomy of turtle middle ear cavities and hindbrain auditory circuits.

Willis, KL, CE Carr. (2011). Middle Ear Cavity Morphology Across Testudines. Eastern Auditory Retreat

 
CONFERENCE POSTER PRESENTATIONS
Willis, KL, CE Carr (2013) Physiological and anatomical characterization of the auditory brain stem in turtles. Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting

Willis, KL, CE Carr. (2013) Anatomy of turtle hindbrain auditory circuit. Gordon Research Conference on Neuroethology

Willis, KL, CA McCormick, CE Carr. (2012) Hindbrain Auditory Circuits of Turtles. International Conference of Neuroethology.

Willis, KL, CE Carr. Middle Ear Cavity Morphology Across Testudines. (2012). Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology

Willis, KL, CA McCormick, CE Carr. (2011) The organization of the hindbrain auditory nuclei of turtles follows the sauropsid pattern. Society for Neuroscience

Willis, KL, K Potter, J Christensen-Dalsgaard, and CE Carr. (2011). Allometry of the Middle Ear in Trachemys scripta elegans. Association for Research in Otolaryngology

Willis, KL, K Potter, and  CE Carr. (2011) Allometry of the Middle Ear Cavity in Trachemys scripta elegans. Society for Comparative and Integrative Biology

Christensen-Dalsgaard, J, CE. Carr, PT Madsen, C Brandt, KL Willis, D Ketten, P Edds-Walton, RR Fay. (2010) Underwater hearing in the red-eared slider turtle, Trachemys scripta elegans.. International Society for Neuroethology Congress.

Christensen-Dalsgaard, J,  CE Carr, PT Madsen, C Brandt, KL Willis, D Ketten, P Edds-Walton, RR Fay. (2010) Specialisation for underwater hearing in the red-eared slider turtle, Trachemys scripta elegans. Association for Research in Otolaryngology

Mui, JW, KL Willis, and A Berkowitz. (2009) Regional distribution of active spinal cord neurons during fictive forward swimming and three forms of fictive scratching. 2009 Cellular and Network Functions in the Spinal Cord conference at University of Wisconsin, Madison


Willis KL and A Berkowitz. (2008) Distributions of Spinal Cord Neurons Activated During Fictive Forward Swimming and Each Form of Fictive Scratching. Society for Neuroscience

 

 



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