معرفی
Kathleen Pigg is a Professor in the School of Life Sciences at Arizona State University (ASU), with affiliations to the Center for Biology and Society. She specializes in paleobotany, studying fossil plants to understand evolutionary relationships and ancient ecosystems. Her research focuses on Cenozoic flora, particularly in western North America, analyzing fossilized fruits, seeds, flowers, and leaves to trace plant adaptation through geological times.
- Educations:
- Ph.D. Botany, The Ohio State University (1988)
- M.S. Botany, The Ohio University (1982)
- B.S. Botany, The Ohio University (1980)
- Shawnee State Community College (1975-1977)
Her work investigates processes like hybridization in Eocene plants and climate change impacts on flora. She has led field studies in northeastern Washington, examining fossil plants from high-elevation Eocene environments. Pigg’s research group explores how past climate changes influenced plant evolution, offering insights into modern ecological challenges.
Notable contributions include studies of the Republic flora (Washington), McAbee flora (British Columbia), and Paleocene floras in North Dakota. She has published extensively on fossil angiosperms, gymnosperms, and ferns, with over 100 peer-reviewed articles. Pigg also serves as Editor of the International Journal of Plant Sciences and has curated significant fossil plant collections at ASU.
Grants & Collaborations: Secured NSF funding for digitization projects (e.g., Pteridological Collections Consortium) and studies on Paleocene plant fossils. Her work bridges academia and public outreach through the Stonerose Interpretive Center in Republic, Washington.
Labs & Teams: Leads the ASU Fossil Plant Collections, part of the Biodiversity Knowledge Integration Center (BioKIC), housing over three million records of pteridophytes. Collaborates internationally on projects like the Glossopteris reproductive organs and Cenozoic plant migration patterns.