Curriculum Vitae

Kimberly A. Franklin, Ph.D.
Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Tucson, AZ, kfranklin@desertmuseum.org, 520-883-3008

Expertise

Insect Ecology; Insect taxonomy; Community ecology; Conservation biology; Field research design and implementation; Science education; Natural history of the Sonoran Desert

Education

Ph.D. Insect Science, University of Arizona, 2003-2009
B.A. Biology, New College of Florida, 1996-2001

Research and Teaching Experience

Conservation Research Scientist, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, 2011-present

• Research Focus: Ant assemblages in the Sonoran Desert and Sky Islands
• Additional Duties: Coordination with Education and Interpretation staff; management of ASDM Digital Library; editing the annual publication Sonorensis; public presentations and workshops; adjunct researcher appointment at the University of Arizona

PERT Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Center for Insect Science, University of Arizona, 2009-2012

• Curation of the Sonoran Insect Biodiversity Collection, a unique collection of over 40,000 insect specimens from the Central Gulf Coast subdivision of the Sonoran Desert.
• Investigation of the factors regulating the spatial and temporal distribution of insect diversity
• Course in Advanced Biometry for Environmental Research, RNR 614
• Course in ArcGIS, Michigan State University (vector & raster analysis, geodatabases, map design)

Adjunct Faculty, Pima Community College, Tucson AZ, 2011

• Currently teaching Environmental Biology (Bio 105), a course that integrates lecture and laboratory experiences on a wide variety of environmental issues facing humanity from local, regional, to global scales.

Dissertation, University of Arizona, 2009
"The consequences of buffelgrass (Pennisetum ciliare) development for biodiversity in the southern Sonoran Desert"

Graduate Research Assistant, University of Arizona Libraries, 2007-2008

• Collection and analysis of quantitative and qualitative data for a collaborative project to develop an institutional repository for sharing Sonoran Desert digital information resources.
• Developed on-line education resources about Sonoran Desert biodiversity available through the Tree of Life Web Project

Teaching Assistant, Department of Soil, Water, and Environmental Science, University of Arizona, 2007

• Taught weekly student laboratory sessions covering a wide variety of topics in environmental science.

Fulbright Scholar, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, 2005-2006

• Design and implementation of field research campaign to sample ant assemblages throughout central Sonora, Mexico

Graduate Research and Teaching Assistant, Sonoran Insect Biodiversity Project, University of Arizona, 2003-2005

• Development of sampling protocols for quantitative field observations of insect diversity; Curation of insect specimens; Instructor of undergraduate insect diversity field course.

Rangeland Management Intern, Bureau of Land Management, Taos, NM, 2002

• Assessment of rangeland health.
• Mapping BLM lands for invasive plant species.

Thesis, Biology, New College of Florida, 2001
"Minilivestock: A study in insect rearing and the determination of the protein contents of two insects, Manduca sexta (L.) and Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith)."

Research Publications

Brusca, R.C., J.F. Wiens, W.M. Meyer, J.A. Eble, K.A. Franklin, J. Overpeck, and W. Moore. In Review. Dramatic response to climate change in the Southwest: Robert Whittaker's 1963 Arizona Mountain Plant Transect Revisited. Global Change Biology

Moore, W. W.M. Meyer, J.A. Eble, K.A. Franklin, J.F. Wiens, and R.C.Brusca. 2012. Introduction to the Arizona Sky Island Arthropod Project: Systematics, Biogeography, Ecology, and Population Genetics of Arthropods of the Madrean Sky Islands. Pp. 140-162 in Gottfried, G.J.; P.F. Ffolliott, B.S. Gebow, and L.G. Eskew, compilers. Merging science and management in a rapidly changing world: biodiversity and management of the Madrean Archipelago III. 2012 RMRS-P-67. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. Fort Collins, CO.

Franklin, K. 2012. The remarkable resilience of ant assemblages following major vegetation change. Biological Conservation. 148:96-105.

Franklin, K. and F. Molina-Freaner. 2010. The consequences of buffelgrass (Pennisetum ciliare) pasture development for productivity and plant diversity in the drylands of Sonora, Mexico. Conservation Biology 23(6): 1664-1673.

Franklin, K., E. Glenn, K. Lyons, P. Nagler, F. Molina-Freaner, and T. Markow. 2009. Rates of buffelgrass (Pennisetum ciliare) land conversion in the Plains of Sonora, Mexico. In: Invasive Plants on the Move. Controlling Them in North America. T. Van Devender, J. Espinosa-García, B. Harper-Lore, and T. Hubbard (eds.). Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum and National Transportation Agency.

Franklin, K., K. Lyons, P. Nagler, D. Lampkin, F. Molina, E. Glenn, T. Markow, and A. Huete. 2006. Buffelgrass (Pennisetum ciliare) land conversion and productivity in the Plains of Sonora, Mexico. Biological Conservation 127: 62-71.

Educational Publications

Tree of Life Learning Modules (http://tolweb.org/treehouses/?treehouse_id=4800):

• Arthropod Investigation
• Habitat Investigation
• Tucson Bird Count Investigation
• Reconciliation Ecology
• Podcasting Biodiversity with the Tree of Life: Kim Franklin, University of Arizona Entomologist, interviewed by 5th Graders at Santa Cruz School, Tucson, AZ

Presentations

Franklin, K.A., W.M. Meyer, J.A. Eble, R.C. Brusca, W. Moore. 2012. Madrean Conference, Tucson AZ, May 2012 — "Diversity and Composition of Ant and Beetle Assemblages in the Santa Catalinas"

Meyer, W.M., J.A. Eble, K.A. Franklin, P. Marek, G. Hughes, R.C. Brusca, W. Moore. 2012. Madrean Conference, "Do plant biomes along the elevation gradient in the Santa Catalina Mountains harbor unique arthropod communities?"

Moore, W. W.M. Meyer, J.A. Eble, K.A. Franklin, J. Wiens, R.C. Brusca, 2012. Madrean Conference, The Arizona Sky Island Arthropod Project (ASAP): Systematics, Biogeography, Ecology, and Population Genetics of Ground-Dwelling Arthropods"

Buffelgrass Working Group, Southern Arizona Buffelgrass Coordination Center, August 2010 — "Buffelgrass in Sonora: A Brief History and Impacts on Biodiversity"

Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting, August 2010 — "Ants as Bioindicators and the Resiliency of Ant Assemblages in Arid Environments"

Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting, August 2009 — "Land Use Change and Productivity-Diversity Relationship in the Drylands of Northern Mexico"

Center for Insect Science, University of Arizona, December 2008 — "Energy, Habitat Complexity, and Ant Diversity in Northern Mexico"