Karen Gallardo Cruz

When a marine biology class inspired me to pursue the field of ecology, I honestly did not know what that meant for my career, but I was fascinated by the intricate interactions between organisms and their environment. Since then, I’ve found my career path in scientific research and have been fortunate enough to conduct work in California, French Polynesia, and Hawaii. I’ve remained focused on a central question: how are organisms influenced by changes in their environment? More specifically, how do human-caused changes influence animal behavior? The goal of my research is to help conserve our natural ecosystems, especially my favorite part of them–birds! I am proud to say that my research has been used to create an Air Tour Management Plan for Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, which will restrict the number of helicopter overflights over the home of many of Hawaii’s native bird species. I’m excited to continue contributing to bird conservation through my future PhD research, in which I hope to explore how noise affects ecological interactions in agricultural landscapes, with potential implications for crop pollination and pest management.