Biology Professor Receives Office of Naval Research Award
March 28, 2016 (Notre Dame, IN) – Saint Mary’s College is proud to announce that the Office of Naval Research (ONR) has honored Laura Kloepper, assistant professor of biology, with a 2016 Young Investigator Program (YIP) award. YIP is a competitive research development program that recognizes professors in the first five years of their academic careers. Kloepper’s submission, “Biologically Inspired Approaches to Overcome Mutual Interference by Active Sensor Systems,” was one of 47 projects chosen. Other recipients include professors from Cornell, Johns Hopkins, and Stanford.
Kloepper’s award includes a $500,000 research grant to research bat echolocation with two Saint Mary’s students during the summer over the next several years. “Each summer I plan to take different students to bat caves in the southwest to get a real hands-on reality of what gritty fieldwork is like,” Kloepper said. The grant will cover research equipment, student travel, conference expenses, hiring a few engineers for technical work, and other expenses.
She explains why ONR, an agency of the Department of Defense, would have an interest in bat echolocation: “Manmade sonar, or sound navigation ranging systems, are inspired by echolocating animals, like dolphins and bats. For decades, scientists have studied these animals to understand how they are able to use sound to identify and track objects. Everything we know right now about biology, mathematics and physics says that these animals should not be as good at echolocation as they actually are. This means we're missing something. By understanding what strategies these animals are using during echolocation, we can better improve our own sonar devices.”
In June Kloepper will load up a large SUV with equipment and hit the road with biology students Stephanie Dreessen ’17 and Cassi Mardis ’17 for an eight-week adventure with their professor. It’s an opportunity for the seniors to experience graduate-level research on first hand.
“Every evening right before sunset we will drive out to a bat cave, set up the equipment, and then just sit and wait. There is a great anticipation waiting for the bats to finally leave the cave,” Kloepper said. “When the bats start their nightly pattern of emergence, which lasts about 90 minutes, our sensors will collect the data and we’ll take behavioral observation notes. After it’s over, we pack it up for the night, go back to the bunkhouse, and the next morning we start processing the data.”
The students will also have the chance to discuss and present their research on bat echolocation at highly respected conferences. Kloepper said she will be proud to have students represent Saint Mary’s College at these graduate-level conferences.
“I look forward to these upcoming summers and I’m excited for the students because I think these experiences will provide them with the best idea of what graduate school will be like.”
Kloepper has been interested in echolocation since her undergraduate years and is now considered an expert in the field. The bioacoustician’s research on bat echolocation in lava tube caves in New Mexico was recently featured in a Scientific American 60-second Science podcast.
About Saint Mary's College: Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Ind., is a four-year, Catholic, residential, women’s liberal arts college offering five bachelor’s degrees and more than 30 major areas of study, such as business, nursing, art, chemistry, and social work. Saint Mary’s College also offers two graduate degrees: a Master of Science and a Doctorate. All programs that fall under these degrees are co-educational and include a Master of Science in Data Science, a Master of Science in Speech Language Pathology, and a Doctorate of Nursing Practice. Founded in 1844 by the Sisters of the Holy Cross, Saint Mary’s College seeks, according to its mission statement, to educate students, develop their talents, and prepare them to make a difference in the world. Saint Mary’s College ranks among the top 100 Best National Liberal Arts Colleges for 2016 published by U.S. News & World Report. Follow Saint Mary's College on Twitter @saintmarys and @saintmarysnews.
Contact for News Media: Gwen O’Brien, director of media relations, Saint Mary’s College, gobrien@saintmarys.edu (574) 284-4579
~Press release written by Melissa Fitzpatrick ’16, media relations intern.
