Kathleen Foster
Assistant Professor of Biology
Dr. Foster studies the physiological and ecomorphological mechanisms underlying ecological communities, using primarily arboreal reptiles and amphibious fishes as focal systems. Dr. Foster has an integrative research program, which bridges the fields of functional morphology, ecophysiology, comparative biomechanics, and evolution to provide an essential, mechanistic-driven approach to understanding vertebrate zoology in an environmental context.
Education
2016 PhD University of California Riverside
2010 BSC Honors, Marine Biology from University of British Columbia
Teaching Philosophy
My teaching philosophy centers around two primary goals: 1) to help students progress beyond knowledge retention by encouraging critical and creative thought processes and independent inquiry through experiential, student-centered learning methods, and 2) to encourage the cultivation of strong scientific communication skills. This approach stems from my belief that the collaborative, process-driven nature of the scientific process requires a combination of analytical/problem-solving skills and effective communication of sophisticated ideas with both enthusiasm and precision. I firmly believe that experiential learning methods (i.e. learning science by doing science) are integral to helping students understand that science is a process, not an end result. By facilitating a student-guided method of scientific inquiry, students focus on the journey rather than the outcome and they find that they are able to recreate the process and think their way through difficult problems when needed, removing the necessity of memorizing seemingly isolated facts.
Research interests
My research interests lie in understanding the biomechanical and physiological mechanisms underlying the movement of animals. Specifically, I am interested in muscle function and how it is affected by ecological demands placed on it. I use an integrative approach, which bridges the fields of functional morphology, ecophysiology, comparative biomechanics, and evolution to provide an essential, mechanistic-driven approach to understanding the physiological and ecomorphological mechanisms underlying both aquatic and terrestrial systems. I am also interested in how mathematical (e.g. ODEs and PDEs) and modern statistical tools (e.g. machine learning methods) can not only help detect and quantify coordination of limbs and muscles, but also classify discrete locomotor behaviors.
Check out the great things we do in our lab: Comparative Biomechanics
Recent Publications
Selvitella, A.M. and Foster, K.L. (2024).An approximate solution of the SLIP model under the regime of linear angular dynamics during stance and the stability of symmetric periodic running gaits. Journal of Theoretical Biology 595, 111934. doi: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2024.111934
Selvitella, A.M. and Foster, K.L. (2023). On the variability and dependence of human leg stiffness across strides during running and some consequences for the analysis of locomotion data. Royal Society Open Science 10, 230597. doi: 10.1098/rsos.230597
Lutek, K., Foster, K.L., and Standen, E.M. (2022). Behaviour and muscle activity across the aquatic-terrestrial transition in Polypterus senegalus. Journal of Experimental Biology 225, jeb243902. doi: 10.1242/jeb.243902
Selvitella, A.M. and Foster, K.L. (2022). The spring-mass model and other reductionist models of bipedal locomotion on inclines. Integrative and Comparative Biology 62, 1320-1334. doi: 10.1093/icb/icac047
Foster, K.L. and Selvitella, A.M. (2022). Transfer of Anolis locomotor behavior across environments and species. Integrative and Comparative Biology 62, 774-790. doi: 10.1093/icb/icac015
Foster, K.L., Garland, T. Jr., Schmitz, L, and Higham, T.E. (2018). Skink ecomorphology: forelimb and hind limb lengths, but not static stability, correlate with habitat use and demonstrate multiple solutions. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 125, 673-692. doi: 10.1093/biolinnean/bly146
Foster, K.L., Dhuper, M., and Standen, E.M. (2018). Fin and body neuromuscular coordination changes during walking and swimming in Polypterus senegalus. Journal of Experimental Biology 221, 1-13. doi: 10.1242/jeb.168716
Foster, K.L. and Higham, T.E. (2017). Integrating gastrocnemius force-length properties, in vivo activation, and operating lengths reveals how Anolis deal with ecological challenges. Journal of Experimental Biology 220, 796-806. doi: 10.1242/jeb.151795