‘I fell in love with Madagascar’: Karen Samonds reflects on career in paleontology
- lindathelibrarian
- Mar 1
- 1 min read
By Kaileia O’Brien, News Reporter Feb 22, 2026
DeKALB – During Friday’s Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) lecture, special guest Karen Samonds discussed her extensive work with paleontology and experience in science as a woman.
The Women in STEM lectures are meant to give community members a voice and spark inspiration in those who listen. While the lectures focus on women and their experiences in STEM, the lecture series is open to all.
Samonds is a professor in the Biological Sciences department at NIU and a paleontologist whose work has helped fill a 65-million-year gap in Madagascar’s fossil records.