‘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.

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