Laura Kloepper is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology at Saint Mary's College in Notre Dame, Indiana. Her research focuses on understanding the sensory and behavioral processes underlying echolocation in toothed whales and microchiropteran bats, two suborders of mammals that convergently evolved echolocation. Specifically, in toothed whales she investigates how individuals adapt their sonar beams, and in bats she investigates swarming acoustics and flight behavior of large caves and colonies. Kloepper was recently awarded an Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award for her work "Biologically inspired approaches to overcome mutual-interference by active sensor systems."
Kloepper enjoys the challenges and responsibilities of teaching science to undergraduates. Past college courses taught include Introduction to Biology, Animal Behavior, Marine Biology (majors and nonmajors), Science Writing and Communication, and Climate Change and Species Extinction. Her teaching philosophy is centered around active learning in lectures, inquiry-based laboratories, and bad biology puns.
In addition to formal teaching in the classroom, Kloepper is a strong advocate for science communication. She believes in engaging directly with the public about her research and the role of science in policy, and enjoys opportunities to speak publicly. As a former high school biology teacher, Kloepper is also passionate about connecting students with scientists and encouraging hands-on bioacoustics research. She launched soundintheclassroom.org, a resource for students and teachers, which provides resources and lesson plans for students to conduct quantitative, inquiry-based bioacoustics investigations using free, open-source software.
Kloepper enjoys the challenges and responsibilities of teaching science to undergraduates. Past college courses taught include Introduction to Biology, Animal Behavior, Marine Biology (majors and nonmajors), Science Writing and Communication, and Climate Change and Species Extinction. Her teaching philosophy is centered around active learning in lectures, inquiry-based laboratories, and bad biology puns.
In addition to formal teaching in the classroom, Kloepper is a strong advocate for science communication. She believes in engaging directly with the public about her research and the role of science in policy, and enjoys opportunities to speak publicly. As a former high school biology teacher, Kloepper is also passionate about connecting students with scientists and encouraging hands-on bioacoustics research. She launched soundintheclassroom.org, a resource for students and teachers, which provides resources and lesson plans for students to conduct quantitative, inquiry-based bioacoustics investigations using free, open-source software.
