Tara Kniskern  Candidate for Ph.D. in Marine Science M.S., College of William & Mary, 2001 B.A., Boston University, 1998 knista@vims.edu (804) 684-7762 Office: Franklin Hall 215

Major Advisors:

Steven A. Kuehl and Courtney K. Harris, Physical Sciences

Academic and Professional Interests

• Investigate sediment transport, deposition, and accumulation processes in continental margin and estuarine environments.
• Elucidate recent (100-year scale) changes in these processes in response to anthropogenic influences.
• Assess the importance of biological and physical interactions in the sediment bed and their affects on sediment/contaminant cycling and burial.
• Link sediment transport models with observed sediment transport mechanisms and accumulation patterns.

Research Experience

• 1998-Present Research Assistant
  Department of Physical Sciences, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, College of William & Mary, Gloucester Point, VA. Researched sediment transport and depositional processes and patterns in the York River, VA and the Waiapu River shelf, New Zealand. Funding provided by Office of Naval Research and NSF. Opportunities included mentorship of undergraduate students for several independent and senior thesis research projects.

Teaching Experience

• 2002 SIP Teaching Assistant
  Graduate Teaching/Mentor for the Summer Intern Program at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, funded by NSF, Research Experience for Undergraduates Site Grant, Dr. Linda Schaffner, PI.
• 2000-2004 Teaching Assistant
  Department of Geology, College of William & Mary, Williamsburg, VA. Taught independent introductory geology laboratory sessions.

Awards

• VIMS: Best student paper, Master's level (2004)
• VIMS General-funded Research Assistantship 1998-1999; 2000-2001
• Boston University: Department prize for excellence in Earth Sciences (1998)
• Boston University: College prize for excellence in Earth Sciences (1998)
• Boston University: graduated with honors and distinction.

Publications

• Kuehl, S.A., G.J. Brunskill, K. Burnes, D. Fugate, T. Kniskern and L. Meneghini, 2004. Nature of sediment dispersal off the Sepik River, Papua New Guinea: preliminary sediment budget and implications for margin processes. Continental Shelf Research, 24(19):2417-2429.
• Kniskern, T. A. and Kuehl, S.A., 2003. Spatial and Temporal Variability of Seabed Disturbance in the York River Subestuary. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 58 (1): 37-55.
• Kniskern, T.A., 2001. Spatial and Temporal Variability of Physical and Biological Mixing in the York River Subestuary. Master's Thesis, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, unpub.
• Kuehl, S.A., Kniskern, T., Fugate, D., 2000. Slope sedimentation off the Sepik River, Papua New Guinea: a low-stand analog for slope processes. EOS Trans. AGU 80, 49, OS325-02.
• Kniskern, T.A., 1998. Sedimentological analyses of the western Kennebec River paleodelta: Implications for provenance and depositional history. Senior Thesis, Boston University, unpub.

Abstracts and Talks at National Meetings

• Kniskern, T.A., C.K. Harris, and S.A.Kuehl, 2006. Sediment deposition on the Waiapu River Shelf, N.Z., implications for sediment transport mechanisms and event Preservation. Ocean Sciences Meeting, Honolulu, Hawaii.
• Kuehl, S.A., Pratson, L., Addington, L., Gerald, L., Gerber, T., Kniskern, T., Miller, A., Liu, P., Carter., L., Orpin, A., 2006. Contrasting Shelf Sediment Dispersal off Small Mountainous rivers: The Waipaoa and Waiapu Rivers, NZ. Ocean Sciences Meeting, Honolulu, Hawaii.
• Kniskern, T.A, S.A. Kuehl, and C.K. Harris, 2005. Sediment deposition patterns on the Waiapu River Shelf, N.Z., implications for sediment transport mechanisms and event preservation. Margins meeting, Wellington, N.Z.
• Kniskern, T.A., and S.A. Kuehl, 2004. Sediment dispersal and deposition on the Waiapu River Shelf, N.Z., implications for sediment transport mechanisms and event preservation. American Geophysical Union Meeting, San Francisco, CA, December, 2004.
• Kniskern, T.A., and S.A. Kuehl, 2003. Along- versus across-channel variability in sediment structure in the York River Subestuary. Estuarine Research Federation Meeting, Seattle, WA, September, 2003.
• Kniskern, T.A. and S.A. Kuehl, 2002. Sediment mixing in the York River Estuary: geochemical observations. Building a Community System for Coastal Sediment- Transport Modeling (NOPP) September 29 - October 2, 2002.
• Kniskern, T.A. and S.A. Kuehl. 2001. Spatial and temporal variability of physical and biological mixing in the York River subestuary. Estuarine Research Federation Meeting, St. Pete Beach, November, 2001.
• Kuehl, SA; Kniskern, T; Fugate, D, 2000. Slope sedimentation off the Sepik River, Papua New Guinea: A low-stand analog for slope processes? American Society of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO), American Geophysical Union (AGU). Ocean Sciences Meeting, San Antonio, TX (USA), 24-28 Jan 2000. http://www.agu.org, Abstracts available.
• Buynevich, Ilya V; Fitzgerald, Duncan M; Kniskern, Tara A; Parolski, Kenneth, 1999. Sediment dispersal along the central peninsular coast of Maine; new constraints from nearshore geophysical and sedimentological data. Geological Society of America, Northeastern Section, 34th annual meeting: Abstracts with Programs - vol.31, no.2, pp.8.
• Kniskern, Tara A; Buynevich, Ilya V; Fitzgerald, Duncan M; Peters, Junenette L , 1998. Sedimentological characteristics of fluvial-estuarine deposits in the Merrymeeting Bay, Maine; implications for sediment transport. Geological Society of America, Northeastern Section, 33rd annual meeting: Abstracts with Programs - vol.30