Dr. Karly Cohen (2024-present)

Functional morphology and performance. Dr. Cohen is looking at filtration efficiency and performance of filter-feeding in large-scale marine animals. In addition, Dr. Cohen is exploring armor in terrestrial vertebrates including: armadillos/honey badgers. Development of chimera tenacular (cephalic and pre-pelvic) teeth. 

Dr. Cohen is an integrative biomechanist and developmental biologist. She is currently working on filtration performance in manta rays as an NSF funded postdoctoral researcher. In addition, Dr. Cohen was just awarded a Save Our Sea's grant to study the development of chimera tenacular teeth. 

Dr. Cohen was awarded:

• Save Our Seas grant (2024)

 Email: karlycohen@fullerton.edu

Dr. Cohen's publications:

1. Cohen, K. E., Lucanus, O., Summers, A. P., & Kolmann, M. A. (2023). Lip service: Histological phenotypes correlate with diet and feeding ecology in herbivorous pacus. The Anatomical Record, 306(2), 326-342.
2. Cohen, K. E., Weller, H. I., Westneat, M. W., & Summers, A. P. (2023). The evolutionary continuum of functional homodonty to heterodonty in the dentition of halichoeres wrasses. Integrative and Comparative Biology, 63(1), 176-187.
3. Hoover, R. C., Hawkins, O. H., Rosen, J., Wilson, C. D., Crawford, C. H., Holst, M. M., ... & Cohen, K. E. (2023). It Pays to Be Bumpy: Drag Reducing Armor in the Pacific Spiny Lumpsucker, Eumicrotremus orbis. Integrative and Comparative Biology, 63(3), 796-807.
4. Vandenberg, M. L., Cohen, K. E., Rubin, R. D., Goldbogen, J. A., Summers, A. P., Paig‐Tran, E. M., & Kahane‐Rapport, S. R. (2023). Formation of a fringe: A look inside baleen morphology using a multimodal visual approach. Journal of Morphology, 284(4), e21574.
5. Baxter, D., Cohen, K. E., Donatelli, C. M., & Tytell, E. D. (2022). Internal vertebral morphology of bony fishes matches the mechanical demands of different environments. Ecology and Evolution, 12(11), e9499.
6. Cohen, K. E., Ackles, A. L., & Hernandez, L. P. (2022). The role of heterotopy and heterochrony during morphological diversification of otocephalan epibranchial organs. Evolution & Development, 24(3-4), 79-91.
7. Cohen, K. E., & Summers, A. P. (2022). Dimorphic fluorescence in the pacific spiny lumpsucker. Ichthyology & Herpetology, 110(2), 350-353.
8. Huie, J. M., Wainwright, D. K., Summers, A. P., & Cohen, K. E. (2022). Sticky, stickier and stickiest–a comparison of adhesive performance in clingfish, lumpsuckers and snailfish. Journal of Experimental Biology, 225(22), jeb244821.
9. Cohen, K. E., Crawford, C. H., Hernandez, L. P., Beckert, M., Nadler, J. H., & Flammang, B. E. (2020). Sucker with a fat lip: the soft tissues underlying the viscoelastic grip of remora adhesion. Journal of Anatomy, 237(4), 643-654.
10. Cohen, K. E., George, A. E., Chapman, D. C., Chick, J. H., & Hernandez, L. P. (2020). Developmental ecomorphology of the epibranchial organ of the silver carp, Hypophthalmichthys molitrix. Journal of Fish Biology, 97(2), 527-536.
11. Woodruff, E. C., Huie, J. M., Summers, A. P., & Cohen, K. E. (2022). Pacific Spiny Lumpsucker armor—Development, damage, and defense in the intertidal. Journal of Morphology, 283(2), 164-173.
12. Cohen, K. E., Flammang, B. E., Crawford, C. H., & Hernandez, L. P. (2020). Knowing when to stick: touch receptors found in the remora adhesive disc. Royal Society open science, 7(1), 190990.
13. Cohen, K. E., Weller, H. I., & Summers, A. P. (2020). Not your father’s homodonty—stress, tooth shape, and the functional homodont. Journal of Anatomy, 237(5), 837-848.
14. Hulsey, C. D., Cohen, K. E., Johanson, Z., Karagic, N., Meyer, A., Miller, C. T., ... & Fraser, G. J. (2020). Grand challenges in comparative tooth biology. Integrative and comparative biology, 60(3), 563-580.
15. Hernandez, L. P., & Cohen, K. E. (2019). The role of developmental integration and historical contingency in the origin and evolution of cypriniform trophic novelties. Integrative and Comparative Biology, 59(2), 473-488.
16. Keer, S., Cohen, K., May, C., Hu, Y., McMenamin, S., & Hernandez, L. P. (2019). Anatomical assessment of the adult skeleton of zebrafish reared under different thyroid hormone profiles. The Anatomical Record, 302(10), 1754-1769.
17. Kolmann, M. A., Cohen, K. E., Bemis, K. E., Summers, A. P., Irish, F. J., & Hernandez, L. P. (2019). Tooth and consequences: Heterodonty and dental replacement in piranhas and pacus (Serrasalmidae). Evolution & development, 21(5), 247-262.
18. Cohen, K. E., & Hernandez, L. P. (2018). Making a master filterer: ontogeny of specialized filtering plates in silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix). Journal of morphology, 279(7), 925-935.
19. Cohen, K. E., Hernandez, L. P., Crawford, C. H., & Flammang, B. E. (2018). Channeling vorticity: modeling the filter-feeding mechanism in silver carp using μCT and 3D PIV. Journal of Experimental Biology, 221(19), jeb183350.
20. Palumbo, D., Bulusu, K. V., Cohen, K., Hernandez, P., Leftwich, M. C., & Plesniak, M. W. (2017, November). Filter feeding mechanics of Hypophthalmichthys molitrix regarding porous gill rakers. In APS Division of Fluid Dynamics Meeting Abstracts (pp. M5-009).

Maddy Wilson (2019- ). Performance of hearing in fin whales. 

Maddy is interested in biological modeling is busy investigating hearing and bone conduction in mysticete whales. Her project is heavily anatomy based and incorporates both physical and computational modeling. She is working closely with Drs. Ted Cranford and Petr Krysl to create FEA models of whales. 

Maddy also volunteers her time at the NHMLA. 

Maddy received funding from: 

• 2019 CSU Violet Horn Fellowship. 

Email: mnwils03@csu.fullerton.edu

Maddy Wilson in the news:

• Whale hearing

Jahnita DeMoranville (2021- ). Bite performance in squids. 

Jahnita is interested in all things pointy. She has a passion for sharks and cephalopods. Jahnita is investigating scaling and bite performance of Atlantic brif squid. She is working closely with collaborators at Old Dominion University. 

Jahnita received funding from:

• Eugenie Clark Summer field program to learn shark field handling.
• Pa'lante Fellowship recipient 2022.
• Aquarium of the Pacific African American Scholarship in 2023.

Email: JahnitaDeMoranville@csu.fullerton.edu

Jahnita DeMoranville in the news

• Shark research

Katie Kern (2021- ). Reproductive anatomy of the cephalic and pre-pelvic tenacula in chimaeras.

Katie is interested in the functional morphology of chimera tenacula (cephalic and pre-pelvic) and how the morphology changes with depth. Katie is using museum preseved specimens, working closely with the Natural History Museum in Los Angeles and the Field Museum in Chicago.   

Katie received funding from:

• 2022 ASIH Raney Award
• Department of Biological Sciences

Katie won the 2023 CSUF research competition and placed 2nd st the 37th annual CSU Student Research competition in spring 2023! 

Email: katie_kern@csu.fullerton.edu

Katie in the news:

• Chimera tenacula

Jordyn Neal (2022- ). Filtration performance and anatomy of megamouth filters. 

Jordyn is investigating the filter morphology and performance of megamouth sharks. She will be using various imaging techniques (SEM, Histology) and modeling to figure out how these denticulated filters work to retain prey. Jordyn is using museum preserved specimens by working closely with the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles, SCRIPPS Institution of Oceanography SIO collection, Cal Academy of Sciences, and various museums in Japan.

Jordyn ireceived funding from:

• CSUF Jerome Wilson Memorial Scholarship 2024
• NSF GRFP 2023
• CSU COAST Dr. Kenneth H. Coale Graduate Scholar Award
• 2022 CSUF Violet Horn Fellowship 
• Graduate Equity Fellowship

Email: jrneal24@csu.fullerton.edu

Julia Teeple (2022- ). Armor performance in armadillos. 

Undergrad and SCERP Fellow (2019-2021). 

Julia is working on a project investigating the performance of armadillo armor. 

Julia's undergrad research investigated fluid flow and its contributions to filtration in filter-feeding sharks (whale sharks, basking sharks, and megamouth sharks). She looks at how tooth shape affects flow downstream of the oral cavity. She was also involved in a project investigating marine microplastic pollution in commercially important oyster populations in Southern California.

Julia received funding from: 

• CSUF Stephen Murray Award 2024
• NSF REPS 
• CSUF Jerome Wilson Memorial Scholarship 2023
• NSF GRFP Honorable Mention

Julia won the all CSUF research competition and placed 2nd in the all CSU research competition 2022 in the undergraduate category. 

Email: julia.teeple@csu.fullerton.edu

Julia Teeple in the news: 

•  Shark teeth
•  CSU research competition

Jessica Clark (2023- ). Stress levels in fishes following treatment with clove oil.

Jessica is interested in finding alternate methods of anesthetizing fishes humanely and safely. She will be investigating the stress response of fish exposed to clove oil. 

Jessica received funding from: 

• 2023 CSUF Violet Horn Fellowship

Email: Clarkj5@csu.fullerton.edu

Nicole Steplewski (2021- ). Filtration in whale sharks. 

Nicole is interested in large-scale filtration and is investigating the filtration mechanics and performance of whale shark feeding. Nicole's research uses a blend of anatomical investigation and 3D modeling to understand filtration performance of the largest fish in the sea. Ultimately Nicole is interested environmental policy and hopes to use her degree toward a career in conservation. 

Email: nsteplewski@csu.fullerton.edu

Ryan Le (2022- ). Tooth performance in carcharinid sharks. 

Ryan is working on a project looking at the functional performance of homodont vs heterodont teeth in sharks. Ryan is mapping tooth morphology and comparing the performance across ontogeny.

In addition, Ryan will begin a project (Spring 2023) looking at the population genetics of broadnose seven gill sharks in Southern California in collaboration with Dr. Ryan Walter. Ryan hopes to work closely with local recreational fishers in the area to collect samples. 

Email: Liyfe@csu.fullerton.edu

Crystal Enciso (2022- ). Modeling of feeding in whale sharks. 

Project RAISE fellow. Crystal is working on a project investigating flow through whale shark filters using computation fluid dynamics. 

Crystal join CSUF in Fall 2023

Crystal Enciso in the news: 

• Project Raise