In recognition of Native American Heritage Month, Women of Color Online highlights the achievements of past Women of Color (WOC) STEM award winners of American Indian descent.

Kathleen Johnson, a paleoclimatologist, specializes in the study of caves, climate change, past climate variability, and geochemistry. Her research employs geochemical measurements of cave deposits, known as speleothems, to reconstruct historical climate variations, which in turn helps to test and improve climate models.

As an enrolled member of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, Johnson has made significant contributions to geoscience research and outreach programs focused on minority students.

She was nominated by the University of California, Irvine, for the College-level Promotion of Education Award at the Women of Color in STEM Conference.

During the awards ceremony, Dr. Gwen Boyd, an engineer, former university president, and nationally recognized STEM advocate, remarked, "Dr. Kathleen Johnson's award acknowledges her dedicated efforts to make the geoscience field more accessible to Native Americans."

Johnson was honored at the 2018 Women of Color STEM Conference for her initiative in launching a summer program for high school students, where she shared her enthusiasm for geoscience and fieldwork with undergraduate and graduate students, positively influencing the futures of many young people.

From 2011 to 2017, Johnson served as the principal investigator and director of the National Science Foundation-funded American Indian Summer Institute in Earth System Science.

The UC Irvine residential summer program empowers participants to pursue higher education in Earth and environmental sciences, enabling them to utilize their knowledge within their communities.

The American Indian Summer Institute in Earth System Science has accommodated 131 Indigenous high school students representing over 45 Tribal Nations, with most graduates pursuing college or university education.

Boyd praised her, stating, "She is an outstanding researcher whose work combines field studies with geochemical analyses to investigate the reasons behind past changes in Earth's climate. As a role model, leader, and mentor, Professor Johnson is breaking barriers for the next generation of minority scientists."

Reflecting on her background, Johnson shared, "I grew up in beautiful Northern Michigan, near where my grandfather, an Odawa Indian, was born. He and my grandmother, an Ojibwe Indian, returned to that area in the 1960s with my mother after living in Detroit for several years. I am thankful they did because many of my happiest childhood memories involve spending time outdoors with my family—collecting rocks along the shores of Lake Michigan, camping, and picking wild berries and mushrooms with my grandparents. My love of learning, science, and exploring nature was evident from an early age, and I am grateful to pass on this passion to other young people."

As a geochemist and paleoclimatologist, she focuses on reconstructing past climates using isotopic and geochemical variations preserved in cave calcite formations (speleothems), such as stalagmites.

Johnson is currently a professor in the Department of Earth System Science and serves as Equity Advisor for the School of Physical Sciences at the University of California, Irvine. Additionally, she is the principal investigator and director of the UCI CLIMATE Justice Initiative.