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RESEARCH
I graduated from Stanford University in 1998 with a Bachelors of Science degree in Civil Engineering and a minored in History and in 2000 with a Masters of Science degree in Environmental Engineering. In the long run, I would like to return to my reservation to help design solutions to environmental problems on the Navajo Reservation. I also would like to teach at the college-level and continue working on research topics. Because I am extremely interested in environmental issues impacting my people, I have taken educational and research opportunities as a student to participate in various programs in which I can work on tribal environmental issues. Participating in independent research projects has given me a greater knowledge and understanding of my field. One of my first projects was sponsored by the Undergraduate Research Opportunities to study the impacts of coal mining on the community of Black Mesa. In addition, the summer before my senior year, I participated in the Stanford SURF (Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship) where I worked closely with Professor Leckie to understand the water quality problems associated with open uranium mines on the Navajo Reservation. I continued this research project through my senior year. During my master’s program, I was involved in a graduate research group conducting an assessment of children's exposure to chemical pesticides. The summer of 1999, I worked in Washington D.C. in the Environmental Protection Agency on various strategies to incorporate cultural values and impacts into a prioritization setting for Superfund Sites on Native lands. Most recently, I worked as a hydrology intern at the Navajo Nation Department of Water Resources working on current groundwater issues. My Current ResearchCurrently, I am part of a research group studying the hydrologic effects of the Aspen Fire. The Aspen Fire started on June 17, 2003 northeast of Tucson, Arizona and was suspected to be human-caused. By July 14, 2003, nearly 85,000 acres burned and over 300 buildings were destroyed. It has been well documented that fire suppression in the Southwest has transformed open forests to dense-forests with heavy accumulation of understory fuels (Savage and Swetnam 1990). The alteration of frequent and low intensity surface fires has resulted in catastrophic hi-intensity crown fires. Not only did the Aspen Fire devastate the economy of Summerhaven, it also severely disrupted the natural ecosystem and watershed of the Catalina Mountains, which southern Arizona has treasured for decades. With the loss of vegetation, the watershed is vulnerable to high erosion rates, flash floods, and degradation of soil and water quality. Prediction of the hydrologic effects of fire requires an understanding of the physical, chemical, and biological changes caused by fire and how these local changes affect the aggregate response of a watershed. Physically, the removal of organic compounds destroys soil structure and results in a disaggregation of soil structure. In addition to a decrease in total porosity and loss of macropores, the most notable physio-chemical effect of fire is the creation of a hydrophobic organic layer which reduces infiltration rates. In the southwest, the lost of vegetation and litter cover makes soils vulnerable to intense monsoon rains. Finally, loss of vegetation results in changes in evapotranspiration and soil moisture status. As part of a larger project to study
the effects of the Aspen Fire on the hydrology of Sabino
Creek Basin, a Soil Corer Air Permeameter (SCAP) was developed
to rapidly assess the soil air permeability in the field,
both in burned and unburned soils. This instrument allows
us to study the local effects of fire on soil physical
conditions. Chief, K.D (2002). Navajo Water Issues, Sovereignty, & Management in the Four Corners Region. CEA-CREST Special Workshop at the 2002 Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) Conference entitled "Our Communities, Our Environment, Our Government: A Positive Synergy Through Empowerment" http://cea-crest.calstatela.edu/eventssacnasspeakers.htm Chief, K.D., B. Nijssen, P.A. Ferre, B. Ekwurzel (2003). Development of an air permeameter for monitoring changes in hydraulic conductivity of surface soils due to fire: measurements made following the 2003 Aspen Fire in Sabino Canyon, Arizona. Eos Trans. AGU, 84 (46), Fall Meet. Suppl., Abstract H42G-1157. <http://www.agu.org/meetings/fm03alf3.html/> Chief, K.D (2004). Navajo Water Issues, Sovereignty, & Management in the Four Corners Region. University of Arizona Department of Hydrology and Water Resources. < http://www.hwr.arizona.edu/Seminar/chief.html> Einloth, S.L., B. Ekwurzel, K.D.Chief, M. Guardiola-Claramonte, B. Nijssen, and P.A. Ferre (2003). Monsoon season surface water chemistry response following wildfire: 2003 Aspen Fire in Sabino Canyon, Arizona. Eos Trans. AGU, 84(46), Fall Meet. Suppl., Abstract H41D-1037. <http://www.agu.org/meetings/fm03alf3.html/> .
Related Articles: Patel, Nikita. “Permeability of Soil on Mt. Lemmon and Water sampling at the San Pedro River.” http://www.sahra.arizona.edu/events/meetings/2003_ann_meeting/abstracts.html#SP13. SAHRA 3 rd Annual Meeting October 14-17, 2003. Sanders, Benji. “Our Outdoors grabs serious study at UA.” http://www.biochem.arizona.edu/news/outdoorua.htm. Arizona Daily Star. September 8, 2003. Showa, Jinaabah. “Air Permeability.” http://www.sahra.arizona.edu/events/meetings/2003_ann_meeting/abstracts.html#SP14. SAHRA 3 rd Annual Meeting October 14-17, 2003. Stiles, Ed. “UA Hydrologists Study Aspen Fire Area to Better Understand Runoff, Flooding.” http://uanews.org/cgi-bin/WebObjects/UANews.woa/wa/MainStoryDetails?ArticleID=7610. UA News Sci/Tech Section. July 29, 2003. Stiles, Ed. “Runoff and Flooding.” http://www.engr.arizona.edu/newsletters/AEFall03/research.html. U of A Arizona Engineer. Fall 2003. Stiles, Ed Press Release. “Ex-Miss Navajo studying burned areas to help prevent runoff, flooding.” http://www.thenavajotimes.com/0807ex_missnavajo.html. Navajo Times. August 7, 2003. Stiles, Ed Press Release. “Measuring how scorched forest soil will repel water.” http://www.navajohopiobserver.com/. Navajo-Hopi Observer. August 6, 2003. Tobin, Mitch. “Lemmon storm runoff study: Soil detective work.” http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/azstarnet/results.html?QryTxt=Karletta%20Chief. Arizona Daily Star. August 19, 2003. University of Arizona. UA at a Glance. “UA Grad Student Invents Tool to Study Runoff, Save Land.” http://uaadvancement.arizona.edu/pdf/AAG_sept03_v4.pdf. September 2003.
Honors:
In December 1984, the University of Arizona Division of Student Affairs created the Centennial Achievement Award to be presented annually at the December Commencement. This award is given to one male and one female student at the undergraduate, masters and doctoral level to a student who have demonstrated integrity, who have overcome enormous challenges to achieve a college education, who have made a contribution to self, community, and family and are the first in their families to graduate from college. A permanent plaque has been prepared which has engraved plates of past recipients' names. The plaque is located in the Dean of Students Office, Old Main 203. http://w3.arizona.edu/~dos/awardscenten.html
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