Kristyn Schulte

BSc Biology, California State University, Sacramento

MSc Biology, California State University, Sacramento

Investigating Polymorphisms of a Region of the Mitochondrial Cytochrome B Gene in Ringtails (Bassariscus astutus) in California

I graduated summa cum laude from California State University, Sacramento in Spring 2018 with my Bachelor of Science in Biology, with a concentration in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation.

My undergraduate career started with courses at Sacramento City College. In the fall of 2012, I took Restoration Ecology with Dave Wyatt; this is where I first heard of his research on ringtails. Furry, adorable, and endemic to southwestern North America, these mesocarnivores embodied my dream research focus! As a California native, I have a fondness for species close to my backyard. Once I got to snuggle one, I was hooked. 

I gained molecular ecology experience through my undergraduate coursework, but it was interning at the UC Davis Veterinary Genetics Lab - Mammalian Ecology and Conservation Unit that really solidified my desire to work in conservation genetics. Analyzing genetic evidence to identify distribution patterns and address conservation concerns is ceaselessly interesting to me, and I'm extremely thankful for the opportunity to learn from them and for their help and guidance.

I graduated with my Master’s of Science from California State University, Sacramento in 2023 while working on a biodiversity monitoring project at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife in Spring 2023. It was through this connection that I developed my next research project, “Mapping ringtail (Bassariscus astutus) distribution and development of genetic markers: tools to aid future monitoring and management.”

When not working with these beautiful and charismatic mammals, I’m busy raising two of my own, Asa and Alice, with my husband Robert. I currently teach in the Biological Sciences Department at Sacramento City College.