Today’s spotlight is on Dr. Kari Beth Krieger, whose admirable dedication to making the world a better place is daily evidenced in practice.

Kari Beth earned her PhD in Molecular Biology because of her love for the science of genetics. She sees so much humanitarian potential, and her enthusiasm is truly contagious. During our interview, she was excited to teach me about the ways genetic modification of food supplies can be used to help diverse populations. She told me about the development of a virus resistant sweet potato helping to prevent famine in Africa and putting vaccines in bananas for broader accessibility.

Initially Kari Beth chose to pursue a place as a tenure track university professor. She was enamoured with the idea of “opening students’ minds with new information” and helping them to develop the critical thinking skills that serve them lifelong.

Kari Beth has always felt her calling was to teach science at the deepest levels of reasoning. Her goal was never in teaching students to memorize facts they would forget following the final exam, but rather to apply learning in real world contexts. Her favorite course at the university was Developmental Genetics, an upper level course that included ag lab. Kari Beth developed the course so that students practiced working with different models (fruit flies, C. elegans, Xenopus) during the first part of the semester. Once the foundations were built, students spen the second half the semester applying tknowledge to experimental design. She gave students the opportunity to perform an experiment of their own design using one of those models. She also led undergraduate research projects, giving students the opportunity to do real science

Despite winning several grants to support her work providing undergraduate research opportunities, these were not the “big money” NSF or NIH grants that won university favor. There was significant pressure to focus less on student centered development and more on joining the dreaded paper-factory mentality. Kari Beth began to face resistance from some students who were upset by her demand for higher-level reasoning and evidence based claims. Being gay and a demanding professor, it did not take long before complaints about difficult tests became targeted, personal insults. But those attacks were not limited to students. One afternoon, a fellow faculty member shouted a hateful sentence about her to another chemistry professor. That faculty member, who did not realize Kari Beth was standing right there to hear the actual slur used to describe her, was on her tenure committee. This left Kari Beth absolutely crushed and feeling alienated from her colleagues. Between the bureaucratic demands, student complaints, and literal hate speech, Kari Beth ceased to see a future where she could meaningfully engage with her dreams of teaching students how to be effective scientists. While she knew plenty of students who wanted to learn those skills, university academics no longer felt like the best path toward achieving those goals. .

Over the next few years, Kari Beth worked in medical writing, editing, and various laboratory roles. She served as a laboratory manager at Genex Cooperative doing semen cryopreservation. She oversaw expansion of the laboratory to include collaboration with a company that did sex sorting of semen and developed a QC program for semen produced at six laboratories across the country. She later served as a senior quality manager at Boston Scientific.

InterMission

Kari Beth’s life changed significantly in the coming years. She adopted a little girl from Russia, met her wife, and learned about the ways horses facilitate healing. She spent a year getting certified as an equine facilitated coach, got horses of her own, and started InterMission as a nonprofit to share that healing with others.

“Equine facilitated learning (EFL) allows humans to get out of their heads, really feel their emotions and listen to their intuition, and trust themselves to be authentic. The horses create a safe space to learn and practice these skills, while providing true unconditional acceptance and support for each person to pursue their individual goals.”

Kari Beth never wanted anyone else to feel the hate and alienation she experienced as a university professor. She built an inclusive space where healing is accessible to all. Kari Beth ensur people know”InterMission supports people of all ages who may be feeling disconnected, overwhelmed, or unsure of their place in the world.” InterMission is a refuge from the day to day chaos, harsh words, trauma, and negativity that are so present in all of our lives “slow down, connect, and be seen.” Whether it is just to enjoy quiet, bond with horses, or meet others in group settings and events, InterMission is a space for those who need it.

NextLevelBiology

Despite the work that goes into maintaining the farm where Interission is located, Kari Beth could not bring herself to give up science! She still works as an editor for scientific and medical manuscripts. Kari Beth also decided to return to teaching by tutoring students through NextLevel Biology. AP Biology is now her favorite course to teach and tutor. AP’s rigorous learning objectives demand students have strong problem solving skills and ability to apply knowledge in order to pass the course. It is, arguably, the most rigorous of all courses offered at the high school level. This gives Kari Beth the opportunity to connect directly with students who want to learn the deeper level reasoning that will guide their futures.