A member of the USD faculty since 2002, Koster teaches courses on plant physiology, cellular physiology, cell biology and biology. Her research interests include understanding mechanisms of cellular dehydration tolerance using seeds and moss to study how water loss affects cell structure. Koster also does research on seed longevity, which is dependent upon processes that occur in the dried tissues, and studies the physical and chemical changes that occur in dehydrated cells that might improve the longevity of seeds and other genetic resources when they are stored. Her work has been featured in several publications and she is currently the vice president of the Alpha Chapter of South Dakota, Phi Beta Kappa. Koster received her B.S. in organismal biology from the University of Kansas, a Ph.D. in botany/plant physiology from Cornell University and conducted post-doctoral research at the University of California-Riverside. A photo of Koster is available for download at www.usd.edu/press/news/images/releases/Karen_Koster.jpg.

Named in 1966 in honor of Elbert Harrington, professor of speech and dean of the College of Arts & Sciences (1945-1970), the lecture is an annual event featuring a distinguished professor with long-standing service to the College of Arts & Sciences. Each year a faculty committee in Arts & Sciences recommends to the dean the name of a faculty member to deliver the Harrington Lecture. The faculty member must be a teacher and scholar, and the lecture must be non-technical, blending insight into liberal education with the faculty member’s work as a scholar. A reception honoring Koster will be held immediately following her lecture.

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