For Kyle's complete CV see HERE.
Publications In Prep/Submitted
Mara, K.R., F.E. Nelson, J.J. Cromley. (In Prep For Journal of Biological Education). The effectiveness of recitation sessions in increasing student performance in introductory large lecture biology classes.
Mara, K.R. and S.T. Hsieh (In Prep For Journal of Experimental Biology). Slip recovery in a dynamically stable bipedal runner.
Mara, K.R. and P.J. Motta, (In Prep For Journal of Morphology). Functional morphology of the feeding apparatus in hammerhead sharks (Sphyrnidae).
Published
Mara, K. R. , P. J. Motta, A.P. Martin, and R.E. Hueter.. (2015). Constructional morphology within the head of hammerhead sharks (Sphyrnidae). Journal of Morphology 276: 526-539.
Motta, P.J., Maslanka, M., Hueter, R.E., Davis, R.L., De la Parra, R., Mulvany, S.L., Habegger, M.L., Strother, J.A., Mara, K.R., Gardiner, J.M, Tyminski, J.P., and Zeigler, L.D. (2010). Feeding anatomy, filtering rate, and diet of ram surface filter feeding whale sharks Rhincodon typus off the Yucatan Peninsula Mexico. Zoology 113: 199-212.
Lim, D.D., P. Motta, K. Mara, and A.P. Martin. (2010). Phylogeny of hammerhead sharks (Family Sphyrnidae) inferred from mitochondrial and nuclear genes. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 55: 572-579.
Mara, K.R., P.J. Motta, and D.R. Huber. (2010). Bite force and performance in the durophagous bonnethead shark, Sphyrna tiburo. Journal of Experimental Zoology 313A: 95-105.
Lowry, D., A. Castro, K. Mara, L. Whitenack, B. Delius, G. Burgess, and P. Motta. (2009) Identification of shark size from forensic analysis of bite damage. Marine Biology 156: 2483-2492.
Motta, P.J., R.E. Hueter, T.C. Tricas, A.P. Summers, D.R. Huber, D. Lowry, K.R. Mara, M.P. Matott L.B. Whitenack, and A.P. Wintzer. (2008). Functional morphology of the feeding apparatus, design constraint, and suction performance in the nurse shark Ginglymostoma cirratum. Journal of Morphology 269: 1041-1055.
Funded Grants and Awards
2014 US Department of Education Grant: “Bootstrapping Achievement and Motivation in STEM: An Integrated Cognitive-Motivational Intervention to Improve Biology Grades” submitted to the Institute for Education Sciences, US Department of Education. Jennifer Cromley, PI ($1,400,000) (Co-PI).
2010 Graduate Student Travel Award. Mara, K. University of South Florida. $400
2009 Tharpe Fellowship for Graduate Student Research. Mara, K. University of South Florida. $5,250
2009 American Elasmobranch Graduate Student Travel Award. Mara, K. $400
2008 Graduate Student Travel Award. Mara, K. University of South Florida. $600
2007 National Science Foundation Grant: “Collaborative Research: The Function and Evolution of the Hammerhead Shark Cephalofoil”. Philip Motta, Stephen Kajiura, and Andrew Martin Co-PIs. IOS 0640133. $233,937 (Co-wrote with Philip Motta)
2007 Graduate Student Travel Award. Mara, K. University of South Florida. $400
2006 Established Researcher Grant “Biomechanical analysis of feeding mechanisms in hammerhead and reef sharks”. Awarded to Philip J. Motta. Written by K. Mara and L. Whitenack. University of South Florida $4,309
2004 New Graduate Student Summer Support Grant. Mara, K. University of South Florida. $5,000
2003 Undergraduate Research Grant. Mara, K. Photosensitivity in Ammocoetes (Agnatha) of the Least Brook Lamprey, Lampetra aepyptera. Southeast Missouri State University. $900
2002 Undergraduate Research Grant. Mara, K. Photosensitivity in Ammocoetes (Agnatha) of the Least Brook Lamprey, Lampetra aepyptera. Southeast Missouri State University. $500
Selected Contributed Presentations (15 Total)
Mara, K.R. and S. T. Hsieh. What Differentiates Slip Recoveries From Slip Falls in Dynamically Stable Bipedal Runners? The Society for Integrative & Comparative Biology. San Francisco, CA. 7 January, 2013.
Mara, K.R. and S. T. Hsieh. Slip perturbation recovery in the frilled dragon, a dynamically stable bipedal runner. The Society for Integrative & Comparative Biology. Charleston, SC. 6 January, 2012.
Parikh, S.C.**, Mara, K.R. and S. T. Hsieh. Does the SLIP model apply to inverted running in cockroaches? The Society for Integrative & Comparative Biology. Charleston, SC. 4 January, 2012.
Mara, K.R. and P.J. Motta. Functional morphology of the feeding apparatus in hammerhead sharks (Sphyrnidae): a phylogenetic perspective. The Society for Integrative & Comparative Biology. Salt Lake City, UT. 7 January, 2011.
Mara, K.R. and P.J. Motta. Feeding morphology and bite force generation in hammerhead sharks (Sphyrnidae). The Society for Integrative & Comparative Biology. Seattle, WA. 3 January, 2010.
Mara, K.R. and P.J. Motta. Evolution and function of the hammerhead cephalofoil I: The evolution of cranial form. 89th Annual Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists. Portland, OR. 22 July, 2009.
Motta, P.J., Maslanka, M., Hueter, R.E., Davis, R.L., De la Parra, R., Mulvany, S.L., Habegger, M.L., Strother, J.A., Mara, K.R., Gardiner, J.M, Tyminski, J.P., Zeigler, L.D. Filter feeding in the world’s largest fish: form, function and diet. 89th Annual Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists. Portland, OR. 22 July, 2009.
Mara, K.R., P.J. Motta, and J.A. Pfeiffenberger**. Constructional constraints In sphyrnid sharks: shape change and space utilization through phylogeny. The Society for Integrative & Comparative Biology. Boston, MA. 3 January, 2009.
Mara, K.R., P.J. Motta, and D.R. Huber. Bite force and performance in the durophagous bonnethead shark, Sphyrna tiburo. The Society for Integrative & Comparative Biology. San Antonio, TX. 2 January, 2008.
Mara, K.R., P.J. Motta, and D.R. Huber Durophagy in the bonnethead shark, Sphyrna tiburo: an ecomorphological conundrum. 87th Annual Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists. St. Louis, MO. 12 July, 2007.
Mara, K.R. And P.J. Motta Morphometric head shape comparison among hammerhead sharks (Sphyrnidae). The Society for Integrative & Comparative Biology. Phoenix, AZ. 3 January, 2007.
Motta, P., R. Hueter, D. Huber, D. Lowry, K. Mara, M. Matott, L.B. Whitenack, and A. Wintzer. (2005). Suction performance and feeding biology of the nurse shark Ginglymostoma cirratum. 85th Annual Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists. Tampa, FL. 6 July, 2005.
Motta, P., R. Hueter, T. Tricas, A. Summers, M. Matott, D. Lowry, K. Mara, L.B. Whitenack, and A. Wintzer. (2004). Functional morphology, suction performance, and the enigma of protrusion in the nurse shark Ginglymostoma cirratum. 7th International Congress of Vertebrate Morphology. Boca Raton, FL. 29 July, 2004.
** Denotes Undergraduate Student
Publications In Prep/Submitted
Mara, K.R., F.E. Nelson, J.J. Cromley. (In Prep For Journal of Biological Education). The effectiveness of recitation sessions in increasing student performance in introductory large lecture biology classes.
Mara, K.R. and S.T. Hsieh (In Prep For Journal of Experimental Biology). Slip recovery in a dynamically stable bipedal runner.
Mara, K.R. and P.J. Motta, (In Prep For Journal of Morphology). Functional morphology of the feeding apparatus in hammerhead sharks (Sphyrnidae).
Published
Mara, K. R. , P. J. Motta, A.P. Martin, and R.E. Hueter.. (2015). Constructional morphology within the head of hammerhead sharks (Sphyrnidae). Journal of Morphology 276: 526-539.
Motta, P.J., Maslanka, M., Hueter, R.E., Davis, R.L., De la Parra, R., Mulvany, S.L., Habegger, M.L., Strother, J.A., Mara, K.R., Gardiner, J.M, Tyminski, J.P., and Zeigler, L.D. (2010). Feeding anatomy, filtering rate, and diet of ram surface filter feeding whale sharks Rhincodon typus off the Yucatan Peninsula Mexico. Zoology 113: 199-212.
Lim, D.D., P. Motta, K. Mara, and A.P. Martin. (2010). Phylogeny of hammerhead sharks (Family Sphyrnidae) inferred from mitochondrial and nuclear genes. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 55: 572-579.
Mara, K.R., P.J. Motta, and D.R. Huber. (2010). Bite force and performance in the durophagous bonnethead shark, Sphyrna tiburo. Journal of Experimental Zoology 313A: 95-105.
Lowry, D., A. Castro, K. Mara, L. Whitenack, B. Delius, G. Burgess, and P. Motta. (2009) Identification of shark size from forensic analysis of bite damage. Marine Biology 156: 2483-2492.
Motta, P.J., R.E. Hueter, T.C. Tricas, A.P. Summers, D.R. Huber, D. Lowry, K.R. Mara, M.P. Matott L.B. Whitenack, and A.P. Wintzer. (2008). Functional morphology of the feeding apparatus, design constraint, and suction performance in the nurse shark Ginglymostoma cirratum. Journal of Morphology 269: 1041-1055.
Funded Grants and Awards
2014 US Department of Education Grant: “Bootstrapping Achievement and Motivation in STEM: An Integrated Cognitive-Motivational Intervention to Improve Biology Grades” submitted to the Institute for Education Sciences, US Department of Education. Jennifer Cromley, PI ($1,400,000) (Co-PI).
2010 Graduate Student Travel Award. Mara, K. University of South Florida. $400
2009 Tharpe Fellowship for Graduate Student Research. Mara, K. University of South Florida. $5,250
2009 American Elasmobranch Graduate Student Travel Award. Mara, K. $400
2008 Graduate Student Travel Award. Mara, K. University of South Florida. $600
2007 National Science Foundation Grant: “Collaborative Research: The Function and Evolution of the Hammerhead Shark Cephalofoil”. Philip Motta, Stephen Kajiura, and Andrew Martin Co-PIs. IOS 0640133. $233,937 (Co-wrote with Philip Motta)
2007 Graduate Student Travel Award. Mara, K. University of South Florida. $400
2006 Established Researcher Grant “Biomechanical analysis of feeding mechanisms in hammerhead and reef sharks”. Awarded to Philip J. Motta. Written by K. Mara and L. Whitenack. University of South Florida $4,309
2004 New Graduate Student Summer Support Grant. Mara, K. University of South Florida. $5,000
2003 Undergraduate Research Grant. Mara, K. Photosensitivity in Ammocoetes (Agnatha) of the Least Brook Lamprey, Lampetra aepyptera. Southeast Missouri State University. $900
2002 Undergraduate Research Grant. Mara, K. Photosensitivity in Ammocoetes (Agnatha) of the Least Brook Lamprey, Lampetra aepyptera. Southeast Missouri State University. $500
Selected Contributed Presentations (15 Total)
Mara, K.R. and S. T. Hsieh. What Differentiates Slip Recoveries From Slip Falls in Dynamically Stable Bipedal Runners? The Society for Integrative & Comparative Biology. San Francisco, CA. 7 January, 2013.
Mara, K.R. and S. T. Hsieh. Slip perturbation recovery in the frilled dragon, a dynamically stable bipedal runner. The Society for Integrative & Comparative Biology. Charleston, SC. 6 January, 2012.
Parikh, S.C.**, Mara, K.R. and S. T. Hsieh. Does the SLIP model apply to inverted running in cockroaches? The Society for Integrative & Comparative Biology. Charleston, SC. 4 January, 2012.
Mara, K.R. and P.J. Motta. Functional morphology of the feeding apparatus in hammerhead sharks (Sphyrnidae): a phylogenetic perspective. The Society for Integrative & Comparative Biology. Salt Lake City, UT. 7 January, 2011.
Mara, K.R. and P.J. Motta. Feeding morphology and bite force generation in hammerhead sharks (Sphyrnidae). The Society for Integrative & Comparative Biology. Seattle, WA. 3 January, 2010.
Mara, K.R. and P.J. Motta. Evolution and function of the hammerhead cephalofoil I: The evolution of cranial form. 89th Annual Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists. Portland, OR. 22 July, 2009.
Motta, P.J., Maslanka, M., Hueter, R.E., Davis, R.L., De la Parra, R., Mulvany, S.L., Habegger, M.L., Strother, J.A., Mara, K.R., Gardiner, J.M, Tyminski, J.P., Zeigler, L.D. Filter feeding in the world’s largest fish: form, function and diet. 89th Annual Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists. Portland, OR. 22 July, 2009.
Mara, K.R., P.J. Motta, and J.A. Pfeiffenberger**. Constructional constraints In sphyrnid sharks: shape change and space utilization through phylogeny. The Society for Integrative & Comparative Biology. Boston, MA. 3 January, 2009.
Mara, K.R., P.J. Motta, and D.R. Huber. Bite force and performance in the durophagous bonnethead shark, Sphyrna tiburo. The Society for Integrative & Comparative Biology. San Antonio, TX. 2 January, 2008.
Mara, K.R., P.J. Motta, and D.R. Huber Durophagy in the bonnethead shark, Sphyrna tiburo: an ecomorphological conundrum. 87th Annual Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists. St. Louis, MO. 12 July, 2007.
Mara, K.R. And P.J. Motta Morphometric head shape comparison among hammerhead sharks (Sphyrnidae). The Society for Integrative & Comparative Biology. Phoenix, AZ. 3 January, 2007.
Motta, P., R. Hueter, D. Huber, D. Lowry, K. Mara, M. Matott, L.B. Whitenack, and A. Wintzer. (2005). Suction performance and feeding biology of the nurse shark Ginglymostoma cirratum. 85th Annual Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists. Tampa, FL. 6 July, 2005.
Motta, P., R. Hueter, T. Tricas, A. Summers, M. Matott, D. Lowry, K. Mara, L.B. Whitenack, and A. Wintzer. (2004). Functional morphology, suction performance, and the enigma of protrusion in the nurse shark Ginglymostoma cirratum. 7th International Congress of Vertebrate Morphology. Boca Raton, FL. 29 July, 2004.
** Denotes Undergraduate Student