LT Kara L. K. Burns graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in 2003 with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. Upon graduation, LT Burns served as a Student Engineer and Deck Watch Officer on the USCGC Polar Star, home ported in Seattle, Washington. LT Burns was next assigned to Naval Engineering Support Unit (NESU) Seattle, where she severed a Port Engineer for Coast Guard Cutters and Standard Boats in Oregon, Washington and Alaska. In 2005, LT Burns reported for temporary duty at Sector New Orleans in support of Hurricane Katrina clean-up efforts, where she focused on shore side support for the outlying units. In 2008, she was selected for the Coast Guard Graduate Program and attended the University of Washington where she earned a Master’s of Science in Mechanical Engineering.  

Following graduation in June 2010, LT Burns reported to USCGA as a rotating military faculty in the Mechanical Engineering Section. 

• M.S., Mechanical Engineering, University of Washington, 2010
• M.B.A., Project Management, City University of Seattle, 2007
• B.S., Mechanical Engineering, U.S. Coast Guard Academy, 2003

• Mechanics of Material
• Introduction to Mechanical Engineering Design
• Ships and Maritime Systems (Nautical Science II)
• Advanced Engineering Mathematics