  The Kepler Input Catalog (KIC) provides reddening estimates for its stars,
based on the assumption of a simple exponential dusty screen. This project
focuses on evaluating and improving these reddening estimates for the KIC's
giant stars, for which extinction is a much more significant concern than for
the nearby dwarf stars. We aim to improve the calibration (and thus
consistency) amongst various photometric and spectroscopic temperatures of
stars in the Kepler field by removing systematics due to incorrect extinction
assumptions. The revised extinction estimates may then be used to derive
improved stellar and planetary properties. We plan to eventually use the large
number of KIC stars as probes into the structure and properties of the Galactic
ISM.
