Toth named 2019 Fulbright Scholar

Amy Toth, associate professor of ecology, evolution and organismal biology, and a BCB Faculty member, was named a 2019 Fulbright Scholar to support her upcoming sabbatical studies at the Universidad Nacional del Comahue in Bariloche, Argentina. She will collaborate with Argentine ecologists to study “Bombus dahlbomii,” the giant Patagonian bumblebee. Populations of this bumblebee, a keystone species in Patagonia, have crashed in recent years, landing the bee on the endangered species list.

Toth and her collaborators will generate the first genetic information for the bee, to better understand and counteract the causes of the population decline. Through research, teaching and outreach, the goals of her year abroad will be to build bridges to facilitate ecological genomics research in Argentina, and to establish a trans-American partnership for bee conservation.