Natural History Institute Talk

One of the most fundamental pursuits for ecologists is cataloging and characterizing the patterns of life on Earth. Traditionally, this was completed via direct observation or capture of species, which typically includes months of field work conducted by professionals trained to sample particular taxonomic groups (e.g., botanists, ornithologists, entomologists). However, all organisms, from bacteria to humans, leave a genetic fingerprint in their environment, and recent technological advances in environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis are allowing researchers detect these signals in air, water, and soil. 

Join us for an introduction to eDNA as a monitoring tool, and an exciting first look at our results from a summer spent investigating patterns of fish and wildlife eDNA on the Verde River.

KATIE BENSON, Assistant Professor of Biology, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Katie grew up in Maryland on the outskirts of Washington D.C., and attended Clarkson University, a science and engineering school in Potsdam, New York for her B.S. (Environmental Science and Policy), M.S. (Environmental Science and Engineering), and Ph.D. degrees (Interdisciplinary Biology and Biotechnology). Broadly trained as a conservation biologist, her expertise includes aquatic ecology, wildlife and fisheries biology, and ecological restoration. She is currently the chair of the Wildlife Science program at Embry-Riddle. 

HILLARY EATON, Assistant Professor of Biology, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Hillary is the chair of the Forensic Biology program at Embry-Riddle. She holds a B.S. in Veterinary Science from the University of Arizona and a Ph.D. in Microbiology from Oregon State University. Outside of academia, she has worked as a research microbiologist for government agencies and the military, specializing in bioremediation, antimicrobial resistance, and environmental and microbial forensics. 

MATTHEW VALENTE, Collections Manager, Natural History Institute; Adjunct Faculty, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Matt is a conservation biologist that has expertise in botany (B.S. in Botany, Auburn University), conservation genetics (M.S. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee), and paleoecology. Matt currently manages the scientific collections at the Natural History Institute and teaches genetics at Embry-Riddle