Ecologists all around the world are using novel, genetics-based tools to understand biodiversity. One example is environmental DNA, or eDNA, which Academy scientist Tanya Dapkey uses to grow our understanding of aquatic insect communities, and in turn, the health of freshwater ecosystems. Dapkey will introduce us to eDNA and its applications, discuss what the future looks like for environmental genetics and share how scientists at the Academy of Natural Sciences are using these tools to discover biodiversity in the Delaware River Watershed.     

Speaker Biography: Tanya Dapkey leads the Macroinvertebrate Section of the Patrick Center for Environmental Research at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University. Dapkey joined the Academy in 2019, bringing her expertise in specimen identification and using genetic tools in biological assessments, as well as her passion for outreach programs that communicate her science to the public. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a master’s degree in environmental studies. Her capstone, "Combining DNA Barcoding and Macroinvertebrate Sampling to Assess Water Quality," was completed in 2009. She earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from West Chester University and worked for 15 years in the Janzen Lab at the University of Pennsylvania where she helped develop the Lepidoptera of the ACG DNA barcode database.