Virtual tour American Museum Natural History Center for Conservation Genetics and Genomics
Virtualtour of the Center for Conservation Genetics, Sackler Institute of Genomics andthe Ambrose Monell Cryo-Collection for Molecular and Microbial Research byDr. George Amato, Director.
Hostedby The Reading Odyssey and the Darwin Facebook project.
Backgroundon Dr. George Amato
George Amato is Director of the Center forConservation Genetics at the American Museum of Natural History. This programlinks efforts in the Museum’s Center for Biodiversity and Conservation (CBC),Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics (SICG), and Ambrose MonellCryo-Collection for Molecular and Microbial Research (AMCC) in efforts toconduct research and training in this expanding area of biologicalconservation. Current conservation genetics research areas include systematicsand units of conservation, population level issues due to fragmentation ofhabitats and over-harvesting of wildlife, molecular ecology, and wildlifeforensics. There are also formal graduate student training and informaleducation programs.<o:p></o:p>
Dr.Amato received his B.S from the University of Connecticut and Ph.D. in Biologyfrom Yale University. In 1989 he began research in conservation genetics at theWildlife Conservation Society (formerly the New York Zoological Society) basedat the Bronx Zoo. In addition to creating and directing the WCS ConservationGenetics Program, he was also the Director of the WCS Science Resource Centerand was Director of Conservation and Science for the WCS Living Institutionsuntil 2005. Dr. Amato is also an adjunct associate professor at Columbia andFordham universities and a research associate in the Ecology and EvolutionaryBiology Department of Yale University.
His current research interests include genetic issues associated with fragmentation in endangered parrots and crocodilians, taxonomic and phylogenetic questions related to the discovery of new species of mammals in Southeast Asia and Crocodiles in Africa, non-invasive sampling techniques for endangered species, and monitoring the trade in endangered species products using DNA based forensic science. Dr. Amato has participated in research activities worldwide, including research in Cuba, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Madagascar, South Africa, Tanzania, Malaysia, China, and Peru. He has published and lectured extensively on conservation strategies for endangered species and especially on using molecular analyses to determine conservation priorities.