TCD Alumna Victoria Reyes Garcia interviewed by Marianne Schmink in Latinamericanist Newsletter

“In 1997, Victoria Reyes Garcia was living in Ecuador, working on her master’s thesis, and doing fieldwork in partnership with a newly founded U.S.-based research initiative called MERGE —Managing Ecosystems and Resources with Gender Emphasis. This connection would lead her to MERGE’s founder, Marianne Schmink, and eventually to the University of Florida, where she studied in the burgeoning Tropical Conservation and Development program and graduated with her doctorate in Anthropology. Citing Schmink as one of the most influential scholars in her career, Reyes Garcia has followed a similar path to her mentor, devoting her career to bringing together researchers and local communities to better understand and improve the relationship between humans and the environment. In 2021, Reyes Garcia was elected as an international member of the National Academy of Sciences. In celebration of this honor, the two scholars reunited virtually to discuss their work. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.” – excerpt from Center for Latin American Studies Newsletter Latinamericanist.

Read the full interview here.