Assistant Professor of Water Resources Ryan Utz Selected as Fulbright U.S. Scholar
Ryan Utz, Ph.D., assistant professor of sustainability and water resources, was selected for the Fulbright U.S. Scholar award and will travel for Guatemala to research in spring 2026.
Utz’s project, “Streams and river biomonitoring to support conservation management in the Lake Atitlán basin,” will involve collaboration with El Centro de Estudios de Atitlán to increase scientific understanding of the rivers and streams which feed into Lake Atitlán.
"To work in the tropics is a lifelong career goal of mine, as the region represents the last frontier in ecology,” Utz said. “The profound concentration of biodiversity that exists in the tropics, much of it still undescribed by science, has always inspired me. I have also always wanted to improve my Spanish language skills to facilitate exploration throughout Central and South America. Thus, this Fulbright award is an incredible gift and honor to receive."
The project has four goals:
Creation of a geographic information system (GIS) library, which comprehensively archives watershed boundaries and land use attributes for all rivers and streams draining into Lake Atitlán.
A survey of stream-dwelling invertebrates along a gradient of watershed forest cover to assess water quality health throughout the Atitlán basin.
A complementary survey of fishes, tadpoles, and large-bodied invertebrates in a relatively pristine Atitlán sub-basin spanning high elevation headwater streams to lowland river reaches.
Scientific analyses which identify optimal land management practices for sustaining water quality in Lake Atitlán.
The Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program offers over 400 awards in more than 135 countries for college and university professors and faculty, as well as professionals in various fields, to teach, conduct research, and carry out projects around the world. Learn more at fulbrightscholars.org.