UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Margarita López-Uribe, previously the Lorenzo L. Langstroth Early Career Professor, has been awarded the Nancy and John Steimer Professorship in Agricultural Sciences.
Troy Ott, Peter and Ann Tombros Dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences, emphasized how impactful Lopez-Uribe’s work is to understanding how declines in bee populations threaten pollination, with real consequences for ecosystems, agriculture and food sustainability.
“I offer my congratulations to Dr. López-Uribe on being awarded the Steimer Professorship in recognition of her important work on bee population health,” he said.
The professorship is named after College of Agricultural Sciences alumnus John T. Steimer and his wife Nancy, and is granted to outstanding University faculty members to help support their contributions to research and education.
“The previous holders of this professorship — Drs. Eva Pell and Marc Abrams — made groundbreaking research contributions during their careers,” said Gary Felton, Ralph O. Mumma Professor of Entomology and head of the Department of Entomology. “I am confident that Dr. López -Uribe will continue their tradition of high impact research.”
López-Uribe received her bachelor of science degree in biology from Universidad de los Andes in Colombia, her master of science degree in genetics and evolution from Universidade Federal de São Carlos in Brazil, and her doctorate in entomology from Cornell University.
Her research is focused on understanding how environmental changes — like land use and climate — as well as different beekeeping practices affect the populations and health of wild and managed bee species. The ultimate goal of her work is to help inform strategies for conserving and restoring bee populations and the ecosystem services they provide.
“Bees are critical pollinators of Pennsylvania's agricultural systems and natural resources, and their ecological role is vital to the health of our wild landscapes and our economy,” López-Uribe said. “I'm grateful for the support that the Steimer Professorship will provide to advance research to better understand bee diversity and their stressors, and to develop ways to protect them.”