Traveler Bio

Zdravo (Hello)! My name is Anthony Adducci, but you can just call me AJ. I was born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Growing up, I liked to play soccer and football, enjoyed going skiing and sailing, and especially loved spending time in the great outdoors with friends and family. In college, I left the forests and plains of Minnesota for the beaches of California, attending Pepperdine University and earning a BS in biology. For my senior honors thesis I conducted a research study on the population genetics of coyotes in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. I found that urbanization and human land-use had a noticeable impact on the genetic structure of the coyote populations (even though coyotes are normally thought to be insensitive to human disturbance!).

Following college, I was determined to use my skills in population genetics on a species of greater conservation concern. I was lucky enough to receive a Fulbright Fellowship to Slovenia (a small mountainous country in Europe) to conduct similar research on brown bears, which are are experiencing a large population decline due to humans. Hopefully my research will help to shed some light on how the genetics of these bears are affected by human land use and offer some suggestions for areas to be targeted for conservation and reintroduction of the species.

I‘m super excited to share my journey in Europe with you and I can’t wait to hear all about your adventures this school year as well!