H. Bruce Rinker, Ph.D.
Director of Scientific Advancement and Development
Dr. Rinker in front of Quetzalcoatl Temple at México’s archaeological
park in Xochicalco. Photo © Manolo Ruiz.
A visit to Bruce Rinker’s office—miniature museum of art and natural history artifacts he has collected throughout his career—reveals the many interests of this distinguished ecologist, educator, and explorer. A formal portrait of Darwin hovers above lion and alligator skulls; a stuffed Amazonian oropendola nests in the window; goliath African beetles share shelf space with a lacquered piranha; a Mayan batik tapestry hangs over a door. One can’t help but wish to travel the world with Dr. Rinker.
In his capacity as BRI’s director of scientific advancement and development, Dr. Bruce Rinker is focused on strategic partnerships, emerging areas of research, and funding opportunities globally to advance BRI’s mission. He is a National Fellow of The Explorers Club, a Fellow of the New York Academy of Sciences, and a Switzer Environmental Fellow. He is also the science advisor for Sustenta.com and a member of the board of directors for Naturalia, both based in México City, as well as a member of the research board for the Amazon Conservatory of Tropical Studies (Iquitos, Peru). He is co-editor and contributor to Forest Canopies (2004, Elsevier Press) and Gaia in Turmoil: Climate Change, Biodepletion, and Earth Ethics in an Age of Crisis (2010, MIT Press). His scientific expeditions include sites in Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, the Middle East, and Australia. He has participated twice on the French-sponsored international Radeau des Cimes mission (Cameroon and French Guiana). Dr. Rinker has received numerous science education awards including "Outstanding Science Teacher" (1991, Science Teachers Association of New York State), "Outstanding Biology Teacher" (1997, National Association of Biology Teachers), and the "Environmental Education Award" from the County of Sarasota, Florida in 2004.
Contact Information
Phone: 207-839-7600 x 217
bruce.rinker@briloon.org
Education
- Ph.D., Environmental Studies, Antioch University Graduate School, 2004
- B.S., Forestry and Wildlife Resources, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1979
Research Interests
- Forest systems (tropical and temperate)
- Soil microarthropods
- Botany
- Conservation
- Restoration ecology
Sampler of Publications:
- Crist, Eileen and H.B. Rinker (eds.). 2010. Gaia in Turmoil: Climate Change, Biodepletion, and Earth Ethics in an Age of Crisis. MIT Press. Cambridge, MA.
(“Outstanding Academic Title, 2011,” Choice Magazine) - Lowman, M.D., H.B. Rinker, M.D. Hunter, T.D. Schowalter, and S.J. Fonte. 2001. Canopy herbivory and soil processes in temperate and tropical forests. Tropical Ecosystems (K.N. Gaenshaiah, R. Uma Shaanker, and K.S. Bawa, eds.). International Conference on Tropical Ecosystems: Structure, Diversity, and Human Welfare, Bangalore, India.
- Lowman, M.D. and H.B. Rinker (eds.). 2004. Forest Canopies, 2nd Edition. Elsevier/Academic Press. San Diego, CA.
- Rinker, H.B. 2001. The use of a forest canopy walkway for studying habitat selection by neotropical migrants. Selbyana 22(1): 89-96.
- Rinker, H.B. 2001 (May/June). Halfway between heaven and earth: Bird conservation in the treetops. Bird Watcher's Digest 23(5): 60-64.
- Rinker, H. Bruce. 2011. A naturalist's column for the Old Dominion. Roanoke Star-Sentinel.
- Rinker, H.B., M.D. Lowman, M.D. Hunter, T.D. Schowalter, and S.J. Fonte. 2001. Canopy herbivory and soil ecology: The top-down impact of forest processes. Selbyana 22(2): 225-231.
- Robertson, Shelley and H. Bruce Rinker. March 2010. Third-Party Evaluation of the Recovery Credit System Proof of Concept. U.S. Department of Defense Sustainable Ranges Initiative. Washington, DC.
- Shaw, D.C., K.A. Ernest, H.B. Rinker, and M.D. Lowman. 2006. Stand-level herbivory in an old-growth conifer forest canopy. Western North American Naturalist 66(4): 473-481.