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University of Wyoming

American Ornithologists National Conference Welcomed at UW


August 8, 2007 (Laramie, WY) -- The American Ornithologists’ Union (AOU) annual meeting will be held at the University of Wyoming Aug. 9-11, for the first time.

Nearly 570 people from around the world have registered for the 125th Stated Meeting of the American Ornithologists’ Union, says local committee chairman Craig Benkman, a professor in the UW Department of Zoology and Physiology.

“The AOU is the oldest and largest organization in the world devoted to the scientific study of birds,” Benkman says. He adds that the AOU annual meeting is usually held in the United States, but has also been in Canada and Mexico, but never in Wyoming.

“It’s really nice to host this scientific and academic conference on the UW campus,” Benkman says. “It’s a good way to promote the University, our programs and the community. The meeting will put us more on the map in the ornithology field.”

The AOU was founded in 1883, and although the society is primarily a professional organization, its membership of about 4,000 world-wide includes many amateurs dedicated to the advancement of ornithological science.

Local hosts for the conference are the UW Department of Zoology and Physiology, Program in Ecology and the Wyoming National Science Foundation’s Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (NSF EPSCoR), Audubon Wyoming, Laramie Audubon Society and Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory.

The program begins Wednesday afternoon with an opening reception for participants and the conference starts Thursday, Aug. 9, at 8 a.m. with a welcoming address by UW President Tom Buchanan in the College of Arts and Sciences auditorium. Plenary sessions, research work and posters will be presented Thursday through Saturday, mainly in the Classroom Building, A&S auditorium and the Wyoming Union.

“I think there is a good balance of talks in the general area of ornithology during the sessions,” Benkman says.

Several speakers from around the world will present a variety of topics. Among the UW representatives are Benkman, Patrick Keenan, James Lovvorn, David McDonald, Samantha Richman, and Adam Siepelski, all in the Department of Zoology and Physiology, and Todd Cornish, associate professor in the UW Department of Veterinary Science.

For more information about the AOU meeting, call Benkman at (307) 766-2978 or visit the Web site at www.aou.org/meetings/2007.

 

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For more information, please contact
Sheila Atwood-Couture at
(307) 766-5641 or satwood@uwyo.edu.