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K-State Today

August 29, 2017

Assistant professor in Division of Biology named fellow of the American Ornithological Society

Submitted by Division of Biology

Alice Boyle, assistant professor in the Division of Biology at Kansas State University, has been elected a fellow of the American Ornithological Society.

Fellows in the society are nominated based on their exceptional and sustained contributions to ornithology and service to the community. The American Ornithological Society is the largest society devoted to the study of birds in the western hemisphere. It formed last year from the merger of the Cooper Ornithological Society — historically representing West Coast scientists — and the American Ornithologists' Union — historically representing East Coast scientists.

Boyle's core research interests lie in understanding ecological and evolutionary aspects of bird movement strategies. Her work on the altitudinal migration of tropical birds provides one of the few comprehensive assessments of the drivers of alternative migration strategies in wild bird populations. She has built upon these findings to understand the importance of rain fall regimes in shaping tropical bird life history, and she has initiated new studies of declining grassland birds in the Flint Hills aimed at understanding causes of variation in breeding dispersal behavior.

Boyle was nominated based on her scientific contributions, her record of teaching and training, and service to the ornithological community. She served a three-year term on the board of directors of the Cooper Society, and now chairs the Publications Advisory Committee for the American Ornithological Society.