Ornithologists from around the world meet once every four years at the International Ornithological Congresses to share their research findings and forge research collaborations that are critical in moving the discipline forward. Research on birds is conducted in practically every country, and much of the research spans national boundaries. For U.S. ornithologists to remain current, it is essential that they exchange ideas directly with their international colleagues. Although the obvious focus of the International Ornithological Congress is birds, the breadth of disciplines represented among ornithologists in attendance encompasses all of the biological sciences. A partial list of these disciplines includes: evolution, systematics, ecology, population biology, physiology, endocrinology, immunology, functional morphology, behavioral ecology, neurobiology, and conservation biology. The exchange of information among scientists during oral and poster presentations is of great value, but equally important are the personal exchanges and resulting collaborations established in the hallways between sessions and during the numerous topic-based workshops scheduled throughout the congress.
Funds provided by NSF will help support the attendance of future leaders of ornithology. Specifically, recipients will be at an early stage in their careers (e.g., graduate students and post-doctoral fellows) and will be from U.S. institutions. The selection committee will also strive to support individuals from groups that are historically underrepresented in ornithology. Assistance of such scientists will help forge new, international collaborations, thereby creating long-term benefits for all involved. For example, a Round Table Discussion at the 2010 International Ornithological Congress resulted in the formation of an international Research Coordination Committee on parrots that now boasts 247 members from all continents. Information from the congress will be made available through publication on CD-ROMs containing the full text of all plenary and symposium talks, as well as the abstracts of all posters and oral presentations. Similarly, a subset of papers will be published in an online open access edition of the Journal of Ornithology.
The funds provided by the National Science Foundation were used to support travel to and participation in the 26th International Ornithological Congress (IOC) in Tokyo, Japan, 18 - 24 August 2014. This congress was attended by 1,177 participants from over 60 countries. Such international forums are critical for presenting one's research findings and for the exchange of information amongst the world's scientists. As per NSF policy, support was awarded only to individuals at institutions in the United States. Further, because participation at major national and international conferences is of critical importance for those young scientists, only early career individuals, such as Ph.D. students, Post Doctoral Fellows, and junior faculty, were supported. The $13,000 award was disbursed to 14 of the 30 individuals that applied. Nine received $1,000 each and five were awarded $800. Eight PhD students (4 males and 4 females), four Post Docs (2 of each sex), and two female Assistant Professors received support. Twelve of the awardees gave oral presentations of their research, including two of which who also served as co-conveeners of the symposia in which they spoke. Two awardees presented their research as poster presentations. The areas of specialization within avian science represented by the NSF-supported participants ranged from paleontology, phylogeny, ecology, phylogeography, physiological ecology, conservation, behavioral ecology, behavioral physiology, morphology, to disease ecology. Based upon evidence from previous congresses and other similar conferences, many of the supported individuals will benefit by forging collaborations with colleagues, most of which have been with other scientists that they met for the first time at the Congress. That is, without their participation in the Congress, such collaborations likely would not occur. Similarly, formation, or continuation, of active 'working groups' within the over-arching umbrella of the International Ornithologists' Union have also continued and new working groups will be initiated. Such groups, with a core group of like-minded scientists, tackle important world-wide issues that frequently have import on not only matters of interest to academics but also for the public at large. For instance, the Parrot Working Group that formed at the 2010 IOC in Brazil continues its work and is instrumental in preservation and conservation of this spectacular and iconic group of birds around the world. As has been the case for previous International Ornithological Congresses, many of the presentations at the 26th IOCongress in Tokyo will be shared as publications in a dedicated online issue of the Journal of Ornithology. As is the case for the 25th IOCongress in Brasil, the resulting publications will be available to all interested parties (i.e., http://link.springer.com/journal/10336/153/1/suppl/page/1).
