American Ornithological Society Will Change the English Names of Bird Species Named After People

“There is power in a name, and some English bird names have associations with the past that continue to be exclusionary and harmful today,” says president. “The time has come for us to transform this process and redirect the focus to the birds, where it belongs,” says CEO.  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact:  media@americanornithology.org CHICAGO (November …

Three Professional Societies Unite on National Science Foundation Grant in Effort to Increase Access and Inclusivity in Ornithology

CHICAGO — May 16, 2023 — The landscape of science is changing: People from increasingly varied backgrounds, identities, cultures, and genders are pursuing careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields. Support for this more diverse population of scientists needs to extend beyond “one size fits all” to better meet the needs of today’s …

Strategic Planning: Charting Our Path to the AOS’s Future

By Judith Scarl, Executive Director and CEO The last decade has been a wild and wonderful journey for the American Ornithological Society (AOS), as we’ve changed, grown, and adapted in significant and positive ways. In 2015, we merged two major ornithological societies, the American Ornithologists’ Union and the Cooper Ornithological Society. The year before, in …

Creating a Culture of Inclusion & Belonging at AOS & BC 2022

| Español | As a science, ornithology—and ornithologists—revel in diversity and understand its significance for innovation, evolution, and resilience. Ornithology has a checkered past and thus ornithologists today don’t fully represent the human diversity of our world. The American Ornithological Society (AOS) is working hard to change that. As part of our continued commitment to making ornithology …

Professional Ethics in Science Societies: AOS Is Working Hard to Be a Leader

Imagine a situation at a scientific conference where you see, hear, or experience something that seems demeaning or unethical and that negatively impacts professional interactions. Or perhaps imagine another scenario, in which your unpublished data were presented by another person without citation or consent. What or who could help you navigate those situations? Examples like …