Anna Chalfoun, assistant professor and assistant leader in the department of zoology at UW, will be the first-ever recipient of the Peter R. Stettenheim Service Award at the American Ornithological Society’s annual meeting in April.
“It was a really nice surprise,” Chalfoun said. “I don’t really view the work that I have done as work or service. I just consider it being part of the society and our vision. As faculty, we get a lot of criticism, but not a lot of accolades, so it was a nice and refreshing acknowledgment to receive.”
The Stettenheim Service award recognizes an individual established in his or her career, and who has performed outstanding and extensive service to the AOS. The award recognizes people who may have served in elected or appointed positions, but also emphasizes volunteer contributions, mentoring and committee participation.
Chalfoun is also an assistant leader for the Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit and a member of the UW Program in Ecology faculty. She will be traveling to Arizona in April to receive the award certificate and honorarium.
Chalfoun joined the university in 2008 as an academic professor research scientist and in 2011 became an assistant professor and assistant unit leader.
She teaches graduate-level students in the department of zoology.
“Our students here at UW are very hardworking, I think they are one of the smartest students nationally,” Chalfoun said.
Lindsey Sanders graduated with a master’s degree from University of Wyoming’s Department of Zoology in fall 2017.
“She takes a strong personal interest in both the personal and academic success of her students, and working under her guidance was an invaluable experience for me.” – Lindsey Sanders, UW graduate with master’s degree in zoology
“Dr. Anna Chalfoun was my master’s adviser at the University of Wyoming,” Sanders said. “Anna is an exceptional scientist who strives to conduct research that is interesting and accessible to a wide audience.
Chalfoun is devoted to her students’ success.
“She takes a strong personal interest in both the personal and academic success of her students, and working under her guidance was an invaluable experience for me.” Sanders said, “I am forever grateful to Anna for all she has done to train me as a biologist and ecologist.”
Chalfoun’s current research spans the disciplines of ecology, evolution, behavior and conservation biology and diverse taxa including birds, small mammals and herpetofauna. Chalfoun’s main focus is understanding the processes and factors that influence wildlife-habitat relationships.
Chalfoun believes that effective conservation and management strategies require careful study about what constitutes actual habitat quality for species of interest at multiple scales. Her research has also focused on habitat fragmentation, broad-scale life history patterns and parental care strategies.
“I think Wyoming is a wonderful natural laboratory within which to be an ecologist,” Chalfoun said. “We still have a lot of habitat challenges here, but we can still get it right because so many people do care about it. I could be biased but Wyoming is one of the best places for wildlife research.”
According to Uwyo News in 2014 Chalfoun received a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. This is an award given by the U.S. Government to professionals of science and engineering who are starting out with their independent research careers.
“I love the people and the mission of the society, and have enjoyed being at the forefront of societal operations,” said Chalfoun, “In the future, I would continue the same work, continue time preparing grant proposals for incoming students, take my faculty mentoring seriously. I will keep trying to remain a productive scientist. And maybe even write a book.”
