W&M研究生获得国家野生动物保护奖
Timothy Boycott, a graduate student in the 生物系 at William & Mary, was recently awarded the Christine Stevens Wildlife Award from the Animal Welfare Institute.
该研究所在一份新闻稿中表示，该奖项今年只颁发给六位国家获奖者，表彰那些开发创新野生动物研究技术和解决野生动物与人类冲突的新方法的研究人员。
“My research interests are orientated around animal behavioral ecology and conservation biology,” Boycott said. “I am particularly interested in sensory ecology and animal communication.”
克里斯汀·史蒂文斯野生动物奖成立于2006年，为研究人员提供高达1.5万美元的个人资助。 It is named in honor of AWI’s late founder and longtime president, who dedicated her life to reducing animal suffering, the release stated.
“The Christine Stevens Wildlife Award aims to inspire a new generation of compassionate wildlife scientists, managers, and advocates,” Cathy Liss, president of AWI, said in the release. “From managing harmful diseases afflicting wildlife, to improving landscape connectivity for multiple species, these exciting research projects demonstrate that less intrusive study methods and humane solutions can help reduce human-wildlife conflicts.”
Boycott’s research is aimed at reducing the number of birds that die from collisions with human-built structures. 博伊科特于2018年秋天开始研究这个项目，当时他作为研究生加入了W&M大学的综合鸟类行为研究所。 这个名为“声学灯塔”的项目旨在创造一种技术，利用声音来警告飞鸟远离致命的碰撞。
William & Mary biologist John Swaddle, who chairs the biology department and serves as lead on the Acoustic Lighthouse project, is Boycott’s advisor. Boycott’s thesis work is focused on testing the team’s hypotheses about the influence of acoustic signals on the flight behavior of birds at risk of collisions with tall structures.
“This project encompasses theoretical work investigating the auditory and visual sensory ecology of birds, particularly while in flight,” Boycott said. “The project also aims to directly apply these understandings of avian sensory ecology to an area of much-needed conservation work. Being a part of a project that bridges this theoretical and applied work is very fulfilling.”
声学灯塔背后的想法是让飞鸟抬头看。 Migrating birds look down, and not where they’re flying, Swaddle explained. 当一只向下看的鸟遇到一个不可移动的物体时，它永远不知道它击中了什么。
声学灯塔技术由安装在风力涡轮机或其他结构上的定向扬声器组成。 扬声器发出声音，提醒接近的鸟类放慢速度并向上看。 理想情况下，可以绕着涡轮机或塔飞行。
“The fundamental knowledge of how birds behave and respond to sound helps us derive these new technologies and solutions,” Swaddle said.
斯瓦德说，每年有数百万只鸟死于风力涡轮机。 如果再加上鸟类与手机信号塔、高层建筑和其他现代生活产物的碰撞，这个数字将达到数十亿。
博伊科特说，来自克里斯汀·史蒂文斯野生动物奖的资金将允许该团队扩大他们的实地研究范围，包括更多的采样地点和收集更多的数据。
“This will lend valuable power to our tests and allow us to more accurately evaluate and fine tune this mitigation method,” Boycott said. “Ultimately, our research will offer valuable contributions to the field of avian sensory ecology, and may also lead to a more rapid application of technology like the Acoustic Lighthouse in mitigating avian collisions.”