Committees of the American Ornithologists' Union
The AOU has many standing committees that conduct much of the business of the organization. These committees are composed of dedicated volunteers who contribute their time and expertise to the benefit of the organization, its individual members, and ornithology as a whole.
Follow the links to the left to see a brief description of each committee. You can visit a committee's web page, if it has one, by clicking on the committee's name below.
A list of the membership of AOU committees for 2007-2008, containing email addresses of their chairs, is available in PDF format. This document also includes lists of members of the AOU Council, of AOU Representatives to other organizations, and of AOU Staff. Detailed committee instructions are also available.
Standing Committees
Audit Committee
Reviews the financial statements of the Union after the annual review or audit to approve the audit report, ensures that financial peculiarities of the AOU have been appropriately treated, and alerts Council to any problems raised by the auditors.
Bird Collections Committee
Monitors the status of scientific collections of avian materials and promotes improvements.
Birds of North America Liaison Committee
Regularly reviews the BNA-Online website and provides oversight on functioning of the BNA-O partnership, and recommends improvements that maintain scientific value and add value and usability to the website.
Bylaws Committee
Oversees the process of changing Bylaws.
Committee on Classification and Nomenclature - North and Middle America
Keeps abreast of the systematics and distribution of North American birds, produces new editions of the Check-list of North American Birds as it deems appropriate or as the Council directs, and produces periodic supplements to the latest edition of the Check-list.
Committee on Classification and Nomenclature - South America
Keeps abreast of and contributes to the systematics, nomenclature and distribution of South American birds, and produces products that provide ready access to such information.
Conservation Committee
Identifies and implements appropriate means for AOU to promote the use of sound ornithological science for making conservation and management decisions for birds.
Development Committee
Encourages donations to the AOU, particularly for enlarging the Endowment Fund.
Early Professionals Committee
Studies the issues and concerns of members who are early in their professional careers as ornithologists, including post-docs and those within their first few years in professional roles, and recommends actions that may be taken by AOU to enhance training and AOU retention of memberships.
Historical Records Committee
Annually collects materials that are of historical importance to the Union, and turns them over to the Smithsonian Institution archivist assigned to looking after AOU records. It provides relevant materials to the Memorials Committee on request, and decides how to handle other requests for access to the AOU archives.
International Affairs Committee
Investigates and implements appropriate means for AOU to engage with ornithologists outside the US and Canada, including regional and indigenous ornithological societies (particularly in Latin America), the North American Ornithological Conference (when held outside of the US and Canada), and the International Ornithological Congress.
Committee of Investing Trustees
Oversees investments of the AOU, from time to time reviewing policies for investment instruments and evaluating performance of the investments and the professional investment managers. It annually presents AOU Council with the projected amount of transfer from investments to the operating account for the next fiscal year.
Local Arrangements Committee (may be more than one active at a given time)
Works with professional meeting organizer and Scientific Program Committee to make local arrangements for the smooth conduct of a given Stated Meeting, helping to impart a local flavor.
Meetings Committee
Establishes venue and dates for future annual meetings, and considers and makes recommendations on ways to make meetings more attractive and valuable for exchange of scientific information and networking.
Membership Committee
Works toward increasing membership of the Union by securing new members and by dissuading current members from dropping membership. It is responsible for administering the awarding of free student memberships.
Memorials Committee
Obtains information and keeps records on the deaths of members of the Union and nonmembers who are prominent in the field of ornithology, and directs the preparation of memorials for The Auk.
Committee on Nomination of Officers and Councilors
In accordance with the Bylaws, ensures that a sufficient number of persons are nominated for the positions of President-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, and Elective Councilor.
Committee on Nomination of Honorary Fellows
Nominates candidates for the class of Honorary Fellows.
Committee on Nomination of Fellows and Elective Members
Surveys the membership and prepares nominations of qualified Members for the classes of Elective Member, and nominations of qualified Elective Members for the class of Fellow, according to the criteria established in the Bylaws of the Union.
Publications Committee
Regularly reviews journal and book publications, and makes recommendations for improvement.
Public Responsibility Committee
Track actions of AOU public policy partners and report on their collective success in addressing AOU’s Council-approved list of public responsibility priorities.
Research Awards Committee
Solicits and reviews applications for research grants made from the research grant funds of the Union.
Scientific Awards Committee
Selects candidates for the William Brewster Memorial Award, the Elliott Coues Award, the Ned Johnson Award for Young Investigators, and the AOU Conservation Award.
Scientific Program Committee (may be more than one active at a given time)
Issues a call for papers with the announcement of each Stated Meeting prepared by the Committee on Local Arrangements, and arranges the scientific program.
Special Affairs Committee (may be more than one active at a given time)
Investigates and acts on whatever matters are referred to it by the President or the Executive Committee.
Student Affairs Committee
Oversees and advises on the special needs and issues of students and recommends actions that may be taken to enhance the value of AOU membership to students. Organizes and runs various student events at annual meetings.
Student Travel and Presentation Awards Committee
Selects candidates for Marcia Brady Tucker Travel Awards (student travel to Stated Meetings) and prizes for the best student scientific papers and posters presented at those meetings.
Website Committee
Periodically reviews the website and suggests changes or additions that ensure the website as a whole presents a coherent, complete, balanced, attractive and user-friendly package that accurately represents the activities of the AOU and provides value to users.