Life Sciences Graduate Student Receives Elmer C. Birney Award

Sean Neiswenter

Sean A. Neiswenter, a doctoral student in the laboratory of Dr. Brett R. Riddle’s, received the Elmer C. Birney Award from the American Society of Mammalogists (ASM) for his paper “Diversification of silky pocket mice in the Perognathus flavus species-group: implications for the biogeography of North American arid grasslands.” Guidelines for the award stipulate that “Honoraria will be awarded based on originality, quality, and written presentation of the research.” As the recipient of the Birney Award, Mr. Neiswenter will present his research at the Plenary Session of the 2009 ASM meeting, which will be held at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, Alaska, June 24th-28th. This is a distinct honor, because the Plenary Session is the opening session of the symposium, and one of only two sessions attended by all participants of the conference.