The American Ornithological Society is currently seeking nominations for their annual Katma Award, which recognizes publications that propose ideas or test theories that challenge current ornithological dogma and could change the course of thinking about the biology of birds.
The award was originally established by the Cooper Ornithological Society in 2003 through the generous gift of Dr. Robert Storer, who proposed the name “Katma,” derived from the Greek work kat, which means “against.” The award consists of a $2500 prize and a certificate and is announced at the American Ornithological Society’s annual meeting (http://amornithmeeting.org/) “Why is katma needed?” wrote Dr. Storer. “Science moves forward by the production and acceptance of new ideas, yet it has been increasingly difficult to air new ideas in both the pure and applied sciences. Serious work that questions current dogma too often is stifled by those who are angered by seeing their own work questioned. Great katmatists like Galileo and Darwin are heroes of science.” Nominees for the award do not need to be members of the American Ornithological Society, nor do papers nominated need to have been published in an AOS journal. Full eligibility and nomination information is available on the AOS website at http://americanornithology.org/content/aos-katma-award. The deadline for the current nomination cycle is December 14. Please contact i...@americanornithology.org with any questions.
