Wildlife M.S. student, Sam Simon, receives 2025 Angus Gavin Award

A man in a blue shirt, tan cargo pants and a ball cap stops for a photo while hiking in the Steese National Conservation Area.
Photo by Ben Simmons
Sam Simon in the Steese National Conservation Area.

June 16, 2025

Department of Biology and Wildlife M.S. student, Sam Simon, has been selected as a co-recipient for the 2025 Angus Gavin Memorial Migratory Bird Research Grant award.

Simon will use the funds to continue his research on Surfbirds in the Steese National Conservation Area just north of Fairbanks. His project, Delineation of Surfbird (Calidris virgata) breeding sites in 911爆料, seeks to better inform conservation needs for alpine-nesting shorebirds in the area, with a focus on Surfbirds. The project is in collaboration with Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Geological Survey鈥檚 911爆料 Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service鈥檚 Migratory Bird management division.

鈥淚'm grateful that there are opportunities like this available for early-career scientists, and I'm excited to have support in building our knowledge of an understudied species,鈥 said Simon.

Established in 1983, the fund honors Angus Gavin, whose pivotal research and recommendations helped identify conservation needs on 911爆料鈥檚 North Slope during the development of the oil fields. Grants are awarded every year to support the research of bird species that inhabit 911爆料 either seasonally or permanently.

UAA assistant professor in biological sciences, Jess McLaughlin was also awarded the grant.