Nancy McIntyre has been a member of the organization since 1997.
Nancy McIntyre, a professor of landscape ecology in the Texas Tech University Department of Biological Sciences and curator of birds for the Natural Science Research Laboratory, was awarded the 2018 Distinguished Service Award by the United States Chapter of the International Association for Landscape Ecology (US-IALE) at their annual meeting in Chicago on Tuesday (April 10).
The award for Distinguished Service recognizes individuals who have contributed exceptionally to US-IALE though their time, energy and dedication and helped advance the mission of US-IALE in an extraordinary manner.
McIntyre has provided nearly continuous service to US-IALE throughout the past 20 years. She has been a member of US-IALE since 1997 and actively participated in almost all aspects of the society since then. She served on the Executive Committee as a councilor-at-large from 2003 to 2005 and was chair of the Nominations Committee, overseeing the annual elections process, from 2005 to 2010. She has served on the Awards Committee (1998-2000) and the Foreign Scholar Committee (2007-present).
McIntyre also has supported the association as an abstract reviewer for the 2005 symposium, chair of the Outreach Committee from 2003 to 2004 and a judge at numerous annual meetings. She is an avid photographer, and many of her photos grace the newly revamped US-IALE website.
“This award recognizes that I've served as an elected officer, I have done service work as chair or member of various standing committees, and I have tried to be a ‘Jill of all trades' when something is needed, be it a judge, session moderator, announcer, etc.,” McIntyre said. “I tell my students they need to find a professional society that is their intellectual home; US-IALE is mine. I am very glad to have been of service to the society.”
McIntyre has been a faculty member at Texas Tech since 2000. Her research lies at the intersection of landscape ecology, community ecology and conservation biology. She is most interested in how land conversion – specifically agriculture and urbanization – affect animal movement and habitat connectivity. Her current research projects are focused on various dimensions of wetland conservation, particularly on the unique ephemeral playas of the southern and central Great Plains. Current projects include investigating impacts of climate change on wetland connectivity, surface-water dynamic in the salt playas of western Texas and evaluating impacts of wetland changes on invertebrates and birds.
She has more than 75 scientific publications in journals such as Landscape Ecology, Ecosphere, Trends in Ecology and Evolution and the Journal of Wildlife Management. The nominators for McIntyre's award noted, “She always stepped up to the plate to help with society administrative chores. Her work was of the highest quality, and she always ended each task with a smile or a joke. Her leadership as chair of the Nominating Committee was extremely important to US-IALE.”
About US-IALE
The United States Chapter of the International Association for Landscape Ecology fosters landscape ecology research and practice. Details about the United States Chapter and the International Association for Landscape Ecology may be found on their websites.
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