Avian evolution expert Scott Lanyon is helping Ecology, Evolution and Behavior soar to new heights
When CBS Dean Robert Elde offered Scott Lanyon the opportunity to head the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior (EEB) last summer, the former director of the Bell Museum of Natural History was ready for a new challenge. And the department, where he is a professor, needed his leadership.
While EEB is ranked among the top departments of its kind, it was at a critical juncture after former department head Claudia Neuhauser and several faculty had moved on or retired over the course of a year. The departures didn’t reflect a problem with EEB, but the department had taken an intellectual hit that concerned the remaining 27 faculty members and had been noted in academic circles beyond the University.
“I want to ensure that EEB remains a top department,” says Lanyon. “While the departure of colleagues represents a challenge, replacing them also provides opportunities to shape the department’s future and make it even better.”
Lanyon’s priority is to hire faculty in a way that strengthens the cohesiveness of the department’s three disciplines: ecology, evolution and behavior. He is conducting searches for two scientists who are leaders in one of the three disciplines and also exploring connections with one of the other disciplines.
Lanyon was also lured to the post by the prospect of becoming more involved with education. The fields of ecology, evolution and behavior have been advancing rapidly to meet global environmental challenges such as climate change and loss of biodiversity. This growth is creating new career opportunities, and the curriculum needs to catch up.
“We’re still preparing students the same way we have in the past even though a variety of new career paths have emerged,” Lanyon says. “I want to change the curriculum to prepare students for the future.”
Moving from the Bell Museum to his department also allows Lanyon to spend more time on his own research. He is involved in the National Science Foundation’s Tree of Life project, which aims to show how all forms of life are genetically connected through time. Lanyon studies how certain characteristics (such as vocalization, appearance, mating habits and nest building) evolved in different species of blackbirds, a large and diverse group of songbirds.
Asked if his research on evolution gives him insights into shaping EEB’s future, Lanyon says, “Oh, I think we’re going to move much faster than avian evolution.”
Lanyon’s father was curator of birds at the American Museum in New York. Lanyon grew up at the museum’s field station on Long Island, where he used to tag along with undergraduate students during the summer. So it’s not surprising that when he left the nest, he migrated toward a career in ornithology.
After earning his Ph.D. at Louisiana State University, Lanyon held positions as a scientist and curator at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago. He came to the University of Minnesota in 1995 as director of the Bell Museum and an associate professor in EEB. During his 13 years at the Bell, he improved collections and strengthened research and outreach programs. He also led the museum through planning for a new building and increased private support. — Peggy Rinard
