BioOne Ambassador Award
2025 BioOne Ambassadors:
Excellence in Science Communication
BioOne is proud to present the 2025 cohort of BioOne Ambassadors, and we invite you to read their exemplary submissions in this showcase.
Now in its eighth year, the BioOne Ambassador Award recognizes early-career authors who make scientific research more accessible to a wide audience including funders, the general public, and scholars in related fields. By clearly and creatively summarizing the impact of their work, they encourage greater scientific literacy and aid in the broader understanding of our natural world. Selected from among early career researchers published in BioOne Complete journals, BioOne Ambassadors represent the next generation of excellence in science communication.
2025 Ambassador Forum
Mya Daniels-Abdulahad
This video is in reference to:
Evaluation of Metal Partitioning Across Humboldt Penguin (Spheniscus humboldti) Egg Components
Journal of Wildlife Diseases, 60(2): 474-489 (2024)
Mya Daniels-Abdulahad, Dimitrios Giarikos, Michael J. Adkesson, Amy C. Hirons
Amarjeet Kaur
In November 2012, a shocking report by the NGO Conservation India on large-scale hunting of Amur falcons in the remote village of Pangti in Nagaland, India, became the center of an international conservation outcry. Northeastern India, including Nagaland, home to indigenous tribal communities, has a history of unsustainable hunting. The report not only highlighted the threat to these migratory falcons but also revealed their annual autumn congregation in the region. The findings set the stage for the “Amur Falcon Conservation Initiative”, a collaboration between the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, CMS Raptors MoU, Nagaland State Forest Department, and Hungarian raptor biologists. Led by Dr. R. Suresh Kumar, the project was launched in November 2013, with a larger aim to help in the conservation of Amur Falcons in Nagaland by tracking their migratory routes. Through outreach and satellite tracking, the project became a global success story—once-hunted falcons were now protected by the same communities, fostering a newfound connection. One aspect of our study was to also answer a critical question: why does nearly the entire global Amur Falcon population converge in Nagaland during autumn migration?
This summary is in reference to:
Journal of Raptor Research, 58(3): 283-293 (2024).
Amarjeet Kaur, Alex Jacob, Deven Mehta, R. Suresh Kumar
Dr. Sydney Kinstler Tuckwiller
The global population is quickly increasing with finite resources, resulting in a food crisis that results in 10% of world’s population to suffer from hunger. To meet growing demands, the animal agriculture industry has spent decades researching how to provide sufficient protein sources on an international scale. As a result, livestock production has increased overall efficiency to nourish exponentially rising populations, including in developing countries.
The poultry industry is a sustainable source of cheap, available protein in the form of both meat and eggs. Improvements in nutrition, genetics, and management, particularly related to disease prevention, have contributed to the rapid progress of the industry.
In poultry production, it is essential to use management methods that allow chickens to grow safely and efficiently to prevent potential illness for both the birds and the consumer. Researchers and producers have utilized nutrition and feed additives to enhance intestine health to increase productivity. The demand for products to include in feed to boost immunity, including pre-biotics and pro-biotics, became more significant after concerns of antibiotic resistance reduced the use of in-feed antimicrobials in 2017.
This summary is in reference to:
Avian Diseases, 68(4): 299-313 (2024).
Sydney R. Kinstler, Eric A. Wong, Charles Hofacre, Margie D. Lee, Frederic J. Hoerr, Matthew K. Jones, John J. Maurer
Dr. Jessica Pruett
Many are familiar with the phrase, “The world is your oyster,” but few know the full Shakespearean verse: “Why, then, the world’s mine oyster, which I with sword will open.” For centuries, humans have embraced this aggressive mindset, intensively harvesting oysters using destructive dredging which has severely depleted populations worldwide. Despite being one of the most degraded marine habitats, oyster reefs continue to play a vital role in coastal ecosystems. These remarkable animals provide habitat for numerous species, improve water quality through filter feeding, and help stabilize shorelines against erosion. They also support biodiversity by acting as nurseries for fish and other marine life and contribute to coastal economies as an important fishery. Without proper restoration efforts and sustainable management, the loss of oyster reefs threatens marine ecosystems, water quality, and the livelihoods of coastal communities.
In the early 1900s, Biloxi, Mississippi, was known as the “Seafood Capital of the World” due to the large number of oysters harvested and processed in the city. However, in 2019, the Mississippi oyster fishery experienced a complete collapse, with nearly 100% mortality reported on reefs and no signs of recovery the following year. My research was designed to investigate the historical conditions of the Mississippi oyster fishery to understand how oyster populations have changed over time due to environmental and human impacts. I also examined present-day challenges hindering oyster recovery efforts to help guide future management and restoration decisions in Mississippi.
This summary is in reference to:
A Past, Present, and Future Outlook on the Mississippi Oyster Fishery
Journal of Shellfish Research, 43(1): 1-13. (2024).
Jessica L. Pruett, Stephanie Showalter Otts, Kristine L. Willett, Luke Fairbanks, Kelly M. Darnell, Deborah J. Gochfeld
Aquetzalli Nayelli Rivera Villanueva
Currently we are facing a global pollinator crisis. However, when we think about this, we usually picture honeybees, bumblebees, and butterflies. But let’s not forget that we also have pollinating bats that are crucial for our ecosystems and native crops.
Moreover, some pollinating bats have a large distribution range that crosses geopolitical boundaries, meaning that for effective conservation actions a collaborative informed planning process is needed. For example, the lesser long-nosed bat (Leptonycteris yerbabuenae) is a nectar-feeding, migratory bat that pollinates agaves and columnar cacti from the southwest U.S. to Honduras. Leptonycteris yerbabuenae is one of the most important pollinators of the tequila agave and pitaya fruit, both of which are harvested and sold by low-income local communities in Mexico. During its migration in spring and summer, L. yerbabuenae follows the blooming of agaves and columnar cacti in large aggregations of up to hundreds of thousands of bats. According to the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the lesser-long-nosed bat is Near Threatened and the main threats are disturbance in their roosts (caves and mines), loss of food resources, and direct killing by humans.
This summary is in reference to:
Journal of Mammalogy, 105(6): 1221-1230 (2024)
A. Nayelli Rivera-Villanueva, Winifred F. Frick, Tina L. Cheng, Veronica Zamora-Gutierrez
To read more from early-career authors in BioOne Complete publications, visit the 2025 BioOne Ambassador Award Nominee Research Collection.
Meetthe Judges
Dr. Sarah Wright
Dr. Sarah Wright is an Associate Editor for the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association and the American Journal of Veterinary Research. She received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) from the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine in 2020. After graduation, Sarah completed a Small Animal Medicine and Surgery Rotating Internship at VCA Aurora Animal Hospital followed by a Veterinary Fellowship at the Vancouver Aquarium. She transitioned from clinical medicine to scholarly publishing in 2022 when she began working for the Publications Division of the American Veterinary Medical Association. Dr. Wright has authored several original research articles relating to aquatic animal health and editorials about article engagement. Dr. Wright is currently involved in editorial office research with a focus on online article attention to help authors maximize the reach and impact of their publications. Dr. Wright is actively involved in the Council of Science Editors as a member of the Program and Marketing Committees. Sarah also volunteers for the Brookfield Zoo Chicago Young Professionals Council and the International Association for Aquatic Animal Medicine Communications Committee. In her free time, Sarah enjoys reading and spending time with her two cats and her husband.
Dr. Xochitl Clare
Ans ter Woerds
After studies in library management, Ans began her career in 1981 at Nyenrode Business University’s library, where she progressed from information specialist to library manager over 18 years while completing a master’s in social cultural sciences. She then managed Rabobank’s Knowledge and Information Centre for six years. Throughout her career, Ans has been extensively involved in professional activities: serving on the Dutch Library Association board, participating in international networks like EBSLG and INLN, organizing study tours, editing professional journals, and developing educational modules. For the past 8.5 years, she has worked as a senior contract manager at SURF, negotiating transformative agreements with publishers for Dutch higher education institutions and actively participating in international library consortia and knowledge exchange networks focused on open access initiatives.
BioOne extends its thanks to Dr. Sarah Wright, Dr. Xochitl Clare, and Ans ter Woerds, who offered their time and expertise in selecting this year’s winners.