UALR Professor Robert Sikes, a behavioral and evolutionary ecologist, has been elected to the board of directors of the American Society of Mammalogists (ASM), the world’s oldest and largest scientific organization devoted to mammals.

The 4,500 members of the society provide information for public policy, resource management, conservation, and education. The ASM also publishes the highly-ranked periodicals “Journal of Mammalogy” and “Mammalian Species.”

In June, the ASM appointed Sikes chair of the Animal Care and Use Committee, which helped revise the society’s “Guidelines for the Use of Wild Mammals in Research.”

A native of Saline County, Sikes began his academic career at UALR, earning a bachelor’s degree in biology. He earned a master’s of science degree at the University of Memphis and a Ph.D. at the University of Minnesota.