Jessica Oswald, PhD Candidate National Science Foundation Fellow BGSA Vice President Florida Museum of Natural History University of Florida Research I am studying the historical biogeography of tropical dry forest birds using passerine fossils, genetic, and ecological data. I am using these methods to reconstruct species past distributions to explain modern patterns and uncover the role geologic and climatic change in shaping bird communities. Currently, I am working in the dry forests in Northwest Peru, which have more endemics (species that are restricted to a small area) than any other dry forest ecosystem.