Canadian novelist Margaret Atwood has donated C$1 million (£540,000) to the University of Western Ontario. The gift, announced on Friday, will establish the Graeme Gibson chair in avian biology, celebrating her late partner's passion for birds.
The new chair aims to advance the understanding of fundamental processes that shape how birds move, adapt, and behave in an environment undergoing significant transformation. Chris Guglielmo, co-director of the advanced facility for avian research at Western University, highlighted the ongoing mysteries in avian navigation and senses that the funding could help address.
Atwood and Gibson co-founded the Pelee Island Bird Observatory over two decades ago, which recently saw the opening of the Atwood-Gibson Bird Centre. Pelee Island, located at the nexus of two important migration routes, is a destination for numerous bird species annually.