Education
Ph.D., Wildlife Science, Oregon State University, 1992
M.Sc., Wildlife Science, Oregon State University, 1985
B.S., Wildlife Biology, Colorado State University, 1980
A.A.S., Fisheries & Wildlife, S.U.N.Y. at Cobleskill, 1978
Teaching
Dr. Kamal Islam taught at Ball State University for 26 years and retired in 2024. Also, he was the curator for the Ornithological and Herpetological museum collections in the Department of Biology. Dr. Islam was the faculty leader for 15 study abroad courses to Australia, Belize, Costa Rica, South Africa, and Namibia and provided more than 200 BSU students with an international learning experience.
Courses Taught
Ornithology (ZOOL 440/540)
Herpetology (ZOOL 445/545)
Conservation Biology (BIO 430)
Population Ecology (BIO 416/616)
Field Course to Distant Areas (BIO 420/520)
Symposium (BIO 499/201)
Biological Concepts for Teachers (BIO 102)
Methods in Ecology (BIO 316)
Research Interests
Dr. Islam’s primary areas of research have been in the fields of Ornithology, Wildlife Biology and Management, and Conservation Biology with a focus on the conservation of Endangered and Threatened species.
For 23 years, Dr. Islam’s research lab studied the Cerulean Warbler, a rapidly declining species of songbird. Over 30 publications and more than 100 professional presentations have resulted from the research conducted by Dr. Islam and his students. He mentored more than 25 graduate students, many who have pursued Ph.D. degrees and work in state and federal positions, and private consulting firms in the fields of Wildlife Biology and Natural Resources.
My Research Lab
Since 2000, my research has focused on factors contributing to the rapid decline of Cerulean Warbler breeding populations in southern Indiana. This migratory songbird is of conservation concern throughout its distribution where it breeds in mature deciduous forests of the eastern and midwestern United States and Canada, and winters in northern South America. My graduate students and I have conducted baseline studies to determine its distribution, relative abundance, and characteristics of territories, including spacing, song perch selection, and vocalization behavior. In 2007, I joined a long-term (100 year) collaborative study called the Hardwood Ecosystem Experiment (HEE) established in Morgan-Monroe and Yellowwood state forests in southern Indiana. Our primary HEE objective was to determine how Cerulean Warbler populations respond to different forest treatments by 1) measuring estimates of relative abundance and 2) quantifying reproductive output. Also, we conducted research on foraging ecology, adult and nestling diet using traditional methods and DNA metabarcoding, gut microbiome, transmission of avian malaria, dispersal, and effects of climate change on arrival timing during the breeding season in southern Indiana. We expanded our research to determine fledgling dispersal using radio-transmitters, and attachment of geolocators to determine where Cerulean Warblers in our study areas winter in northern South America and their migratory routes. Results from our studies have management applications for the conservation of this declining species.
A secondary focus of my research engaged undergraduate students to investigate birds colliding with highly reflective glass on Ball State University campus buildings during migration. More than a billion birds are killed annually from building-window collisions in the United States. As a result of our research, a renovated building on campus included modified glass to reduce bird-window collision mortality.