Roxie Collie Simpson Laybourne (September 15, 1910 – August 7, 2003) was an American

ornithologist Ornithology, from Ancient Greek ὄρνις (''órnis''), meaning "bird", and -logy from λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study", is a branch of zoology dedicated to the study of birds. Several aspects of ornithology differ from related discip ...

born in

Fayetteville, North Carolina Fayetteville ( , ) is a city in and the county seat of Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States. It is best known as the home of Fort Bragg, a major U.S. Army installation northwest of the city. Fayetteville has received the All-Ameri ...

. She pioneered the study of forensic ornithology while at the

National Museum of Natural History The National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) is a natural history museum administered by the Smithsonian Institution, located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., United States. It has free admission and is open 364 days a year. With 4.4 ...

; these forensic techniques for identifying species of birds involved in bird strikes led to aircraft safety improvements.

Early life

Laybourne was raised in Farmville, North Carolina. She was the eldest of 15. When she was young she preferred playing baseball to other activities such as learning to sew.

Education and career

Laybourne earned her B.A. in mathematics and general science from

Meredith College Meredith College is a private women's liberal arts college and coeducational graduate school Postgraduate education, graduate education, or graduate school consists of academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qu ...

in 1932 and her M.S. in plant ecology from

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...

in 1951 with a thesis on mosses. She worked for the North Carolina State Museum of Natural History in its taxidermy and exhibit departments in 1932, as well as the National Fisheries Laboratory, the

United States National Museum The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...

from 1944 to 1946, and the Bird and Mammal Laboratories of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from 1946 to 1974, before retiring and joining the

as a research associate. While at the National Museum of Natural History, Laybourne pioneered the study of forensic ornithology. She worked as a feather specialist for the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...

. During her career, Laybourne developed "the speciality of identifying dead birds from their feathers to learn what types of birds struck planes." This information was instrumental in safety improvements within the manufacturing of aircraft engines, the development of military fighter canopies, and the creation of runway management plans. Laybourne's skills in forensic ornithology helped solve around 1,000 cases of bird-related airplane incidents a year. In addition to her employers, Laybourne's expertise aided the

Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is a Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government agency within the United States Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Transportation that regulates civil aviation in t ...

, the

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

General Electric General Electric Company (GE) was an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in 1892, incorporated in the New York (state), state of New York and headquartered in Boston. Over the year ...

, the

National Transportation Safety Board The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and inci ...

Pratt and Whitney Pratt & Whitney is an American aerospace manufacturer with global service operations. It is a subsidiary of RTX Corporation (formerly Raytheon Technologies). Pratt & Whitney's aircraft engines are widely used in both civil aviation (especially a ...

, and

Rolls-Royce Rolls-Royce (always hyphenated) may refer to: * Rolls-Royce Limited, a British manufacturer of cars and later aero engines, founded in 1906, now defunct Automobiles * Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, the current car manufacturing company incorporated in ...

Awards and honors

Laybourne's work was recognized by the Air Force Bird Strike Committee in 1966 with its lifetime achievement award. She also received the Alumna of the Year award in 1980 from

and an Alumni Achievement Award from

in 1984.

References

External links

Correspondence, 1962-2003
via National Museum of Natural History
Field notes, 1950, 1975-1984
via

Smithsonian Institution Archives Smithsonian Libraries and Archives is an institutional archives and library system comprising 21 branch libraries serving the various Smithsonian Institution museums and research centers. The Libraries and Archives serve Smithsonian Institution ...

Oral history interviews, 2001
via Smithsonian Institution Archives
Roxie Collie Laybourne memorial
via National Museum of Natural History
Podcast about Laybourne

Profile at Bionomia
linking to specimens collected and identified by Laybourne {{DEFAULTSORT:Laybourne, Rosie Collie 1910 births 2003 deaths American ornithologists American women ornithologists 20th-century American women scientists Smithsonian Institution people People from Fayetteville, North Carolina Scientists from North Carolina Meredith College alumni George Washington University alumni 20th-century American zoologists