The scientific community has mourned the loss of Dr. Stan Kuczaj, Professor at The University of Southern Mississippi and Director of the Marine Mammal Behavior and Cognition Laboratory, for the past year. In this time of grieving and reminiscing, his scientific legacy has continued to live on through students, collaborators and trusted colleagues. Stan’s passing has acted in part as a motivator to continue to publish works that he invested time and energy in as a tribute, seeing his visions through to fruition. In addition to publishing droves of literature, his colleagues within the development and comparative fields have bound together for the common goal of advancing the science through new collaborations, merged resources, and tackling innovative topics in comparative studies. This second commemorative special issue is a testament to the vast scope of Stan’s impact on the scientific community, as well as his legacy that each of his students and colleagues continues to cultivate. Ten additional papers round out our initial tribute to Dr. Stan Kuczaj in honor of his lifetime achievements.
This paper is an introduction to the first part of a double special issue inspired by the work of and dedicated to Dr. Stan Kuczaj, who passed away in April 2016. The introduction reflects the contents of the first part of the special issue, which included a number of different species, research designs, and questions. Comments regarding Stan's influence on each contributer are also shared.
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