ABS Diversity Committee
The ABS Diversity Committee (DC) advocates for equitable and inclusive practices in our society, at our annual meeting, and in the communities and environments occupied by our membership. We work to support and enhance the diversity of the Animal Behavior Society membership, by developing and implementing just and equitable practices, including activities involving underrepresented scholars and the ABS community more broadly, as well as educating our membership. Here, the term diversity includes identities relating to race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, dis/ability, as well as additional attributes of our current and future members.
Key Activities
- Charles H. Turner Award: For the support of meeting attendance by a cohort of undergraduate students (~12) from groups historically underrepresented in science. Rules and applications shall be available from the Diversity Committee.
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Plenary Award: For the support of an honorarium plus travel expenses for a leader in animal behavior related research who contributes to and/or examines some aspect related to diversity, equity, inclusion and justice to attend and present a plenary talk at the annual meeting. Rules and applications shall be available from the Diversity Committee.
- Broadening Participation Award: For the support of annual meeting attendance by graduate and postdoctoral scholars from groups underrepresented in ABS membership. Rules and applications shall be available from the Diversity Committee.
- Diversity Fee Waiver Award: For the support of meeting attendance by graduate students with identities underrepresented in the Animal Behavior Society. Rules and applications shall be available from the Diversity Committee.
- ABS Broadening Participation Award: The Broadening Participation award is a new award intended to increase engagement in the Animal Behavior Society from scholars with identities that are underrepresented in the field of Animal Behavior and the Animal Behavior Society. This award will provide financial support to attend the annual Animal Behavior Society meeting and help defray the costs of registration, travel, housing, and or/meals. Additionally, awardees will be provided mentorship opportunities (both as mentors and mentees) as well as chances to engage with Animal Behavior Society programming and committees. While not limited to any career stage, this award will prioritize late stage graduate students, post-docs, independent researchers, and new faculty interested in becoming engaged with the Animal Behavior Society. Deadline: March 20, 2023
- ABS Career Diversity Travel Award: The Career Diversity Travel award is intended to increase the diversity of attendees at the ABS Annual meeting and within its membership, specifically for career stages that are less well supported. It will provide financial support to career stages including but not limited to postdocs, research scientists, lecturers, adjuncts, and non-tenure track faculty, to help defray the costs of registration, travel, and/or housing at the annual Animal Behavior Society meeting. Applying for this award does not preclude you from applying for additional ABS funding. Awardees are encouraged to upload their presentations to the ABS virtual meeting, to increase accessibility and broader inclusion and participation.
- Workshops (ABS annual meeting): The DC develops and offers workshops at the annual meeting on best practices in activities (e.g. inclusive teaching and mentoring), aimed at fostering equity and inclusion in our discipline
- Luncheon and Graduate School Information Session (ABS annual meeting): All undergraduates and recent graduates attending the meeting are invited to talk with a panel of faculty mentors and an NSF Program Officer about the graduate school application process; what faculty look for in prospective graduate students; funding opportunities; etc.
- Assessments: To inform our policies, practices, and programming, the DC surveys and assesses the needs of ABS members on topics such as membership diversity, conference climate, and conference accessibility.
- Collaborations: The DC collaborates with other committees and programs in the society to help provide resources and feedback on best practices for advancing science and teaching in animal behavior that center inclusion, equity and justice.
- Resource garden for ABS members: A curated resource space on justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion practices in STEM is coming soon!
Contact
E-mail:
[email protected]
