Meeting: Weaving the Future of Animal Behavior; (2018-2021); Phoenix, AZ

Arizona State University, Scottsdale AZ

Investigators

Abstract

The future of Animal Behavior research depends on the next generation of scientists and leaders. This project is to jump-start a new initiative that advances animal behavior science by supporting early-career investigators and promoting their science. At the core of the initiative is a new series of professional-development workshops for early-career scientists to be held annually as part of the Animal Behavior Society (ABS) meetings. In addition, a new committee of established investigators will promote early-career scientists by nominating workshop participants for awards and organizing symposia that highlight their research at international conferences. The committee will also forge stronger connections between the Animal Behavior Society and other professional societies, such as the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology, by organizing similar symposia and workshops at their annual meetings. The project begins with a symposium for 35 early-career scientists in May 2019, followed by the formation of peer-mentoring circles that meet biweekly via conference calls to support these researchers throughout the subsequent year. Professionals who specialize on career development of women and minority scientists will organize this initial symposium, and will simultaneously train the members of the new committee to run similar workshop and peer-mentoring circles at the 2019 and 2020 ABS meetings. The new committee will also propose symposia that highlight the research of workshop participants at the 2020 ABS and 2021 Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB) conferences. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.