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ASAB Autumn Newsletter 2024
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Good afternoon! It was fantastic to meet so many of you at the ECBB ASAB Summer Meeting in Zurich. A huge thank you to the organisers and everyone who participated—it was a wonderful event! Each time I sit down to compile these newsletters, I find myself amazed at how much ASAB accomplishes in just a few months. With council meetings held three times a year, regular grant opportunities, events, and workshops, it's clear that ASAB is always buzzing with activity! Part of this success stems from our Meeting Secretary, who plays a vital role in coordinating the ASAB meetings. We are currently seeking a replacement for Jo Madden who has been fantastic in this role. If you're interested in getting more involved with ASAB and supporting our vibrant community, please consider applying. Full details can be found in this newsletter and on the ASAB website. The deadline for applications is 30th September, so don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or wish to apply. In this newsletter you can find: Call for nominations for the Christopher Barnard Award & ASAB Medal ASAB Summer Meeting Report Council Position Available - Meetings Secretary Upcoming Meetings ASAB Video Contest 2024 News from Animal Behaviour Grants News Education News
As always, if you have any questions about ASAB's activities please get in touch at webeditor@asab.org. You can also keep up to date with announcements on animal behaviour opportunities in between our newsletters by joining our Animal Behaviour JISCMail! If you want to contact specific members of the ASAB council, you can find their contact details here - we are always happy to answer your questions! Happy reading! Sophia Daoudi-Simison ASAB Communications Officer
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Call for nominations Christopher Barnard Award & ASAB medal 2025ASAB Council is seeking nominations for the: the Christopher Barnard Award for outstanding contributions by a new investigator (click here for more details), and the ASAB Medal for contributions to the science of animal behaviour (click here for more details).
Council would very much like to receive nominations for these prestigious awards by 1st December 2024. Further information about the awards including eligibility, lists of previous recipients and details of how to nominate can be found on the ASAB website. Nominations should be sent to the Secretary of the Society, Elisa Frasnelli.
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ECBB - ASAB Summer 2024 Meeting ReportThe European Conference on Behavioural Biology (ECBB) 2024, was a joint meeting with the 2024 Summer Meeting of the Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour (ASAB). The conference theme focused on ‘Long-term studies in animal behaviour’. With over 150 engaging talks and captivating plenary sessions from Barbara König, Christina Riehl, and Tim Clutton-Brock, the conference was an exciting whirlwind of ideas and insights. Zegni Triki from the University of Bern took home the Tinbergen Award for her outstanding work. Held on the scenic Irchel campus, the event wrapped up with a fantastic dinner and dance overlooking Lake Zurich, where attendees danced late into the night—an unforgettable celebration! More photos and videos can be found on our Socials - IG (@asab_org) and FB (ASABOrganisation)
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plenary speakers (from left to right) Professor Barbara König, Associate Professor Christina Riehl, and Professor Tim Clutton-Brock |
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Tinbergen Awardee Dr Zegni Triki |
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A huge thank you to the organising committee and volunteers for their hard work in making this conference such a success. |
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Council Position AvailableMeetings secretary to begin in January 2025 (or earlier)If you are interested in being nominated for this position, and contributing the work of ASAB, please send a 150-word statement outlining your motivation, experience and suitability for the role, to the current ASAB Secretary, Elisa Frasnelli (elisa.frasnelli@unitn.it) by September 30th 2024. Your nomination should be supported by at least two members of the Association, also by email to elisa.frasnelli@unitn.it) by September 30th 2024. Nominated candidates will be put forward for an online election by the membership. Council may nominate candidates and reserves the right to add nominations after the closing date in the event of a lack of suitable candidates. Council also reserves the right to generate a short-list of not less than three candidates per position for online elections. Officers and ordinary members of ASAB Council will normally serve three calendar years, commencing 1st January. Reasonable expenses are reimbursed to support attendance at Council meetings and associated ASAB conferences, and a small annual research grant is provided for ASAB Council Officers in support of animal behaviour research activity. Further information on the role is provided below. For more details or to discuss the roles, please contact the current Council Members (contact details provided below). Best regards, Elisa Frasnelli (ASAB Secretary) More information on the ASAB Meetings Secretary roleWe are looking for a new ASAB Meetings Secretary. Joah Madden has held the role for the past 6 years and according to ASAB regulations, they should now step down. He has considered it a great opportunity and enjoyed it tremendously. We would like to encourage Animal Behaviour researchers to offer to take on this role. Without it, the three annual ASAB meetings and associated events cannot be organised and we lose an integral part of the Animal Behaviour community. We strongly recommend that to take on the role: The person be a tenured academic - this role requires time and personal investment and stability for the 3-6 years (minimum 3 years, standing for re-election for the following 3 if desired) of it's duration. We do not think it is fair to expect more junior researchers on precarious contracts to be expected to commit to this level. The person be based in the UK - the Spring and Winter meetings are held in the UK and there are logistical benefits (visiting sites, personal links to student schemes etc) for researchers already in the UK The person has a long a diverse set of contacts within AB. This should include researchers at multiple institutions and covering the broad spectrum of animal behaviour. Much of the role involves approaching people to host/help organise meetings and direct approaches to colleagues who are personally known are often the most productive.
Role Description: The Meetings Secretary (MS) is responsible for organising and assisting in running ASAB meetings, both in person and virtually. Annual ASAB meetings include: Spring meeting - you need to find an institution and local team to host the event; Winter meeting - you need to find a venue (currently in Edinburgh), arrange catering etc and solicit a team to organise the science of the meeting around a central theme; Summer meeting - this is usually held in conjunction with ECBB or IEC in which case you will liaise with the organisers, support them in choice of plenaries and advise them on logistics. In some years the Summer meeting may not coincide with a European venue in which case you may organise a UK/EU based conference or an online meeting, soliciting a host institution and team and assisting with logistics. In addition to these regular meetings, you should initiate and/or support irregular meetings e.g. the ASAB/ABS Twitter meeting, ISABC meeting, more specialist workshops such as the animal welfare meeting, and online conferences to ensure broad accessibility. At each meeting, you should give a short talk in person on behalf of ASAB, introducing Council members present, promoting the journal and membership, advertising future ASAB meetings, providing moral and logistical support to the local organisers and generally flying the ASAB flag. If you have any questions about the role or would like to discuss further, please do email Joah Madden (j.r.madden@exeter.ac.uk). The role is subject to election by ASAB members.
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Upcoming MeetingsGet out your calendars, it's time to plan for this year's ASAB meetings!
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ASAB Winter 2024Visit the conference website here When: 12th & 13th December 2024 Where: Edinburgh, Scotland This year's Winter Meeting of the Society for the Study of Animal Behaviour (ASAB) will be held in Edinburgh on the 12th and 13th of December, with the theme Addressing Biases in the Field of Animal Behaviour. This event will explore how researchers' assumptions influence study design, behaviour interpretation, and species representation, as well as how historical biases have shaped the field. By addressing these biases, we can drive positive change. The meeting will focus on promoting fairness, inclusion, and diversity in animal behaviour research, with discussions around cultural shifts, policy changes, and community evaluation to enhance scientific robustness.
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ASAB Spring 2025Visit the conference website here When: 23rd-25th April 2025 Where: Liverpool John Moores University ASAB's Spring meeting is aimed at postgraduate students and postdocs but is open to anyone interested in animal behaviour. There will be three plenaries by leading researchers and the presentation by the winner of the Christopher Barnard award 2025.
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Behaviour - ASAB Summer 2025Visit the conference website here When: 25th-30th August 2025 Where: Kolkata, West Bengal, India Behaviour 2025, the 38th International Ethological Congress will be taking place in Kolkata, India. Since 1952, the IECs have been a key platform for ethologists worldwide, fostering diversity and inclusivity. This conference holds special significance for students and researchers from the Global South, providing an opportunity to engage with global experts, share insights, and shape the future of the field. We look forward to the collaborations and ideas that will emerge!
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ASAB Video Contest 2024ASAB is running a science communication competition for our members attending the ASAB Winter Meeting 2024! To enter the competition, use this form to submit a 1-2 minute video presenting your (favourite) cool animal behaviour research on the theme of the 2024 Winter Meeting "Addressing biases in the field of animal behaviour".
Rules
Your video needs to include Closed Captions and should not exceed 500MB. You must have the rights to use all video footage contained in your video (e.g. any images/videos of animals should have been taken by you or be openly available under a Creative Commons license).
The deadline for submissions is Dec 1st, 2024.
Prizes
There will be 2 prizes of £100 -- 1 decided by ASAB Council and 1 “people’s choice” to be judged at the ASAB Winter conference. As well as the cash prize, the winning videos will be featured on the ASAB website, newsletters, and social media accounts.
Thanks so much for your entry to this competition! Good luck!
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News from Animal BehaviourPlease remember that we are able to support so many animal behaviour endeavours (e.g., three conferences a year, a wide range of grant options and many educational activities) because of the funding that we receive from the publisher (Elsevier) of our society journal, Animal Behaviour. That funding will only continue to exist if the journal remains a success. There are three main ways that you can help: Submit your great work to us. Accept reviewer invitations from our journal. Become part of the editor team.
The journal has both Editors and Consulting Editors. Editors are assigned manuscripts that they select reviewers for and then make decisions on following review. Consulting Editors are asked to provide speedy reviews in two situations: either when there have been long delays on a paper (e.g., reviewers have not responded) or when there is a split decision between initial reviewers. Being a Consulting Editor is often a stepping stone to becoming a full Editor. If you are interested in being part of the editor team for 2025, please contact Andy Radford (andy.radford@bristol.ac.uk)
for more information. Thank you!
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Grants News September 2024
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Svitlana Kudrenko was awarded an ASAB Conference Attendance Grant to attend ECBB 2024 in Zurich and present a talk on “Wildlife responses to war in Ukraine”. Svitlana’s PhD project on the effect of rewilding in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone was rudely interrupted by the unfolding Russian invasion in 2022, but the camera traps were eventually collected after de-occupation and the data analysed. |
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Upcoming grants application deadlines1st October 20241st December 2024 Conference Attendance Grants for applications that include the upper (‘developing country’) tranche, and any accompanying Childcare and Accessibility Grants applications) for ‘ASAB Spring 2025’ in Liverpool, UK. Other applicants requiring an early decision (eg to facilitate a visa application etc) may also apply in this round.
Grants awarded in the April and June 2024 application roundsResearch Grants (June round): 8 applications were received and 3 grants were awarded. Details of the awards will be reported in the next newsletter, once the awards have been reported to Council. Undergraduate Project Scholarships (June round): No applications were received.
Conference Attendance Grants: (April and June rounds): 75 applications were received for the ECBB 2024 in Zurich, 5 of which were not eligible. All 70 eligible applications were awarded. The amount awarded was £41,699.53 for ECBB 2024. (These figures include £3000 for ECBB 2024 that had previously been awarded to two applicants in the February round.) Childcare Grants (April and June rounds): These grants contribute to the additional costs of childcare for ASAB members attending ASAB conferences. 4 eligible applications were received, and all funded. The total amount awarded was £1,770.00 for ECBB 2024. Accessibility Grants (April and June rounds): No applications were received. ‘Developing Country’ Conference Attendance Grant awardees at ECBB 2024 in ZurichIn 2022, ASAB introduced a higher tranche of Conference Attendance Grants from £500 to £2500 restricted to applicants from developing countries. At ECBB 2024 there were six awardees from developing countries receiving awards in the higher tranche, plus a further nine receiving the standard amount. Fourteen of the fifteen are pictured below, and the fifteenth - Svitlana Kudrenko from Ukraine - at the top of the Grants section above.
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From left to right: Kamrun Azad, Japan, Bangladesh national; Chayan_Munshi, India; Shweta_Mukundaan, India; Avik Banerjee, India; Chantima Piyapong, Thailand; Mihieke Bose, India; Subhashis_Halder, India; Zakhiya_PC, India; Nishant_Kumar, India; Srinwanti Bandyopadhyay, India; Manasa Kulkarni, India; Rohan Sarkar, India; Shahaboddin Zarei, China, Iran national; Chena Desai, India |
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Education Committee News September 2024From Wrexham in August to Oxford and Cambridge in October, we have been on the road, sharing animal behaviour science and career inspiration along the way. Pop along to the Oxford IF Science and Ideas Festival. ASAB is sponsoring Animal Boudoirs 12th October at the Explorazone. https://if-oxford.com/events/ From thought-provoking talks and captivating performances to engaging tours and family-friendly zones, the Festival once again offers something for everyone. On the same day we will be in Cambridge at the Hills Road Big Biology Day. A big thanks to Lucinda Kirkpatrick, Lovesha Sivanantharajah and Yelena Ivanova from Bangor University. We spent a brilliant two days at Xplore in Wrexham for their Darganfod Discover Science Festival. Lucinda brought along her animal trackers and talked about all the different reasons you might want to track animals and study their behaviour. Lovesha and Yelena were accompanied by their Drosphila and young people tried to spot the differences between the flies, whilst finding out how fruit flies help us understand Alzheimer’s. Public Engagement Grants HighlightsThroughout June, July and August, visitors to Aberdeen Science Centre had the opportunity to take part in activities exploring the behaviour of urban animals at an Urban Animal Activity Station funded by ASAB. In Nest or Not, participants used real bird nests and bird boxes as inspiration for building bird nests using natural and synthetic materials. In Habitat Hunters, participants considered the elements of a habitat and designed mock real estate advertisements for animal habitats. In the camouflage challenge, participants searched for animals like rabbits and gulls hiding in photographs taken along the streets surrounding the Centre. A news board displayed full research and journal articles relating to urban animals. Picture matching activities, a memory game and origami craft also featured. The activity stations were very popular with visitors to the Centre and prompted the building of new relationships between the Science Centre, local researchers and wildlife organisations which will be explored further in future.
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ASAB-funded Urban Animal Activity Station at the Aberdeen Science Centre |
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Gabriella Gall from the University of Konstanz applied for co-funding to deliver a field course aimed at equipping young South African animal behaviour students with field methodology skills and introducing them to collective behaviour research at an active field site, the Kalahari Research Centre (KRC, https://kalahariresearchcentre.org/krc/), Northern Cape, South Africa. The course was planned, organised and taught by Vlad Demartsev, University of Konstanz, Chanel Rhampartab, University of Witwatersrand, Kyle Finn University of Pretoria and Gabriella Gall, University of Konstanz. In addition, they had one course assistant Syiabonga Sangweni, a participant of last years’ course. The course was also funded by the Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz. The fieldcourse ran successfully this summer and will have a lasting impact on the participants.
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Field course training South African students in field methodology skills at the Kalahari Research Centre field site. |
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Undergraduate Recognition Award 🏆The ASAB Undergraduate Recognition Award recognises undergraduates who have engaged with the study of animal behaviour in an outstanding manner. Congratulations to this year’s brilliant undergraduates 🥳, we have awarded prizes to: Anoushka Pinto – Newcastle University Ishani Nanda - Queen Mary University of London Renata Chiarella - Liverpool John Moores University Robin Laurie - University of York Timea Szonyi - University of Portsmouth Frances Duncan-Morris - University of Aberdeen Lauren Kent-Walton - University of Chester
We want to award undergraduate prizes for 2025… If you have a worthy undergraduate please nominate them here.
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Photos of our undergraduate awardees (from left to right: Anoushka Pinto – Newcastle University; Timea Szonyi - University of Portsmouth) |
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If you’ve made it this far, thanks for reading! We’re looking forward to catching up with you in Edinburgh for the Winter Meeting. Until then!
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