NEWSLETTER
  Animal Behavior Society

Dear Fellow ABS Members,

We are pleased to announce the 2022 annual meeting of the Animal Behavior Society, to be held July 20-23, 2022 in San Jose, Costa Rica, with a vibrant virtual component to reach more widely to all in our community. We look forward to seeing many of our fellow animal behaviorists in-person in a COVID-safe environment while connecting and sharing our research with those from around the world as we enjoyed for the past two virtual ABS meetings. We have a terrific lineup of both plenary speakers and symposia on diverse topics spanning the range of animal behavior. We also have a full slate of pre-meeting workshops that we invite you to investigate.

This year, we are excited to feature the return of the in-person component at a beautiful and entertaining location. To make this a safe meeting, we will follow strict COVID protocols put in place both by Costa Rica and our society, requiring full vaccination, use of face masks, social distancing, and careful monitoring of symptoms. As of the end of January 2022, Costa Rica has one of the highest COVID vaccination rates in Latin America with 72% of the population fully vaccinated (80% with one dose). The venue for the meeting was selected to provide safe opportunities to interact, and we are carefully monitoring COVID conditions to update and adjust protocols accordingly. The meeting will have flexible registration dates, and the possibility to switch between in-person and virtual participation, to accommodate COVID-related concerns. We invite you to go over the FAQ about COVID and traveling to Costa Rica. We are committed to continue offering a virtual component for the meeting as this provides opportunities for additional top-notch animal behaviorists that are unable to travel to engage with our community. To be able to fully support this platform under a budget that will allow widespread participation, recordings of in-person and virtual presentations will be available for one month after the meeting. The virtual platform will provide space for informal interactions, with the opportunity for attendees to have Q&As and schedule their own themed “Happy Half Hour” Zoom sessions. These were a big hit at the previous virtual meetings, so we encourage you to plan ahead and schedule a session or two around your favorite topic in animal behavior.

There will also be mentoring programs for early career researchers, a strong program integrating diversity, equity and inclusion related conversations, and plenty of time for ABS members to learn about the exciting new initiatives underway in the Society. Last, but not least, this meeting will provide opportunities for researchers with all levels of English proficiency to participate and engage with our community as we hope to strengthen and grow connections between animal behaviorists across the Americas.

More information will be available soon, including abstract submission. Our abstract deadlines will remain similar to previous years and follow the traditional first-come first-served system. Unlike previous ABS meetings, registration will not be required at the time of submitting your abstract. We are opening registration closer to the date of the conference to give you more time, if necessary, to adjust your traveling plans and make careful decisions about virtual or in-person participation. Please check the ABS website often for updates.

Together with the ABS Meeting Planning Committee and the ABS Executive Committee, we are excited to invite you to our 2022 meeting. We look forward to an engaging hybrid meeting and hosting you this summer at ABS 2022!