WARDER CLYDE ALLEE AWARD: BEST STUDENT PAPER
The Warder Clyde Allee Symposium for best student paper is always a highlight of the conference as it features outstanding graduate student research, with an award for the best paper and talk. The session honors Dr. Warder Clyde Allee (1885–1955) who was very influential in the development and direction of animal behavior research in the 20th century. Dr. Allee earned his PhD from the University of Chicago in 1912, was a faculty member at the University of Illinois, University of Oklahoma, University of Chicago, and University of Florida. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1951 and ranks among the leading twentieth century ecologists.
The Allee Symposium has been a highlight of our annual meetings since 1972! In the 2024 ABS Allee Session, finalists were selected to present their research based on the quality of their papers.
To participate in the Allee Symposium
- any independent graduate student research is eligible, but the students must have had the principal responsibility for the conceptualization and design of the research, the collection and analysis of the data, and the interpretation of the results.
- you must be a graduate student or have defended your dissertation since the last annual meeting.
- you must submit an extended abstract, which is used by the judging committee to select the participants.
- The presentations cover multiple years of work and so you get to hear a complete story.
- The half-hour time slot allows time for the presenters to put their work in context.
- The talks are invariably beautifully prepared and well practiced, and very unlikely to have been written on the plane on the way to the conference.
WILLIAM C. YOUNG FOUNDER MEMORIAL POSTER AWARD
Each year a poster competition, named after a Founder of the Animal Behavior Society, is held at the annual meeting. A founder is defined as “A person active in the period prior to 1966 who held at least two administrative positions, elected or appointed, in ABS or the ESA Section on Animal Behavior and Sociobiology or the ASZ Division of Animal Behavior as recorded by the ABS Historian.” The Founders’ award is for outstanding posters presented at the annual meeting. This year the Founders Memorial Poster Competition was named to honor James C. Braddock.
There were many excellent posters presenting excellent science!.
The judges identified one outstanding poster, notable for its innovative science and clear presentation.
The grand prize winner of the James C. Braddock Founders Award for 2023 was:
Jordan Graves (University of California, Davis) - “"Why vampire bats share blood-meals with non-relatives: an agent-based modeling approach"
Honorable Mentions:
Aastha Saini (Western University), "Illuminating Avian Sleep: Understanding the Impact of Artificial Light at Night on Memory Consolidation,"
Ednei B. dos Santos (Korea Brain Research Institute), "Influence of ambient temperature on song production and performance in zebra finches"
GENESIS AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING UNDERGRADUATE POSTER PRESENTATION
First presented at the 2000 ABS Annual meeting, the Genesis Award honors the best undergraduate poster presented at the meeting. This year, 32 undergraduate students submitted posters for the Genesis Undergraduate Poster Competition, and the quality of posters were extremely high.
The Genesis Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Poster Presentation was award to three winners:
Mackenzie Amlin for the poster entitled:
“Chimney swift population trends, chimney use, and weather impacts on phenology and roosting behaviour”
Rohith Srinvivasan for the poster entitled:
“Are female songs structurally different from males songs in the White-bellied Sholakili?”
Alissa Murphy and Eswar Gopalakrishnan for the poster entitled:
“Bumblebee color preferences while pollen foraging”
Left to right: Mackenzie Amlin, Rohith Srinvivasan, Eswar Gopalakrishnan. Not in picture: Alissa Murphy.
The other awardees were:
Honorable Mention
Fiona E. Corcoran (University of Michigan)
“Field-realistic Exposure to Neonicotinoid Pesticide Impairs Visual and Olfactory Learning in Paper Wasps”
Honorable Mention
Abigail T. Reynolds (University of Nebraska at Omaha)
“Bold and shy zebrafish vary in their use of egocentric cues to navigate a T-maze”
ABS FILM FESTIVAL AWARD
Now in its 40th year, the ABS film festival featured top films that were produced in the preceding five years that portray important concepts in animal behavior research and education. Categories include both amateur (non-commercial) and professional (commercial) films. Films were ranked based on their accuracy, quality of narration, quality of videography, degree of anthropomorphism, and overall appeal.
After careful deliberation, the Film Committee was happy to announce that the ABS 2024 Film of the Year in the:
Non-Commercial category was awarded to “Together for Lynx” “”, directed by Gregor Šubic and Timotej Vrtnik.
First runner up in the non-commercial film category was “Head Hunters” directed by Prajwal Krishnaswamy Manjunath
Second runner up in the non-commercial film category was “The Rise of the White Ibis” directed by Zygmunt Bannock.
Commercial category was awarded to “Grizzly Rewild” directed by Brad Quenville.
First runner up in the commercial film category was “Namibia’s Natural Wonders - Little Heroes, Big Hunters" directed by Jens Westphalen and Thoralf Grospitz.
CHARLES H. TURNER AWARDS
In 2002, the Animal Behavior Society created the Charles H. Turner Program to enhance undergraduate participation at the annual society meetings. Charles Turner was the first known African American researcher in animal behavior. He earned his PhD from the University of Chicago in 1907. Among other things, his research showed that insects can hear and exhibit trial-and-error learning. By naming the undergraduate program after him, the ABS Diversity Committee emphasizes its goal of increasing the diversity of its membership by encouraging researchers of all ages, levels and ethnic groups to participate in the annual meetings.
The ABS Diversity committee selected twelve Charles H. Turner Fellows from 30 highly qualified undergraduate applicants to bring to the meeting in Portland, Oregon this year, covering all expenses and providing a full program of events including a pre-meeting workshop and direct mentorship from junior and senior scientists. This years’ deserving Turner award winners were:
Victoria Abuwa
Victor Baquera
Gretel Huber
Aleida Iriarte
Fadumo Muse
Yennhi Phan
Ana Maria Romero-Chacón
Gabriel Sadongei
Rohith Srinivasan
Yeng Xiong
Left to right: Victoria Abuwa, Victor Baquera, Gretel Huber, Aleida Iriarte, Yennhi Phan, Ana Maria Romero-Chacón, Gabriel Sadongei, Rohith Srinivasan, Yeng Xiong
Special thanks goes to the Diversity Committee, Turner Program organizers, and Turner Program Steering Committee.