The Cindy Wilson Animal Behavior Science Scholarship
The Animal Behavior Management Alliance (ABMA) announces an annual scholarship that will provide financial support to an active student studying to obtain an animal science or an animal behavioral science degree. The ABMA will be awarding two (2) $1,000.00 scholarships for the student to use for their academic needs as they pursue their degree. We will begin accepting applications starting May 1st. Applicants will be required to submit judging information by May 31st. The winners will be notified by July 1st of the same year. Contact us with any questions.
Applicants must submit the following criteria:
1. Signed Submission Form. (This is a pdf. You will need to download the form and choose fill/sign to add text to the 3 required areas on the form.)
2. Curriculum Vitae and copy of your current transcript.
3. Student must be in good standing within their country’s grading system.
4. State your major.
5. Write or record a video of a 500-word essay that explains why this scholarship is important to you, what do you hope to gain by winning this scholarship and how you can best represent the ABMA core values.
6. Letter of reference.
7. Are you receiving funding from other sources? If you are, please list.
Are you ready apply?
Fill out the Cindy Wilson Animal Behavior Science Scholarship application!
The Animal Behavior Management Alliance will consider qualified individuals for scholarships and grants without regard to any legally protected status, including age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, or special disabled or other covered veteran status in accordance with applicable state and federal laws.
The ABMA Mission, Vision and Core Values
The Animal Behavior Management Alliance (ABMA) is a not-for-profit corporation with a membership comprised of animal care professionals and other individuals interested in enhancing animal care through training and enrichment. The ABMA is intended to be nurturing and informative, and was created to serve trainers, handlers, and keepers of animals, irrespective of species, with information and assistance in the behavior management of their charges.
Our Mission
The Animal Behavior Management Alliance (ABMA) continually strives to advance intentional and enlightened behavior management to improve the lives and welfare of all animals.
Our Vision
It is the vision of this organization to become nationally and internationally recognized as the leading authority on the behavior management of animals in human care. The ABMA, through its board of directors, committees, and individual members- utilizing publications, conferences, and other venues of communication - seeks to provide the latest behavior management information and technology in order to encourage optimal behavior management paradigms for both captive and wild animals.
Our Core Values
1. Behavior management is an essential component of animal welfare.
2. Environmental enrichment and positive reinforcement training are highly effective strategies for managing and modifying behavior.
3. Goal-based enrichment, designed to offer animals behavioral opportunities, is an essential component of all animal programs.
4. Positive reinforcement training is our most effective and ethical method of behavior modification.
5. Human and animal safety must be at the core of an animal behavior management program.
6. Learning should be conducted in a nurturing and non-threatening environment for both animals and people.
7. Science-based methods of assessment are a valuable tool for evaluating, refining, and advancing behavior management strategies.
8. Behavior management can advance conservation by helping to mitigate human-animal conflict in wild populations, facilitating in situ conservation efforts, and maintaining behaviorally and physically healthy captive populations.
9. Pro-active behavior management is an essential component of responsible animal care since learning is always occurring.
10. The sharing of knowledge and new ideas is fundamental to advancing animal behavior management.
Congratulations to our 2023 scholarship winners!
Kaitlyn Willgohs is studying towards her PhD in Cognitive and Comparative Psychology at the Graduate Center, City University of New York.
Malone Revis is studying towards his Bachelor’s of Science. His major is Zoology with a minor in animal behavior at the University of New Hampshire.
