Sixth Annual Science of Enrichment Symposium

November 7, 2023 10:00 AM to November 8, 2023 12:30 PM
All sessions will be held virtually via the Zoom webinar platform

Zebrafish with plant enrichment in fish tankHosted by the Unit for Laboratory Animal Medicine (ULAM) Behavioral Welfare Group the Sixth Annual Science of Enrichment Symposium is a two-day virtual event designed to engage laboratory animal staff and research investigators in the science of environmental enrichment for animals used in biomedical research.

This year's Symposium will take place on Tuesday, November 7, and Wednesday, November 8, from 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST each day.

All sessions will be held virtually via Zoom Webinar and will focus on evidence-based recommendations for enrichment best practice(s) featuring speakers from academia, government, and industry with expertise in rodents, reptiles, pigs, exotic animals, and NHPs.

Speaking Sessions

TIME** SESSION & SPEAKER
10:00 AM -10:30AM Building Trust: The Art of Gentle Mouse Handling and Habituation
presented by Prathipa Andandarajan, PhD Candidate, Univeristy of Guelph/Canada
10:45 AM – 11:15 AM Pointed Observations of Spiny Mice: Perspectives on Enrichment, Welfare, and Husbandry
presented by Matthew Boulander, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Univeristy of Michigan, Unit for Laboratory Animal Medicine
11:30 AM – 11:45 AM Refined Mouse Handling
presented by Lauren Young, 3RsC Program Manager, The 3Rs Collaborative (The 3RsC)
12:00 PM – 12:30 PM Behavioral Management Programs for Research Animals
presented by Sarah Thurston, BS, LAT, CLABP; Coordinator, Animal Behavior and Welfare Management Programs


**All session times are Eastern Standard Time (EST)

TIME** SESSION & SPEAKER
10:00 AM – 10:30 AM The Value of Evaluation: Examples of Enrichment Assessments with Dogs, Swine, and Primates
presented by Lydia M. Hopper, PhD; Associate Professor and Director of Behavioral Management, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
10:45 AM – 11:15 AM  The Importance of Early Socialization for Captive Primates
presented by Allison Heagerty, PhD; Social Housing Coordinator, Oregon National Primate Research Center
11:30 AM – 12:00 PM  Why Does Lifelong Conventional Housing Reduce the Sociability of Female Mice?
presented by Lindsey Kitchenham*, Basma Nazal, Aimee Adcock, Emma Nip, Aileen MacLellan, Georgia Mason, Department of Integrative Biology, Univeristy of Guelph, Guelph Ontario Canada
*PhD Candidate and speaker
12:00 PM – 12:30 PM Topic-Rooting Opportunities for Laboratory Swine
presented by Freddy De La Garza, Behavior Management Specialist, Becton Dickinson/Research Triangle Park, NC


**All session times are Eastern Standard Time (EST)

Individual sessions may be recorded at the speaker’s discretion. Recordings of select sessions will be made available to registrants for approximately 30 days after the event. Please email brinsonk@umich.edu for additional questions about session recordings.

Registration Information

There is a $25 registration fee (payable via credit card or shortcode) to attend this event. Please use this link to access the registration page, you will be prompted to make an IRIS account or to log into an existing one before seeing the registration form and payment screen. The Zoom Webinar link will be sent to all registrants via email on November 1.

Continuing Education Credit

Technicians certified through AALAS will be eligible for CE credits. CE certificates will be provided within one month (30 business days) of the Symposium's conclusion.

Questions

  • If you have any questions about this event, please contact ULAM Faculty Veterinarian Tara Martin, DVM, at taramar@umich.edu.
  • For registration questions, please contact Kadi Swerdlow in the ULAM Business Office at brinsonk@umich.edu.