Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Anti-Bias (IDEA)

The Inclusivity, Diversity, Equity, and Anti-bias Committee has hosted a number of forums, workshops, socials, surveys, and symposia since its inception. Forums have included “Women and Minorities in Science” (1992) and “Where do we go from here?” (1996). Social events have included luncheons like “Women and Minority Issues (What does ASM have to offer you?)” (1995) and the Member Mixer and Social for Diversity (2003). The committee helped survey annual meeting participants in 1999, 2003, 2007, and 2011. 

In the past year, the IDEA committee administered the Black and Indigenous Scholars in Mammalogy Award, selected and supported 4 undergraduate students to attend the annual meeting, held an LGBTQIA+ social event at the annual meeting, and developed and posted a guide to making conference oral presentations and posters more accessible. 

The IDEA committee is currently working to administer the Black and Indigenous Scholars in Mammalogy Award and J. Mary Taylor Award, organize affinity group socials, bring and support students from marginalized backgrounds to annual meetings, review and update society documentation as necessary, and conduct a survey of the safety issues facing field mammalogists. Our work takes a variety of skillsets, backgrounds, and interests to complete, ranging from organizing socials to evaluating applications to designing surveys. We have work for everyone! Please reach out to the committee chair if you are interested in joining these efforts. 

History of Human Diversity Committee Activities

Rising undergraduates in mammalogy travel support

Interested in learning about mammals? Exploring career opportunities in mammalian research and conservation in North America and around the world? How about networking with professors, graduate students, undergraduates from other universities, and other professionals? If so, then apply for rising undergraduates in mammalogy travel support to attend the 103rd annual meeting of the American Society of Mammalogists in Boulder, Colorado, June 7 – 12, 2024! 

The American Society of Mammalogists is a professional organization dedicated to the study of mammals worldwide. We are offering travel awards to fully support curious and motivated undergraduate students to join us at our next annual meeting! Because of the numerous barriers that scientists from many backgrounds face, in this program we are prioritizing students with identities that have been marginalized in mammalogy or biology more broadly. By reducing the financial barriers of attending a conference, we hope to bring scientists from diverse backgrounds into mammalogy. 

The travel award will cover round-trip transportation, a meal stipend, lodging, and registration costs for award recipients. We expect to grant 5 awardees. Awardees will be required to participate in pre-conference workshops to prepare them for attendance (expected ~ 5-hour time commitment). Awardees will have support and guidance throughout the conference from graduate students or early-career professionals. Awardees will be expected to complete a 1-2 page reflection essay after the conference to improve the program in the following years. 

Eligibility:

• This award is open to undergraduate students attending college, university, or community college in North America. Note: we hope to be able to expand this to students outside of North America in the future, but funds prevent us from doing so at the moment. 
• Applicants must be someone whose identities have been marginalized in mammalogy or biology more broadly. These identities may include, but are not limited to, being a first generation college student, low socioeconomic status, Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian and Pacific Islander, a Person of Color, disabled, neurodivergent, LGBTQIA+, nonbinary, nontraditional student, or a combination of these characteristics. 
• Applicants can graduate in May 2024 and still be eligible for the award. 
• Applicants must be pursuing an undergraduate degree related to the study of mammalogy. This could include, but is not limited to, biology, ecology, rangeland, wildlife biology, zoology, and natural resources. 
• Applicants must have a strong interest in working with mammals in their professional career. 
• Applicants do not need to present original research at the meeting. Applicants do not need to be members of ASM. 
• Preference will be given to applicants who have not attended a professional meeting before. 
• Preference will be given to students who do not have funds to attend the meeting without this award. 

Application:

• Resume or curriculum vitae, any length. This should document any relevant classes, internships, work, research, or volunteer experiences and any professional conference you have attended.
• An essay between 500 and 1500 words (in total) that specifically addresses each of the following prompts: 
  • How does your identity influence your career interests and aspirations?
  • What are your career aspirations? Specifically address how your career aspirations contribute to furthering the scientific knowledge of mammals, their habitats, or their conservation and management. 
  • Please describe your involvement in classes, clubs, organizations, internships, undergraduate research, etc., that demonstrates your commitment to mammalogy. 
  • How do you envision that attending the ASM conference will benefit you in achieving your career aspirations? 
  • Please indicate whether you have attended a professional scientific meeting or conference before. 
• A proposed budget for the travel costs that would be required for you to travel from where you live to Boulder, Colorado. Include whether any funds are available to you through your college, university, lab group, etc., if you do not receive this award. 
• The name, contact information (email and phone number), and type of relationship for 1 professional reference. We will contact references towards the end of the selection process.

Application deadline is February 15, 2024. Applicants will be notified of whether or not they received the award by March 15, 2024. Applicants are also encouraged to apply to the Honoraria and Travel Awards. 

To Apply

Submit your application here. Applications are due February 15.

J. Mary Taylor Award

The J. Mary Taylor Award was created in 2020 to recognize a person or group who has strengthened the mammalogy community by promoting inclusiveness, diversity, and multiculturalism in our field.

The J. Mary Taylor Award was developed collaboratively by the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Anti-Bias Committee (formerly Human Diversity Committee) and the ASM Office of the Ombudspersons, and honors our first female president, Dr. J. Mary Taylor (President 1982–1984). Mary’s leadership for the Society and the institutions she led exemplifies our commitment to diversity, inclusivity, and equity within the field of mammalogy. This award recognizes the impact of an individual or a team through contributions that promote and improve the accessibility, inclusivity, diversity, and multiculturalism of our discipline or of our Society.

Mary Taylor (1931–2019) broke barriers throughout her career. She was a consummate mammalogist and deeply committed to both the ASM and to her students, graduate and undergraduate alike. She was noted for her groundbreaking research as a field and museum biologist. Among her positions, she served as Professor of Zoology and Director of the Cowan Vertebrate Museum at the University of British Columbia, Executive Director of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, Chairperson of the IUCN Rodent Specialist Committee, and Vice President of the Association of Science Museum Directors. We remember her fondly for her leadership, her “can do” personality, and friendship within the ASM. In recognition of her accomplishments, she was awarded Honorary Membership in 2001. For additional details on Mary’s life and accomplishments see Horner et al. (1996) and Woolley (2021).

Donate to the J. Mary Taylor Award here.

Eligibility & Selection Criteria:

• Nominee(s) must be active ASM members in good standing, and must adhere to the ASM Code of Conduct.
• Nominations must come from an ASM member in good standing; self-nominations are acceptable.
• Nominees may be individuals or teams, and may be at any career stage or level of experience.
• Individuals may only receive the award one time.
• Awards will be given only in years when compelling and suitable nominations are available.

Application Requirements:

• Name and contact details of the nominator(s).
• Name and contact details of the nominee(s).
• A 1-page cover letter explaining the relationship of the nominator to the nominee(s) and providing a brief overview of the nominee’s contributions to accessibility, inclusivity, diversity, and multiculturalism of our discipline or of our Society.
• Itemized account (maximum 3 pages) of activities for the person/group nominated. Each item should include dates and a brief explanation of the activity (3-4 sentences), highlighting the nature of impact it has had on inclusivity, diversity, multiculturalism, and/or equity in the field of mammalogy or the American Society of Mammalogists. “Activities” may be broadly interpreted and could include service, courses taught, presentations, research, and outreach. This list is not exhaustive—any activity that you feel is relevant to this award may be included. For as many of the activities as possible, please include supporting links or materials (e.g., syllabi, webpages, publications, informational documentation, etc.) that will aid the committee in assessing the nominee’s contributions.

The selection committee will be considering factors such as breadth and scale of impact, nominee growth and commitment, timeliness of initiatives, and how the nominee is assessing their impact.

The application period for the 2024 J. Mary Taylor Award is open and will close at 11:59pm PST on April 15, 2024.

To Apply

Submit your nomination here. Nominations are due April 15.

Black and Indigenous Scholars in Mammalogy Award

This was award developed through the efforts of leadership in Black Mammalogists Week, which was created in 2020 to raise awareness of the global community of Black mammalogists, to illuminate the historical and present-day contributions of Black mammalogists to the field of Mammalogy, and to provide opportunities for current and aspiring Black mammalogists across the Diaspora to form conscious, fruitful, forward-viewing connections. The ASM shares with originators of Black Mammalogists Week a vision of a future where young people of all backgrounds will realize that they are not only welcome, but indeed are needed and vital parts of a fully grounded science of mammalogy.  Reflecting our shared desire to realize this goal, ASM and Black Mammalogists Week leadership have worked closely to help promote this vision – to ensure that a future of equality and inclusivity is the only future for us all.

Donate to the Black & Indigenous Scholars award here.

Terms of award.

The Black and Indigenous Scholars award is targeted at research and activities related to mammals. There are no thematic limits to this award; research on ecology, behavior, biogeography, genomics, physiology, taxonomy, or any other arena is acceptable. The only taxonomic limit is that this is not intended to support research on humans (although research on how humans impact non-human mammals could be acceptable). Applicant will be a current, potential, or aspiring Mammalogist from or residing in North or South America who is Black/African American, African, and/or Indigenous, as outlined in the United Nations guidelines for identifying Indigenous peoples.

Individuals at any level of experience may apply, including high school, undergraduate, and graduate students, as well as postdoctoral researchers, early professionals (within 5 years of terminal degree), and established professionals. High school-level applicants are invited to apply, but must be asking for funding for a formal course, program, or training related to Mammalogy. To maximize the gains of this award, applications from students and early-career professionals will be given priority over established professionals. The award may be used to support the cost of equipment or supplies; field assistants; travel to/from research sites, museums, or other venues for research or coursework; meeting registration cost and travel to meetings; publishing costs; course or training fees; or per diem, as justified by the applicant. The award may not be used for “pay to play” or other exploitative “volunteer” opportunities. Applicants do not need to be affiliated with academic institutions. Applicants do not need to be current members of the American Society of Mammalogists.

Selection criteria.

The review committee will emphasize the quality of efforts and impact of the applicant over more traditional quantitative measures. The following general themes will be emphasized:

1. The applicant will be a scholar from or residing in the Western Hemisphere who is Black/African American, African, and/or Indigenous. 
2. Career status of high school level and above; there is no age limit.
3. Ability to speak to how the award will help the applicant professionally. It is implicit that this will relate to the field of mammalogy in some way.
4. Ability to speak to how the applicant’s identity has contributed to their career goals, interests, and hopes. 
5. Proposals that have broad impacts and where the funds can go further than the applicant’s specific project.

Application.

In recognition of the innumerable contributions that Black/African American, African, and Indigenous mammalogists have contributed to Mammalogy in the past, present, and future, the American Society of Mammalogists and Black Mammalogists Week are collaborating to offer awards of up to $1500 to support the further development of Mammalogy by Black/African American, African, and Indigenous people.

Application Process

1. Name, email, address, and phone number of the applicant.
2. Application materials shall include:
   1. An itemized budget of proposed activities (including matching funds, if appropriate), ranging from $200 to a maximum of $1,500. Indicate whether you are applying for other funding, and the sources you are applying to.
   2. A supporting statement with responses to each of the questions listed below. Applications should list each of the questions below in bold and their responses should follow under each question. Responses should be 100–500 words each. Responses should be compiled into a single document (PDF or Word document acceptable), with 1” margins, single-spaced, and Arial/Times New Roman/Calibri fonts.
      • What are your goals, interests, and hopes for your future career?
      • How will this award help you to achieve your career goals, interests, and hopes?
      • How has being Black/African American, African, and/or Indigenous brought you to where you are now, and how do you see your identities influencing your future career?
      • How do you see this award benefiting you, as well as your colleagues, friends, mentees, discipline, or community?
      • If you receive partial funding from this grant that is lower than your submitted budget, how will you use the partial funding?
3. A reference letter from a professional who can speak to 1) the applicant’s current and future work in Mammalogy, 2) how much the applicant has been pursuing alternative funding sources, and 3) how the funds from this award would benefit the applicant’s lab, department, or discipline more broadly. A reference letter is required, and should be submitted by 11:59 pm PST on the day the application is due. 

Deadline.

Awards are solicited each fall. Autumn applications will open on September 1 and close at 11:59 pm PST on October 15; award recipients will be notified by November 15. Any questions about the application process or the award itself can be directed to Rhiannon Jakopak at asm.idea.committee@gmail.com.

To Apply

The webform for applications is here and available during periods where we are accepting applications

*We follow UN guidelines in defining indigenous peoples.  See, for example, “The concept of indigenous peoples”, pp. 4-7 in United Nations 2009.  See also the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Peoples factsheet.

Black and Indigenous Scholars in Mammalogy Award

• 2023—Deandra Jones, University of Arizona
• 2023—Tabitha McFarland, Explora Science Center and Children's Museum
• 2023—Ilana Mosley, Texas A&M University
• 2023—Tommy Herrera, University of California, Berkeley
• 2022—Veronarindra Ramananjato, University of California, Berkeley
• 2022—Ingrid Beatriz Ferreira Paixão, Federal University of Uberlândia
• 2022—Juann Abreu, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco

J. Mary Taylor Award

• 2023—Dr. Matina Kalcounis-Rueppell, University of Alberta
• 2022—Dr. Jesus Maldonado, Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute

Making mammalogy more accessible, inclusive, and diverse requires that we spend time learning and unlearning. The American Society of Mammalogist’s Inclusivity, Diversity, Equity, and Anti-bias Committee compiled a list of peer-reviewed papers, online articles, reports, blog posts, podcasts, and more that are focused on inclusivity, diversity, equity, and anti-bias. Access this list here, and check back periodically to see updated resources.