The Douglas K. Candland Fund for Animal Behavior has already had a remarkable impact on our program, providing steady support for a variety of educational experiences. Because animal behavior is a program and not a department, we have not had a discretionary budget, but rather relied on stretching donations over time and requesting support from the biology and psychology departments for our program’s needs. We are truly grateful for the new opportunities that this fund has created for our animal      behavior program.

Four undergraduate students traveled to Japan in summer 2023 with Professor Reggie Gazes, animal behavior. The four students -- Christian B. ’23, Grace K. ’23, Jordana G. ’24 and Brie L. ’25 -- visited cultural sites and spent a month working with scientists on their studies of cognition in chimpanzees at the Center for the Evolutionary Origins of Human Behavior in Inuyama, Japan. Professor Gazes could not have provided this unique and immersive educational opportunity to the students without the support of  this fund.

The fund also paid for our lead primate animal care taker, Kelsey Lingenfeler, to attend the Animal Behavior Management Alliance Annual Conference (ABMA last spring. The ABMA is composed of animal care professionals working to enhance animal care and improve the lives and welfare of all animals through training and enrichment. The conference provided a unique opportunity for animal care professionals from all backgrounds to gather, connect and learn about animal behavior and behavior management from one another in a very welcoming environment.

Kelsey used some of the connections she made and incorporated information from the presentations she attended to modify and strengthen the behavior management program for our primates at Bucknell. Our staff, animals and students all benefit when our animal care staff attend trainings like those offered at the conference. Many thanks for making this vital education possible.

The fund also supported the hire of our newest animal behavior faculty member, Professor Natalie Awad Schwob, psychology, who works with primates. We are extremely excited that she accepted the position and joined our faculty, and look forward to sharing more about her work with you in the future.

We are more grateful for this support to our program than we can express, as it provides a dependable source of funding to support our students, research and plans for the future. On behalf of my colleagues and students in animal behavior, thank you! I hope to have the opportunity to meet you and tell you how much I appreciate your support in person in the near future.