Deadline for submissions: March 6, 2107. Winner Announced APRIL 6, 2017

Subject:

We are seeking colorful and informative posters covering aspects of enrichment used with any laboratory animal species. Accepted posters will be displayed at the Ninth Annual MSMR Enrichment Symposium: All Creatures Big and Small … Animal Enrichment in a Laboratory Environment on April 6, 2017.

The poster award recipient(s) will demonstrate how (a) enrichment concepts are utilized, (b) living environments are enhanced, (c) research is positively impacted with welfare improvements, and/or (d) stress is reduced in the laboratory animals. This critical information must be conveyed in a clear, concise and professional manner. The poster cannot be for commercial advertisement or soliciting sales of a product.

Poster Size:

2’ x 3’ Submit as PDFs. Winners will be asked to provide their poster mounted on foam board for display at the Symposium

Submission details:

Posters should be submitted as PDF files in two versions: (i) one version with all author and contact information and (ii) one blind judging version without any author or contact information. Deadline for submission is March 6, 2017.

Email your PDFs as attachments to msmrposters@msmr.org. In the body of the e-mail include your name, institution, telephone number and poster title as well as your collaborators’ names, titles, and institutions.

Posters will be judged on the following criteria:

• Relevance
• Does the enrichment promote species appropriate behavior, improved welfare, and/or better understanding of behavior?
• Metrics
• Are metrics available to support the findings?
• Impact & Innovation
• What is the overall future or continuing impact on the broader scientific community of the innovations and/or efforts? Are the data novel; does this work contribute to basic knowledge of animal behavior/welfare?
• Potential for broad adoption
• Can the enrichment be widely adopted?

Technical Spec: Here are the required* and suggested elements for your poster:

• Title*
• Authors*
• Institutional Affiliation*
• Abstract – a brief abstract, up to 200 words*
• Background (if applicable)
• Materials and Methods (if applicable) If your poster is about construction of a novel device, please be sure to include pictures of the device!
• Results
• Conclusions*
• References (if applicable)

Submission deadline:

March 6, 2017

Notification:

Applicants will be notified of acceptance by e-mail. Accepted posters will be displayed at the Enrichment Symposium.

The poster award recipient will receive a certificate and a $250 honorarium, generously donated by BioServ.

Attendance and Display:

If your poster is accepted, please plan to be at the Enrichment Symposium on April 6, 2017, at the Boston Marriott Newton AND BRING YOUR POSTER WITH YOU FOR DISPLAY. This Symposium is offered at no charge to MSMR members; non-members – if your poster is accepted, the first author is also invited to attend at no charge.

Questions:

Send questions to lynne.walsh@msmr.org