The Campbell Centre is looking forward to hosting the 2025 North American Regional Meeting of the International Society of Applied Ethology (ISAE). This meeting brings together ISAE members – students, researchers, and faculty – to share their work, collaborate, and learn from one another. The meeting will take place on May 14th and 15th, 2025 in the Arboretum Centre at the University of Guelph. Click below to learn more about:
- Keynote Speakers
- Registration
- Accommodation
- Conference Schedule
- Scholarships
- Sponsorship Opportunities
Keynote Speakers:
Day 1: Invisible harm: how our blind spots reveal unanswered questions in animal welfare
(followed by lunch with grad students)
Professor Cassandra Tucker
https://animalscience.ucdavis.edu/people/faculty/cassandra-tucker
Concerns about animal welfare are rooted in ethical considerations for how we, as a society, house and manage animals we use for food or other human purposes. As a result, how we view animal welfare considerations varies with our perspectives, beliefs and values. In my work as a researcher interested in animal welfare and generating knowledge to inform best practice on farms, I have encountered blind spots in these considerations. These blind spots are my own as well as those of farmers, caregivers and other stakeholders. Rather than offering a comprehensive list, I will focus on four types of blind spots that I believe obscure harm but also serve as a source of information. Indeed, my experience has been that some of our blind spots can reveal unanswered questions and point to areas that are ripe for further investigation and action. The first blind spot that meets these criteria is “out of sight, out of mind”. When engaging in this way of looking away, we underestimate damage to parts of the animal’s body that are not easily seen by humans (e.g. disbudding or castration wounds) or miss behaviors that are performed at times of day or on a scale that we, as humans, do not easily recognize (e.g. abnormal behaviors). The second type of blind spot is what I call “wrapped in positivity” where we choose an optimistic interpretation of an animals’ response (e.g. categorize an abnormal oral behavior as cute or funny rather than concerning) or rationalize how we house or manage cattle as being what is best for them. My experience is that topics in this category range from easily addressed to deeply ingrained. The third category I describe as “beyond imagination”, where the scale of change needed to address the concern is so immense that it is difficult to envision it. Indeed, incrementalism is common in research and can affect the scale of the questions we tackle and, as a result, the knowledge we generate. Lastly, the fourth category is “barn blindness”, where problems are apparent to some but so common that many do not see them as concerning or, in some cases, notice that harm that has occurred. I will give examples of these four types of blind spots and how recognizing them has led to insights and change either within the academic or farming communities.
Day 2: Animal faces: Beyond the rational
(followed by lunch with grad students)
Professor Daniel S. Mills
https://staff.lincoln.ac.uk/dmills
Faces are complex and are processed globally; they are of primary importance in emotional communication. This has a range of implications for both scientists and pet owners, ranging from the skill required to read faces effectively, through problems of oversimplifying specific facial signals, to seemingly irrational human responses towards animals and their care. In this presentation I will discuss how we tend to interpret the faces of other species and the implications of this, drawing on my research over the last 10 years on emotion expression in dogs and cats, and the behaviour and welfare problems we encounter as a result.
Registration
Registration for the 2025 ISAE North American Regional Meeting is now live! You can register for the conference using the link below. Early registration closes at 11:19pm April 7th, 2025. Please note that early registration is for ISAE members only; if you have applied for ISAE membership but have not yet heard back, please email lharper@uoguelph.ca and we will check on the status of your membership. For student scholarships, please check this page as we will post opportunities when available!
Accommodation
We offer two types of accommodation for the conference; on-campus accommodation as well as accommodation in the nearby Delta Hotel. Each are within walking distance of the conference, and can be selected during the registration process for the conference.
On-Campus Accommodation
Rates range from $54.29 – $153.30 per night
Enjoy the convenience of staying on The University of Guelph campus. We offer a variety of single or shared room styles in our traditional residences or townhouses. Our new “Hotel-Style” offering, Gordon Hall, is located just a short 5-minute walk from the heart of campus, and is directly across the street from a shopping centre. Our residences include WiFi in every room, complimentary laundry facilities and complimentary parking. You can book on-campus accommodation here.
Delta Guelph Hotel and Conference Centre
Standard Room – 1 King – $289.00 per night
Located at the corner of Stone Road & Gordon Street and is located on University property. Guelph’s only 4-star hotel features 148 contemporary guest rooms & suites with on-site fitness. Guests also enjoy complimentary access to Movati Athletic. Please note, there is an additional parking fee. Reservations must be made by April 1, 2025.
Conference Schedule
Please see below for the schedule for the conference. Please note that the schedule may be subject to minor changes as needed.
We will be hosting a casual get-together at The Bullring on the evening of the 14th. To wrap up the conference, we will be having a banquet the evening of May 15th. Registration for the banquet can be completed during the registration process for the conference.
Scholarships
We currently have four scholarships available for students or postdoctoral researchers who are Indigenous, disabled or from a visible minority. If you are interested in applying for a scholarship to attend the 2025 ISAE North American Regional Meeting, please fill out the form below. Deadline for scholarship applications is 11:59pm EDT, on April 30th.
Our Sponsors
A big thank you to our sponsors, who have helped make this conference possible:
