Adriana Pisano Beaumont is a regulated healthcare professional and college instructor in Ontario, Canada. She is currently enrolled in the Master of Science program in Anthrozoology at Canisius College in Buffalo, NY.
John-Tyler Binfet is an assistant professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of British Columbia. He is the director of the Building Academic Retention through K9’ (B.A.R.K.; barkubc.ca) program, a stress reduction initiative that brings therapy canines to campus to support student well-being.
Chaker Mohamed Ben Ali is a high school teacher, Steinbeck scholar, and PhD student at the University of 20th August 1955 in Skikda, Algeria. Both Hachemi Aboubou, professor of English at the University of Batna 2, Algeria, and Mimi Reisel Gladstein, professor of English at the University of Texas, El Paso, are serving as the advisers for his thesis on the bond between humans and animals in Of Mice and Men and The Red Pony. Chaker Mohamed Ben Ali presented by video a conference paper entitled “Echoes of Islam in The Grapes of Wrath” at San Jose State University, California, in May 2016.
Danilo Caputo is a graduate student enrolled in UC Irvine’s PhD Program in English. As a practicing vegan and animal rights advocate, he views his work in Critical Animal Studies as a mode of “academic activism,” and has published essays and delivered papers at conferences in this vein, covering the works of such writers as Thomas Pynchon, David Foster Wallace, Margaret Atwood, and William Shakespeare.
Rebecca Carden is completing her MS in Anthrozoology in 2019, after an almost 18-year career as an Art Director. The natural world and its nonhuman inhabitants are often the subjects of her paintings and illustration. Rebecca recently became a licensed NYS wildlife rehabilitator to help the nonhuman animals in New York State. With a new focus on wild animals and the law, she hopes to one day work to improve protections for animals around the world.
Catharina Carlsson is a lecturer in the Department of Social Work, Linnaeus University since 2010. She has a Bachelor of Science in Social Work and her degree of Master with Specialization in Public Health Science. She is now in a project called Equine assisted social work – the horse’s role for youth with special needs in an institutional setting. The project aims to exploratory investigate the role of horses in Equine Assisted Social Work (EASW) in a treatment setting. The study is financed by funds from Children’s Welfare Foundation Sweden. The study is a part of her dissertation that is to be defended in March 2017. Her main interest in social work is the relationship between client and professional and which role horses could play in these relationships. Animals such as horses have been excluded from social work historically. Human experience and emotions could be influenced by interactions with humans. But could those influences also come from animals? Her findings show that the horse could have specific characteristics that influence relationships between humans and suggests that horses could be added to the dictionary for the discipline of social work. Her research points out that animals like horses in social work can not be seen as objects, tools, or commodities for humans to act on. Instead, they need to be considered as subjects with their own needs and emotions.
Skye Cervone has an MA in Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature and is currently a PhD student at Florida Atlantic University (FAU). Her current scholarship focuses on intersections of biopolitics and animal studies in Science Fiction. She is the Student Caucus Representative for The International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts and Secretary for the FAU Comparative Studies Student Association.
Karen Dalke (PhD, cultural anthropology) is currently a senior lecturer in the Public and Environmental Affairs Department at the University of Wisconsin – Green Bay. She has been researching wild horse and burro issues in the United States since 1998. Karen, along with Dr. Ray Hutchison, recently completed research on thrill killing in Wisconsin, which will appear in Contemporary Justice Review Vol. 2. Other research articles include Ethnographic research in a changing cultural landscape in J. Nyman and N. Schuurman (Eds.), Affect, space and animals (forthcoming 2016); Adopting a mustang through an anthropological lens: Exploring cultural concepts across species in Bhatter College Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies (2014); A translocal perspective: Mustang images in the cultural, economic and political landscape in Animals (2011); and Mustang: The paradox of imagery in Humanimalia (2010). Karen is also a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the State of Wisconsin. She has over ten years of direct practice and administrative experience in various social work settings.
Scott Hurley is a scholar of Asian religions whose research interests include human-canine relations, the intersection of human and nonhuman animal exploitation, the application of Buddhist teachings to animal rights issues, Daoist and Buddhist self-cultivation practices, and embodiment praxis in the martial arts. His most recent publications include: “Engendering Empathy for Nonhuman Suffering: Using Graphic Narratives to Raise Awareness about Commercial Dog Breeding Operations,” “Buddhism and Nonhuman Animals,” and “Human-Canine Relations in China.” Scott Hurley is Assistant Professor of Religion at Luther College where he teaches courses on religion, ethics, and human and nonhuman animal relations.
Rachel Kelly earned her MS from the Community, Agriculture, Recreation and Resource Studies program (now Community Sustainability) at Michigan State University. Her areas of specialization were Animal Studies and Community Food and Agriculture.
Úrsula Aragunde Kohl is a clinical psychologist with a passion for animals. She currently is a faculty member at the Universidad del Turabo. Her thesis was about Animal Assisted Therapy for Nursing Home Residents. She has been the first in Puerto Rico to provide a graduate course about Animal Assisted Therapy: Animals as co-therapists in Health Care Settings. This course has successfully demonstrated her active leadership regarding this issue, and currently submitted two undergraduate courses regarding Animal Assisted Interventions and the Human Animal Bond. She presides a Humane Education Organization that provides on campus and all over the island humane education to create and promote safe, respectful, and compassionate environments free of violence, neglect and abuse against animals.
Robyn Lawes is a part-time MRes Psychological Research Methods student at the University of Sussex. She received her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Nottingham in 2014. Her research interests primarily concern the clinical applications of anthrozoology and her current Master’s project involves the investigation of the anxiolytic properties of domesticated animals. She has previously volunteered as a zoo keeper at Drusillas Park in East Sussex, later obtaining a Level 2 certificate in Canine Behaviour at Plumpton College. This led her to a role as kennel enrichment and training assistant at the Raystede Centre for Animal Welfare. Furthermore, Robyn has gained first-hand experience in working with trained therapy dogs in both secondary schools and outdoor educational programmes for children with behavioural difficulties. She will soon be beginning an internship which will focus on the emotional awareness and social behaviour in domestic horses with Prof. Karen McComb and Dr. Leanne Proops at the University of Sussex in England, UK.
Kate Marx has an MA in Anthrozoology and is currently in the second year of her PhD in Anthrozoology at the University of Exeter in the UK. Her doctoral research focuses on unmediated encounters between humans and autonomous/wild animals examined from a phenomenological perspective. Her other research interests include the aesthetics and effects of ‘cuteness’ in animals, wilderness recreation as pilgrimage and anthropology of the senses.
Seven Mattes is a doctoral candidate of Sociocultural Anthropology at Michigan State University (MSU), specializing in Animal Studies, and Gender, Justice, and Environmental Change (GJEC). Her research focuses on human-animal relationships in Japan. She is currently engaged in addressing how disaster alters and showcases the multifaceted relationships between domesticated animals and their human caretakers.
Hilary Mcilroy has been fascinated by animals, especially horses, all her life. She is pursuing an M.S. in Anthrozoology at Canisius College where she focuses on the interactions between horses and humans. When she isn’t managing a small animal shelter in upstate NY, she is training dogs and horses using punishment-free techniques. She is a certified Dog Trainer and Animal Behavior Consultant through the Karen Pryor Academy. She currently shares her home with 1 human, 3 dogs, 2 cats, and 2 horses.
Richard K. Merritt is a trans-disciplinary artist whose work sits at the crossroads of aesthetic object, social practice arts, and scholarship. Richard’s most recent research and publications include: “The Arts of Memory and the Design of Influence,” “Mathematics, Science and Memory,” “E Diasporas and Immigration.” He has lectured and exhibited nationally and internationally most recently at Oxford University and Kyoto, Japan. His work has appeared in numerous publications among them the Leonardo Journal of Arts and Sciences as well as the proceedings of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers. Richard is Professor of Art at Luther College where he teaches intermedia arts, critical theory, and software development for artists.
Courtney Moran received a Bachelor of Science in Education from SUNY Fredonia and a Master of Science in Anthrozoology from Canisius College. She is a former Early Childhood Educator and assisted the SPCA Serving Erie County in creating a summer camp for kids through an anthrozoological perspective.
Peggy Moran, a “nontraditional” student and Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Scholar, graduated summa cum laude in 2013, at the age of 53, with a BA in Anthrozoology through North Central College. She is presently investigating options for graduate studies. Before venturing into academe, Peggy engaged in a lifetime of self-education, resulting in a successful career as a dog behavior trainer and writer. Peggy enjoys writing poetry about people and animal-Others as a way of understanding human-nonhuman animal boundary areas.
Brian currently lives in Omaha, Nebraska and has a professional interest in conservation education, as well as ex-situ conservation programs. He currently serves as the education advisor for the Cervid (deer) Taxon Advisory Group in addition to other roles within the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
Nathan Poirier is a graduate student of Anthrozoology at Canisius College in Buffalo, NY. Nathan’s work focuses on the framing, perception, and implications of “techno-fixes” for issues including conservation, diet, and human population. In 2015 he organized a Rewilding conference at Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, MI. Nathan also has an M.A. in mathematics, and has taught math at Western Michigan University and Aquinas College.
Schraeder’s creative work has appeared in journals including Glitterwolf, Lavender Review, Haz Mat Review, and elsewhere. Schraeder studied literature and philosophy in graduate school and holds an interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Social Philosophy and a certificate of advanced studies in bioethics. In addition to pursuing collaborations exploring animal ethics and veterinary social work, Schraeder writes for an animal advocacy website, http://www.clawtheory.com. Author of a poetry chapbook, The Hunger Tree, Schraeder currently teaches part time and raises money for grassroots projects to do cool things for animals, people, and the environment. Find more at http://www.efschraeder.com.
Larisa Schuckle received a B.A. in English from Lafayette College and an M.S. in Anthrozoology from Canisius College. She is passionate about helping to bring attention to the traumas endured by the animals in our food system. She currently works as a Humane Educator with the Ethical Choices Program and speaks with students about the ways in which animal agriculture impacts the environment, human health and the realities of other sentient beings.
Rebecca Sheluk is a current Master of Social Work student at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She completed a Bachelor of Social Work, and Bachelor of Arts in Sociology at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. Rebecca has developed a particular interest in the uses of Animal-Assisted Interventions, and how they may be implemented in social services to improve outcomes for service users. After receiving an Undergraduate Student Research Award in 2015, Rebecca was able to explore this field in through a qualitative study entitled The Current State of Animal-Assisted Interventions in Social Services in Southern Ontario.
Kathryn Struik is an ASD child and youth counsellor in Kelowna, British Columbia. She received her Master’s degree in Education from the University of British Columbia specializing in animal assisted therapy and autism focused research. She is passionate about the healing power of animals and strongly believes in the therapeutic benefits animals and nature provide for her clients. Kathryn utilizes animal-assisted therapy in her work and offers various animal assisted activities including canine and equine facilitated therapy. Her recent co-authored publications include:
Binfet, J. T., & Struik, K. (in press). Dogs on campus: Holistic assessment of therapy dogs and handlers for research and community initiatives. Society & Animals, 1-30.
Binfet, J. T., Passmore, H. A., Cebry, A., Struik, K., & McKay, C. (in press). Reducing university students’ stress through a drop-in canine-therapy program. Journal of Mental Health.
Malini Suchak, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Animal Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation and faculty in the Anthrozoology Program at Canisius College. She received a B.S. In Biology from Canisius College, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Psychology from Emory University. Her scholarship examines the intersection of Animal Cognition and Animal Welfare. Specifically, she is interested how past and present social interactions influence the well-being and decision-making of a variety of species, ranging from nonhuman primates to domestic animals.
Michelle Szydlowski is a lecturer in avian and reptile medicine at a veterinary technician college in Denver, Colorado. She also instructs pre-clinical students in surgical anesthesia. A long-time literature, language and history teacher, she recently completed her Master’s in Anthrozoology via the University of Exeter, and is in the process of choosing a program for her PhD. Michelle’s research focuses on greater one-horned rhinoceros and Asian elephant conservation as well as the effects of eco-tourism and ‘outsiders’ on community-based conservation programs. Michelle is active in many animal welfare and conservation groups both locally and globally.
Sarah received her B.A. in Anthropology and Religious Studies from Canisius College, and is currently a graduate student in Canisius’ Anthrozoology program. She is especially interested in the intersections between Indigenous rights, animal rights, and conservation. More specifically, she hopes to learn about the importance of Traditional Ecological Knowledge to conservation initiatives, and how methodologies can be improved so that conservationists can work more appropriately and successfully with Indigenous communities.
Paul Waldau is an educator, scholar and activist working at the intersection of animal studies, law, ethics, religion, and cultural studies. A Professor at Canisius College in Buffalo, New York, Paul is the Director of the Master of Science graduate program in Anthrozoology for which he has been the lead faculty member since the program’s founding in 2011. Paul has also taught Animal Law at Harvard Law School (2002-2014), and he also teaches Harvard’s Summer Term course “Animals: Religion and Ethics.” The former Director of the Center for Animals and Public Policy, Paul taught veterinary ethics and public policy at Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine for more than a decade. He has completed five books, the most recent of which are Animal Studies—An Introduction (2013 Oxford University Press) and Animal Rights (2011 Oxford University Press). He is also co-editor of A Communion of Subjects: Animals in Religion, Science, and Ethics (2006 Columbia University Press) and An Elephant in the Room: The Science and Well-being of Elephants in Captivity (2008 Center for Animals and Public Policy). His first book was The Specter of Speciesism: Buddhist and Christian Views of Animals (2001 Oxford University Press).
Cameron Thomas Whitley is a doctoral candidate at Michigan State University (MSU) with specializations in Environmental Science and Policy (ESPP), Gender, Justice and Environmental Change (GJEC) and Animal Studies. He is currently engaged in research addressing risk perceptions, state-based policy initiatives and environmental justice/exposure to hydraulic fracturing, with a particular focus on how new energy technologies impact domestic, wild and liminal animals. He currently holds board positions in three professional associations: the America Sociology Association, Society for Human Ecology and the Society for the Study for Social Problems.
Animalia 