AWJAC

In 2012, schools from across North American brought a total of 17 teams, 73 participants to compete.

The Intercollegiate Animal Welfare Judging/Assessment Contest is a fun, educational event designed to enhance awareness & understanding of welfare concerns affecting animals used for human purposes, such as agriculture, biomedical research & companionship In 2001 faculty members from Michigan State University (MSU) and Purdue University presented the idea of promoting animal welfare science to uni

versity students by coupling it with the more traditional concept of livestock judging to the International Society for Applied Ethology. In 2002 MSU hosted the first Animal Welfare Judging and Assessment Contest (AWJAC) for four teams representing four universities (MSU, University of Guelph, University of Wisconsin, and Purdue University). Originally the contest was for undergraduate students only, but it now consists of three divisions: undergraduate, graduate and veterinary students. (The veterinary division was initiated in 2008 with the assistance of the American Veterinary Medical Association.). Initially the AWJAC focused on livestock species; now it covers production, companion, laboratory and exotic animals. The AWJAC relies on hypothetical, realistic computer-viewed scenarios containing performance, health, physiologic and behavioral data. These are evaluated by students individually to determine which facility has a higher level of welfare. Each student then presents their rationale orally to judges with expertise in animal welfare science and specific knowledge of the species they are judging. Students also participate in a team assessment exercise, typically conducted at an operating animal facility. Teams of three to five students give presentations to a panel of judges; this might consist of their recommendations for welfare-related changes at the facility. Students are surveyed at the end of each contest to obtain their perceptions of the AWJAC. Over 95% of participants believe the AWJAC is a valuable exercise, feel they have increased their knowledge about animal welfare science, and would recommend the AWJAC to peers (n=429). In response to student feedback, the format of the contest was revised in 2006, and an invited speaker program was added. This educational component has been extremely well received. While the assessment of various aspects of animal welfare can be objective and quantifiable, judgment decisions of where on the welfare continuum is considered acceptable, preferred or unacceptable often comes down to ethics-based choices. The AWJAC teaches students to integrate science-based knowledge with ethical values for an interdisciplinary approach to problem solving.

11/20/2021

Attendees - There's still time to share your experience on social and enter into our raffle! Tonight's networking reception is a terrific opportunity. "See" you there!

Even in a virtual contest, our attendees are getting social! We’re loving all the photos of participants sharing their experience on social media.

Attendees - You still have time to share your experience before the end of the contest. In fact, tonight’s networking reception is a perfect opportunity to share a pic. Just remember to use the hashtag and you’ll be entered into our raffle!

Photos from American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)'s post

11/20/2021

If you're participating in this year's AVMA Animal Welfare Assessment Contest, be sure to share your experience using the and you'll be entered in a raffle to win a prize!

12/10/2020

At previous AVMA Animal Welfare Assessment Contests, our event has culminated with the award-ceremony where we present awards to the winners and provide them an opportunity to have their picture taken with their new award. Since this year's event was virtual and awards were mailed to the winners, we asked them to send us a pic with their award.

Meet the first place award winner in the undergraduate senior division, Liz Patton from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities! Congrats, Liz!!

11/23/2020

Meet the award-winners from the 20th annual AVMA Animal Welfare Assessment Contest! Our event concluded yesterday evening with our awards ceremony - that was unlike we've ever had.

Once again, a big congrats to the award-winners and an even bigger THANK YOU to all the participants, coaches, volunteers, AWJAC coordinating committee and judges for taking part in this unique educational experience as well as our presenting partner Merck Animal Health and signature partner Charles River Labs for their generous support of !

11/22/2020

Here are just a few of the highlights from Day 1 of the 20th annual Animal Welfare Assessment Contest - where we've gone virtual for the first time in the contest's history! We're looking forward to another memorable day tomorrow!

Thank you to all the coaches, participants, volunteers, AWJAC coordinating committee and judges taking part in this unique educational experience as well as our presenting partner Merck Animal Health and signature partner Charles River Labs for their generous support.

11/09/2020

The Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph runs a week-long Dairy Cattle Welfare Rotation for final-year veterinary students. It is open to students from other veterinary colleges and due to COVID-19, next semester the rotation will be offered virtually. For more information email [email protected]. Please Share this post with others who may be interested.

A video showing more about the Dairy Cattle Welfare Rotation can be found here:

Saputo Dairy Care Program Promo Video The Campbell Centre for the Study of Animal Welfare (CCSAW) and Saputo Inc. have partnered to create The Saputo Dairy Care Program in the Ontario Veterinary ...

08/27/2020

Registration is now open for the 20th annual AVMA Animal Welfare Assessment Contest! This year's event will be virtual and take place on November 21-22. Veterinary, undergraduate, and graduate students are eligible to compete, and a select number of AVMA Member veterinarians can attend as non-competitors.

Find more information here: https://bit.ly/2Ym1hX9

04/19/2019

Sara Beugen
Shoot My Events

04/19/2019

Sara Beugen
Shoot My Events

04/01/2019

https://atwork.avma.org/2019/03/26/avma-members-can-save-on-costa-rica-conference/

AVMA members can save on Costa Rica conference The 2019 World Veterinary Association (WVA) Congress will take place April 27-30 in San José, Costa Rica, and AVMA members can take advantage of special pricing. Registration for the conference is …

12/21/2018

Happy Holidays from AWJAC! After the New Year we will be posting more photos from

11/19/2018

Thank you for another great event!

Thank you to everyone who participated in the 2018 Animal Welfare Assessment Contest!

A special thanks also to Merck Animal Health for their continued support.

The Animal Welfare Assessment Contest (AWJAC) aims to provide a unique educational experience while strengthening student vocabulary and reasoning skills. The competition teaches students to assess the welfare of animals in a variety of settings using science-based methods and reasoning. Students are given the opportunity to weigh evidence and present sound evaluations. This contest ensures that tomorrow's leaders in the animal industries develop strong communication skills and acquire enhanced knowledge of animal welfare. Learn more at awjac.org!

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Location

Schaumburg

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Telephone

+18472856696

Website

http://www.awjac.org/, http://www.avma.org/

Address

Schaumburg, IL
60173