Strategies to Increase the Positive Public Perception of Animals in Research

Michael Goldberg is the David Mahoney Professor of Brain and Behavior in the departments of neuroscience and neurology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and the director of the Mahoney-Keck Center for Brain and Behavior Research at Columbia University Medical Center. His lab studies the psychophysics and physiology of cognitive processes in the monkey using single unit recording, iontophoresis, and careful behavioral measurements. Goldberg is also a member of the Kavli Institute for Brain Science at Columbia University and a former SfN president.

Rolf Zeller is a developmental geneticist who studies the molecular mechanisms governing organogenesis at the University of Basel. He is an elected European Molecular Biology Organization member and fellow of the Royal Society of Biology He is a founding signatory of the Basel Declaration, by which researchers endorse the highest standards of ethically responsible animal research. He is the founding president of the Basel Declaration Society (BDS), an international grassroots organization dedicated to the Basel Declaration and actively promoting education on animal experimentation and the dialog with the general public, politicians, and moderate critics.

Dario Padovan is the current president of Pro-Test Italia, an association that aims to promote and disseminate information about scientific research to the public. He was one of the founders of Pro-Test Italia and was the first chair of its Scientific Committee. Padovan has Master’s degrees with honors in biological sciences, nutrition and dietetics, and bioethics. His main job is as a private practice nutritionist, and he has also previously worked on pharmaceutical marketing communication to physicians.

Michael Mustari is a research professor of ophthalmology at the University of Washington (UW). His research is directed at defining neural mechanisms for visual control of eye movements. Mustari also serves as director of the Washington National Primate Research Center at UW. He is responsible for providing scientific and administrative leadership to ensure an optimal environment for the care and well-being of nonhuman primates, which often provide the best animal models for studies of complex systems. He earned his PhD in neuroanatomy from the University of Washington and conducted postdoctoral work in visual neurophysiology at Dalhousie University, Canada and the Australian National University in Canberra. Mustari has also held faculty positions at the University of Texas Medical Branch and Emory University.

Jason G. Goldman is a science writer based in Los Angeles. He writes about human and animal behavior, wildlife biology, ecology, and conservation for Scientific American, BBC, Earth Touch, Environmental Media Lab, Los Angeles Magazine, and elsewhere. He was editor of The Open Laboratory 2010: The Best of Science Writing on the Web, is co-editor of The Complete Guide to Science Blogging, and hosts a podcast called The Wild Life. He received his PhD at the University of Southern California, where he investigated avian cognition by conducting controlled rearing studies. Follow Jason, @jgold85 on Twitter and Instagram.