The Animal Welfare Program has received funding through UBC’s Work Learn International Undergraduate Research Award (WLIURA) Program to engage five current UBC undergraduate students who meet the WLIURA eligibility criteria. To see if you are eligible for WLIURA, please see here for details.
In order to apply, eligible students must log into Careers Online to view the posting and to apply. We are excited to accept applications until March 20th. If you have questions, you can reach out to us at animal.welfare@ubc.ca.
WLIURA S22 AWP Research Assisitant – Gene editing in animals (895473)
Social Perceptions of the Use of Gene-Editing Technology in Animal Science
Gene-editing technologies, for example CRISPR-Cas 9, can be used to change the DNA of an animal to produce certain traits. These technologies are proposed as solutions to various environmental, economic and animal welfare concerns. Previous research has shown that societal acceptance of these technologies is complex and nuanced. The overall aim of this project is to explore this complexity through mixed method (quantitative and qualitative) surveys and qualitative focus groups and interviews with members of the public as well as people involved with gene-editing technology (e.g. technology developers, farmers, regulators). Specifically, we aim to investigate public values toward nature and gene editing, as well as how the public perceives the different ways gene editing is framed in the academic and grey literature, which ranges from a technology that is efficient and necessary to one that is a risky, short-term solution for improving farm animal welfare. Further, we will use “anticipatory” focus group and interview methodologies to facilitate discussions about possible futures involving gene editing. Anticipatory methodologies are useful because the public may be unfamiliar with such novel technologies and therefore exploring the context out of which social and ethical concerns arise is critical. The student will contribute to achieving these project goals, participate in weekly research meetings and will be supported by an existing research team made up of undergraduate, graduate, post-doctoral and faculty members. The student can work remotely.
WLIURA S22 AWP Dairy Welfare Research Assistant
Emotional and Cognitive Experiences of Dairy Calves (897710)
Understanding not only the physiological and behavioural, but also the emotional and cognitive effects of routine management practices is an important focus in animal welfare research. Most dairy calves are disbudded; this procedure prevents the growth of horns, and it is known to cause pain. Previous research has shown that disbudding negatively affects the judgment of calves (i.e., calves in pain would more frequently judge an ambiguous situation as potentially negative than healthy calves). However, little is known about the effects of pain on other cognitive functions such as memory and attention. This project will further investigate these areas in order to improve the welfare of dairy calves. The project details will be developed in coordination with a PhD student and the Primary Investigator to build off of previous research.
WLIURA S22 AWP Dairy Welfare Research Assistant
Improving Welfare Through Training Dairy Heifers (897707)
Dairy heifers must learn to adjust to infrastructures such as the milking parlour, the AMS (automated milking systems), or the hoof-trimming chute. Training animals to use those infrastructures can reduce fear, stress, and the risk of inappropriate handling methods, while increasing safety for both animals and farmers. It also provides animals with a sense of control over their environment as they voluntary enter various areas. However, current training protocols are unpractical to implement on farms, with the duration of training for a single animal being the main constraint. Additionally, little is known about learning retention (i.e., how long can a heifer remember the task before needing further training?), and generalization (e.g., if the heifer is trained to enter the AMS, does it facilitate entry in the hoof-trimming chute as well?). Experimental work will be conducted at the UBC Dairy Education and Research Centre to develop faster and more effective training methods that could be implemented on commercial farms.
WLIURA S22 AWP Dairy Welfare Research Assistant
AWP Data Visualization for Dairy Cattle Welfare (897809)
The increased use of technology in dairy farming provides high-resolution data and can help management decisions. Monitoring the behaviour of individual dairy cattle reveals valuable information and may serve as a health and welfare indicator. The focus of our research group is to use on-farm sources of automated data collection for monitoring of cattle health and welfare (i.e. automatic feeders / waterers; activity monitors for cattle). Graduate students in our program are implementing an automated system on the UBC dairy farm which could monitor individual animals’ personality, production, and activity. This system will be able to monitor the status of cows, feed, and water bins on the farm in real-time. We are also using computer vision for resource use monitoring such as brush use. This system is expected to detect abnormal situations such as missing or sick cows, malfunctioning feed bins, and send warning messages to farmers. We are building an interactive dashboard for farmers to visualize cattle behaviours and personalities. Technologies like this will bring dairy farms to a new era and greatly facilitate management decisions. However, we need to validate these automated systems against human observation, which requires video watching and data labeling. We also need to improve algorithm efficiency and analyze newly collected data. The student will be working as a critical member of the research team. They will be actively involved in data labeling, programming, data analysis, and reporting to varying degrees. The student will be working at UBC Vancouver campus.
WLIURA S22 AWP Media Science and Communications (897714)
25 Years of Animal Welfare Science
The AWP is entering its 25th year – this anniversary provides an opportunity to evaluate and research our communication and media strategies over time. The discipline of animal welfare is complex; as a science, researchers engage in both theoretical studies and epidemiological studies to understand how animal welfare is impacted by a number of practices and policies. It is also a discipline that addresses “wicked problems”, attempting to integrate science, sociology and communication to better understand the human-animal relationship. Such research requires the engagement of stakeholder interests, understanding public views, and clear communication of the science. For this research project, the Animal Welfare Program is seeking an WLIURA to support research activities including the research of science communication within this specific discipline. The AWP Program is seeking an Undergraduate Research Assistant to meet the following research objectives: 1) review literature to identify best practices in science communication, in particular as it relates to animal welfare issues, 2) evaluate the program’s current outreach and science communication activities against these best practices, 3) propose modification to research and science communication, and 4) implement appropriate proposals identified in step three. Please note that these activities will be integrated within the numerous research activities that are currently ongoing within the Animal Welfare Program.