Tufts Center for Animals and Public Policy

Lauren Loney, J.D., Public Policy Specialist recently presented her work on pets and affordable housing in our Animal Matters Seminar Series, “Insights from Three Studies on the Consequences of America's Affordable Housing Crisis on People, Pets, and Animal Shelters.” Her presentation was interesting, informative, and engaging – and recorded! You can view her presentation here https://lnkd.in/e2YK_FXX The M.S. in Animals and Public Policy (MAPP) students got to spend time with her after the seminar in their Animals in Society’s Companion Animal class as well. We are grateful for Lauren to spend time on campus sharing her work and expertise. Lauren is pictured with Dr. Megan K. Mueller, Associate Professor of Human-Animal Interaction at Tufts University and faculty in the MAPP program. You can learn more about the MAPP program here https://lnkd.in/eDqX6wbQ

M.S. in Animals and Public Policy (MAPP) students went to Boston to visit the New England Aquarium over the recent long weekend, for a trip organized by the MAPP Class Ambassadors, Guntaaz Kaur and Cara Kaminski. As Dr. Chad Argotsinger, Assistant Dean for Student Affairs has shared, the Ambassadors are a vital channel of communication between the program/college and students, and they act as a bridge in the capacity of representing, communicating, and giving feedback on college and student matters. Ambassadors effectively listen and communicate the views of all the students they represent. The Ambassadors take a lead role in coordinating any student-generated events. The Ambassadors meet with the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs as needed throughout the year to share concerns and explore opportunities.?Ambassadors are also invited to meetings with the D.V.M. class presidents to discuss common issues impacting all students and collaborate on programming between programs. Pictured at the Aquarium are MAPP students, Cara Kaminski, Guntaaz Kaur, Miley Kim, Vikram Mathur, Madisyn Paige McCarthy, and Sally Padilla in the first group picture. Pictured in the second group picture are Cara Kaminski, Guntaaz Kaur, Miley Kim, Vikram Mathur, and Madisyn Paige McCarthy. You can learn more about the students in the MAPP program here: https://lnkd.in/e9zrFqcU

Are you passionate about animals? Curious about a graduate degree that will help you improve the lives of animals and people? Join us for a live webinar on Thursday, December 12th at noon (ET) with Dr. Megan K. Mueller, Associate Professor of Human-Animal Interaction at Tufts University to learn about the M.S. in Animals and Public Policy (MAPP) program at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University as well as her areas of expertise.

MS in Animals and Public Policy (MAPP) program students, alums, and the MAPP director attended “The Endangered Species Act: The Next 50 Years” on November 16th at Harvard Law School. The event’s goals, as stated by Harvard Law School, were to bring together scholars, policymakers, and conservationists to foster interdisciplinary dialogue, shape future conservation efforts, and ensure the Endangered Species Act continues to protect biodiversity in a changing world. Pictured are: MAPP director, Dr. Allen Rutberg with MAPP 2025 students, Alex Cernelich, Elena Towers, Sarah Cass, and Vikram Mathur. MAPP alums are Melanie L., MAPP 2006 alum, Research and Campaigns Manager for Four Paws, and Ann Linder, MAPP 2014 alum, Associate Director of Policy & Research for Brooks McCormick Jr. Animal Law & Policy Program at Harvard Law School.

“Insights from Three Studies on the Consequences of America's Affordable Housing Crisis on People, Pets, and Animal Shelters” Animal Matters Series seminar presented by Tufts University’s Center for Animals and Public Policy is taking place on Monday, 11/18 at noon (ET) on Zoom & on Tufts’ Grafton campus. Housing insecurity directly impacts people’s ability to acquire and keep pets for life…This presentation will share the results of three research projects, co-authored by our guest speaker Lauren Loney, a licensed attorney, researcher, and advocate crafting policies and lobbying on a variety of issues at local, state, and federal levels. Her talk will address the impact of restrictive pet policies in rental housing on pets, animal shelters, and the tenants who love them. Join us to learn about trends in pet relinquishment due to housing issues and several programmatic tools that may be most useful to mitigate the flow of these pets into animal shelters. Members of the public are invited to attend this seminar at no charge

Yichen Bai shared about her MS in Animals and Public Policy (MAPP) externship over the summer: “During my externship at MSPCA-Angell, I split my time between the spay and neuter clinic and the adoption center behavior team, later transitioning to full-time clinic work due to structural changes…The knowledge I gained from the MAPP program was instrumental during my externship. Specifically, my understanding of animal hoarding, issues surrounding access to veterinary care, and the complexities of animal sheltering provided valuable context for the situations I encountered at MSPCA-Angell. The lectures in Applied Animal Behavior about interpreting animal body language and clicker training techniques proved particularly useful when working with the behavior team and interacting with shelter animals. This externship experience will be invaluable as I pursue my goal of attending veterinary school.”

Free live webinar on Thursday, November 7 at noon (ET) with Seana Dowling-Guyer, MS, Associate Director, Tufts Collaborative for Shelter Dogs and faculty in the MS in Animals and Public Policy (MAPP) at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University to learn more about MAPP program as well as her areas of expertise.?

M.S. in Animals and Public Policy (MAPP) students held a potluck last weekend on campus in their classroom, complete with music and a crackling fire. Their creativity shown through in their pumpkin painting creations as well as their recipes! From kimchee pancakes to vegan shepherds pie to vegetable curry over rice, chocolate fudge and of course pumpkin bread. Everything was delicious and fun (MAPP's program coordinator is crossing fingers for a MAPP class of 2025 cookbook sometime!)

Wednesday, October 16 at 1 ET/11 MT - Dr. Megan K. Mueller, PI of the Pets and Well-Being (PAW) Lab and faculty at Center for Animals and Public Policy at Tufts University, will be speaking about her research looking at how to promote positive relationships between teens and pets and how those positive relationships may help positive youth development. See below for details and link to register for Zoom or in-person attendance at the The Institute for Human-Animal Connection at the University of Denver: https://lnkd.in/db-rnBcR

Are you passionate about animals? Curious about a graduate degree that will help you improve the lives of animals and people? Join us for a live session online with Dr. Allen Rutberg to learn about the program as well as his areas of expertise.