The Edward L. Anderson Jr. Award was created to recognize individuals who have made significant contributions to the field of applied animal behavior and training.
The award is given annually at the Art and Science of Animal Training Conference.
Specifically, the award was created to recognize and honor individuals who have been instrumental in:
1) Translating scientific knowledge into practical training procedures,
2) Developing innovative new training methods and techniques, or
3) Educating others about the science of behavior and its application to animal training.
The award is named after Edward L. Anderson Jr.
Ed Anderson was both an animal lover and an advocate for applied behavior analysis. His generosity during his lifetime helped advance the application of behavior analysis in many areas. This generosity lives on through the Edward L. Anderson Jr. Foundation, which supports organizations and projects related to education, arts, and the environment. We were honored to receive a grant from the Anderson Foundation in 2015 and again in 2016, which helped us establish The Art and Science of Animal Training as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.
Award Recipients
2016: Bob Bailey and Marian Breland Bailey
Bob’s speech: Watch the lecture Bob gave after accepting the award.
Many thanks to artist Jilly Barnes, of Jilly’s Gallery in Pentwater, Michigan, for creating the award piece, two miniature replicas of Bob and Marian.
2017: Karen Pryor
In the picture to the right, Karen Pryor receives a hug from Dr. Jesús Rosales-Ruiz, after he presented her with the Anderson Award.
Once again, many thanks to Jilly Barnes for creating the award piece, a miniature replica of Karen Pryor.
2018: Dr. B. F. Skinner
In 2018, we awarded the third Anderson award posthumously to Dr. B.F. Skinner. Our keynote speaker, Dr. Julie Vargas, accepted the award. Dr. Julie Vargas is president of the B.F. Skinner Foundation and Dr. Skinner’s daughter.
2019: Kay Laurence
In 2019, we honored British dog trainer Kay Laurence with our fourth Anderson Award.
Kay has been instrumental in advancing the use of positive reinforcement in animal training. She has developed new training techniques that improve human-animal interactions and has given the training community new ways to look at training.
You can read more about why we honored Kay and what she shared with us in her award acceptance speech in this blog post.
2020: Alexandra Kurland
In 2020, we were pleased to award the fifth Anderson Award to Alexandra Kurland.
Alexandra has been a pioneer in the world of animal training. Her teachings have introduced clicker training and positive reinforcement techniques to literally hundreds of horse owners.
You can read more about why we honored Alexandra and what she shared with us in her award acceptance speech in this blog post.
Do you have an idea for someone who you think should be a recipient of the Anderson Award? If so, we would love to hear your ideas and suggestions. You can contact us and tell us more about the person and why you think he or she deserves to be the next recipient of the award.