Membership

Chair

• Elmer J. Finck (efinck@fhsu.edu)

Members

History and Mission

The Board of Directors established this committee in 1930 to encourage all persons with an interest in mammals to become members of the Society. No restrictions as to age or education are placed on members of ASM (Gill and Wozencraft, 1994).

Responsibilities

In recent years an emphasis has been placed on making new members feel at home in the society and encouraging retention of members by writing welcoming letters to new members, pursuing any problems in the mailing of journals, and writing two-year delinquents to determine their reason for dropping membership. Also, letters are written to nonmember authors who publish in the Journal of Mammalogy explaining the benefits of ASM membership and encouraging them to join the society. The committee has been instrumental in retaining members; short-term memberships are a financial drain on the society.

The committee also is involved in sending back volumes of the Journal of Mammalogy to mammalogists and in arranging for sponsorships of ASM memberships for individuals or institutions outside of North America that cannot afford to buy journals or pay annual dues. Geographic balance (national and international) in the composition of this committee is important.

Become a Member!

• Printable poster of Membership Benefits (download a pptx version here)
• Printable brochure
• List of Patron Members of ASM

• 2012 ASM Membership Survey
• ad hoc Committee on ASM Member Recruitment and Retention

• The 2022 Annual Report of the Membership Committee
• The 2021 Annual Report of the Membership Committee
• The 2020 Annual Report of the Membership Committee
• The 2019 Annual Report of the Membership Committee
• The 2018 Annual Report of the Membership Committee
• The 2017 Annual Report of the Membership Committee
• The 2016 Annual Report of the Membership Committee
• The 2015 Annual Report of the Membership Committee
• The 2014 Annual Report of the Membership Committee
• The 2013 Annual Report of the Membership Committee

As a member of ASM, you are sustaining a vital forum where information from various scientific disciplines is shared and integrated through a single nexus: mammals.  Your membership supports ASM activities such as production of the Journal of Mammalogy and Mammalian Species, organization of our annual meetings, and fostering the next generation of mammalogists through our student programs.  ASM recognizes contributions to Mammalogy through our various awards and promotes the interests of mammalogists through the activities of our committees.  For example, ASM committees review and accredit systematic collections, regularly review and revise mammalian taxonomy, provide taxon-specific guidelines for animal care and use in research, and promote mammalian conservation through resolutions and position letters. 

Specific benefits of membership include:

Society Publication Benefits

• Access to current and archive issues of Journal of Mammalogy (JM) on-line and/or in print and on-line access to all Mammalian Species (MS) accounts
• Significantly reduced publishing fees (page charges, color print fees, Open Access fees)
• Hardship Publishing Grants for members with no institutional or grant funds for publishing

Annual meetings of ASM

• Discount on registration
• Showcase of cutting-edge research
• Unparalleled opportunities for networking and professional development
• Opportunities to influence statements regarding public policy put forth by the Society

Student benefits:

• Reduced membership rates
• Eligible to apply for Grants-in-Aid of Research
• Eligible for student fellowships and awards
• Eligible for student travel awards to annual meetings
• Recognition of outstanding student research through Graduate and Undergraduate Student Honoraria Research Paper Awards
• Student-oriented professional development and networking activities at annual meetings such as evaluation of student presentations, student social, workshops, and the Meal with a Mammalogist program

International mammalogist benefits:

• Reduced rates for members from developing countries
• Latin American Student Research Grants
• Oliver P. Pearson Award for professional recognition of Latin American Mammalogists
• “Buddy System” allows ASM members for whom English is not their first language to have assistance editing manuscripts submitted to JM

Communication with other members and the Society

• Access to ASM Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter accounts for instant communication and announcements
• Monthly updates about upcoming events, deadlines, and Society business

Eligible to contribute to the Society

• Opportunity to run for ASM office
• Voting rights in elections
• Serve on standing committees and gain valuable professional experience
• Be nominated for awards
• Selection of ASM annual meeting sites

Download a printable poster of the benefits of ASM Membership here or our brochure here.

Become a member