Botstiber Foundation

Annie Rigby

Botstiber Foundation: 2023 Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Scholarship Fund

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The Botstiber Foundation contributed to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Scholarship Fund which this year awarded scholarships totaling $254,500 to 38 students at McCaskey High School in Lancaster, PA. Guarab Ghimire was awarded the $25,000 Botstiber Foundation Scholarship. Guarab plans to study Computer Science at Temple University.

Since 1982, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Scholarship Fund has awarded scholarships to McCaskey High School students who must “demonstrate academic excellence, service to school and community, and financial need”.

To learn more about the Botstiber Foundation, visit our Botstiber About page.

Botstiber: 2023 Foundation Award

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In partnership with The Delaware Valley Science Fairs, The Dietrich W. Botstiber Foundation is honoring three students whose research is related to aviation and physics by offering them an $8333 unrestricted scholarship. The winners will be awarded just over $2000 per year, for four years, pending maintenance of full-time status and good academic standing.

Congratulations to the following students and their award-winning projects:

Josiah Saddick, Upper Darby High School
Earth & Space Science category: Basalt Thickness of Mare Imbrium Using Two Methods

Vrishti Yadav, North Penn High School
Engineering category: Smart Exoskeleton Knee Brace for ALS Patients

Anna Zeigler, Cherry Hill High School West
Engineering category: Determining the Efficiency of Varying Spoke Patterns with Airless Tires

Founded in 1949, The Delaware Valley Science Fairs, Inc. is a non-profit organization sponsored by area companies, foundations, universities, and individual donors. The students are involved in sophisticated research projects that focus on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) topics in 13 different categories, Team Projects, and (for 6th – 8th grades) Consumer Science.

For more information: https://www.dvsf.org/

BIWFC: Hiring for PT Program Assistant

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The Botstiber Institute for Wildlife Fertility Control (BIWFC) is seeking a part-time Program Assistant to work two days per week on Tuesdays and Thursdays from its office in Media, PA.

The Program Assistant assists the Managing Director of the BIWFC in carrying-out the activities of the Institute.

This would be an excellent position for someone with experience in Animal Welfare work or advocacy.

The Botstiber Institute for Wildlife Fertility Control (BIWFC) Aims to Advance the Use of Effective, Sustainable Fertility Control Methods to Mitigate Human-Wildlife Conflicts and Promote Coexistence Worldwide.

Duties/Responsibilities:

Under the general guidance of the Managing Director, the Program Assistant shall:

1. Assists the Managing Director in implementing the Institute’s programs and projects, including program research, proposal evaluation, grant tracking, and post program evaluation,

2. Participates in planning program events.

3. Assists with maintaining the BIWFC filing system and repository.

4. Attends events to assist with promotional and organizational duties.

5. Maintains BIWFC mailing list and replies to general inquiries from the public.

6. Assists with travel arrangements and conference registrations.

7. Drafts and distributes quarterly newsletter.

8. Conducts BIWFC mailings, as needed.

9. Assists in reviewing BIWFC materials for accuracy.

10. Assists with advertising and organizing BIWFC webinars.

11. Undertakes special projects and research, as assigned by the Managing Director.

12. Occasionally travel to meetings and events.

Required Skills/Abilities:

1. Demonstrated skills in planning and organizing. Ability to attend to several tasks in a short space of time.

2. Proficient computer literacy required; experience should include word-processing, spreadsheet, database and communications programs.

3. College graduate or equivalent.

4. Excellent written communication skills, including email and letters.

5. Excellent verbal communication skills, including interoffice communications and presentations.

6. Ability to work on team projects.

7. Position requires sitting at a desk, mobility around office and occasionally moving supplies and office equipment, when necessary.

Optional Qualifications: 

  • Experience with program assistance
  • Animal science education
  • Animal welfare work experience
  • Animal welfare advocacy

Applications:

Applicants must submit a resume and cover letter to info@botstiber.org. Only complete applications consisting of a resume and cover letter will be fully considered for the position.

Pay: $23.00 – $25.00 per hour

Benefits:

  • 401(k)
  • Flexible schedule
  • Paid time off

Schedule:

  • Day shift

Work Location: On location in our office in Media, Pennsylvania

BIAAS: The Botstiber Podcast Episode Three: Andrew Nagorski

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Sigmund Freud left a fascinating legacy of unraveling the mysteries of the human psyche. While his professional exploits are well-known, the dramatic story of this Jewish-Austrian’s escape from Nazi-occupied Vienna has often been overlooked.

In this episode, Andrew Nagorski, author of Saving Freud: The Rescuers Who Brought Him to Freedom, discusses the exhilarating life that Freud led, the engaging stories of his diverse group of rescuers, and the deeply human reasons that led him to remain in Vienna despite months of Nazi harassment following the Anschluss, in 1938.

Do you have an idea for a future podcast episode, or video that supports our transatlantic mission? Please contact Program Officer Luke Morgante at Lmorgante@botstiber.org.

BIWFC: 2022: A Milestone Year!

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As 2022 draws to a close, we want to take a moment to reflect on an incredibly productive year and to thank all of you who collaborated with the Botstiber Institute for Wildlife Fertility Control (BIWFC) in pursuing its mission to advance the use of effective, sustainable fertility control methods to mitigate human-wildlife conflicts and promote coexistence worldwide.

Our flagship event was the 9th International Conference on Wildlife Fertility Control, held in Colorado Springs, which was attended by an international audience of wildlife professionals and managers, university faculty and students, tech company founders, research scholars and leaders, biologists, veterinarians, non-profit staff and board members, and government officials.

Additionally, BIWFC organized symposia, presented papers, attended, exhibited and/or sponsored at the following gatherings:

  • Pathways 2022: Human Dimensions of Wildlife Conference – Bremerton WA
  • The Universities Federation for Animal Welfare’s annual conference – Edinburgh, Scotland
  • Taking Action for Animals (TAFA) – Washington, D.C.
  • 7th International Conference on Rodent Biology and Management – Arusha, Tanzania
  • 13th International Symposium on Wild Boar and Other Suids – Barcelona, Spain
  • Pathways Europe: Human Dimensions of Wildlife Conference – Wageningen, The Netherlands
  • Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) 12th Annual Meeting – Fort Worth, Texas
  • 4th Free Roaming Equid & Ecosystem Sustainability Summit 2022 – St. George, Utah
  • The 1st International Wildlife Coexistence Conference – Pray, Montana
  • Animal Grantmakers annual conference – Berkeley, California
  • The Wildlife Society’s 29th annual conference – Spokane, Washington

BIWFC staff also were invited to speak as subject matter experts at meetings held in Europe, Africa and Asia to address specific human-wildlife conflicts including:

  • Non-native grey squirrels – the UK
  • Feral cattle – Hong Kong
  • Wild boar – Singapore

We wrapped up an incredibly busy year with two recent webinars:

  • “Black-tailed deer in the city: A scientific approach to population control using immunocontraception” by Dr. Adam Hering, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine; and Dr. Jason Fisher, Adjunct Professor, ACME Lab, University of Victoria, School of Environmental Studies.
  • “Developing an oral contraceptive to manage the UK’s invasive grey squirrel populations” by Kay Haw, Director, the UK Squirrel Accord.

We eagerly look forward to continuing our work in the coming year. We are especially excited about the anticipated publication of a special issue of “Wildlife Research” we are editing with other colleagues which will be devoted exclusively to wildlife fertility control. We also authored a paper that has been accepted for publication in Human Wildlife Interactions (HWI) titled: “Stakeholder acceptance of wild equid fertility control mirrors global shifts in attitudes to wildlife management.”

If you have not yet engaged with BIWFC, we invite you to do so by reaching out to us. You can learn more about our previous and upcoming work by visiting our website.  

We wish you a joyous holiday season and a wonderful 2023!

To learn more, visit the BIWFC website.

BIWFC: Conference Presentations Now Available

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The 9th International Conference on Wildlife Fertility Control featured nearly 40 speakers from 14 countries and 24 U.S. states, along with special guest speaker The Honorable Jared Polis, Governor of Colorado, and opening plenary from Dr. Cheryl Asa, Advisory Board Chair Association for Zoos and Aquariums Reproductive Management Center. Speakers discussed the role of fertility control in mitigating human-wildlife conflicts as well as the development of wildlife fertility control methods.

Click here to watch the presentations.