Rate My Professor Meredith Bashaw

Meredith J. Bashaw serves as Professor of Psychology at Franklin & Marshall College, where she is recognized as one of the nation’s top scholars in animal welfare, particularly for wild animals in captivity. She earned her Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology with a minor in Biology from the Georgia Institute of Technology and her B.S. in Biology and Religion from Duke University. Throughout her career at F&M, Bashaw has demonstrated exceptional commitment to teaching and mentorship, leading the revision of the Psychology major and minor as well as the Animal Behavior major. She teaches courses such as research design and statistics, supervises undergraduate research assistants, and fosters student-faculty collaboration on real-world problems. Bashaw actively pursues training in inclusive pedagogy, leading workshops like the Faculty Center Inclusive Teaching Workshop and a summer workshop on “Capitalizing on Diversity to Enhance the Liberal Arts Classroom Experience” funded by the Arthur Vining Davis Foundation. Her selection for the Project Kaleidoscope STEM Leadership Institute and the American Association of Colleges and Universities’ High Impact Practices for Student Success Institute underscores her influence on pedagogical innovation.

As an animal welfare scientist, Bashaw employs behavior and hormone analyses to enhance the lives of animals in human care, collaborating with scientists, caretakers, and F&M undergraduates worldwide. Her lab studies diverse species including giraffes, lizards, snakes, rodents, big cats, red pandas, primates, with some on campus and others at partner zoos and rehab centers. Current initiatives focus on animal-centered management and human-animal interactions, including reframing glucocorticoid interpretations of stress, developing non-invasive health and reproduction metrics, improving behavioral monitoring, refining preference tests, and evaluating positive reinforcement training. Bashaw has authored or co-authored more than 35 peer-reviewed articles and co-edited Scientific Foundations of Zoos and Aquariums (Cambridge University Press). Key publications include “Non-invasive assessment of adrenocortical activity as a predictor of health in captive wild felids” (2016, Veterinary Research), “Spatial Design of Guest Feeding Programs and Their Effects on Giraffe Behavior” (2022, Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science), and “A survey assessment of variables related to stereotypy in giraffe and okapi” (2001). She has secured grants from the Zoo and Aquarium Association Australasia and others. Her contributions earned the Christian R. and Mary E. Lindback Foundation Award for Distinguished Teaching (2025), Susan D. Chan Author of the Year Award, and Keeper Appreciation Award. Bashaw’s work significantly impacts animal management practices in zoos and aquariums globally.