Rate My Professor Suma Mallavarapu

Suma Mallavarapu is a Professor of Psychology in the Department of Psychological Science at Kennesaw State University. She holds a B.S. in Zoology from Southern Illinois University and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Experimental Psychology from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Her research interests encompass zoo visitor behavior, conservation education in zoos, zoo exhibit evaluation, zoo and shelter animal behavior and welfare, and the scholarship of teaching and learning. Dr. Mallavarapu's work examines cognitive abilities in primates, such as object permanence tasks in black-and-white ruffed lemurs and double invisible displacement understanding in orangutans, as well as post-conflict behavior in western lowland gorillas. She investigates welfare indicators in shelter dogs, attitudes toward dog relinquishment among university students, and the social support provided by pets to college students.

At Kennesaw State University, Dr. Mallavarapu has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals including American Journal of Primatology, Primates, Animal Welfare, Anthrozoos, and Environmental Education Research. Key publications include 'Martin, A., Kelling, A., & Mallavarapu, S. (2021). Attitudes towards dog relinquishment as assessed through a survey of university students' in Anthrozoos; 'Mallavarapu, S., & Taglialatela, L. (2019). A post-occupancy evaluation of the impact of exhibit changes on conservation knowledge, attitudes, and behavior of zoo visitors' in Environmental Education Research; 'Bekker, O. A., & Mallavarapu, S. (2019). Pet attachment and the social support that pets provide to college students' in The Kennesaw Journal of Undergraduate Research; 'Adams, P. A., & Mallavarapu, S. (2017). Behavioral indicators of poor welfare in shelter dogs' in The Kennesaw Journal of Undergraduate Research; 'Mallavarapu, S., Stoinski, T. S., Perdue, B. M., & Maple, T. L. (2014). Double invisible displacement understanding in orangutans' in Primates; 'Mallavarapu, S., Perdue, B. M., Stoinski, T. S., & Maple, T. L. (2013). Can black-and-white ruffed lemurs (Varecia variegata) solve object permanence tasks?' in American Journal of Primatology; and a book chapter 'Maple, T. L., & Mallavarapu, S. (2006). Values, advocacy, and science: Toward an empirical philosophy of zoo and aquarium leadership' in Museum Philosophy for the Twenty-First Century. She actively mentors undergraduate students, co-authoring several papers with them in the Kennesaw Journal of Undergraduate Research. Her contributions advance understanding of animal welfare and human-animal interactions in captive and shelter environments.