Curtis Schondelmeyer serves as an attending veterinarian and director of animal care services at the University of Connecticut-Storrs. To supplement his professional training, Curtis Schondelmeyer belongs to the American College of Lab Animal Medicine and the American Association of Laboratory Animal Science.
The American Association of Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS) represents professionals who are dedicated to the humane treatment and care of laboratory animals. To this end, the organization has set up certification programs to help set the standards for laboratory animal science.
The AALAS currently offers two main certifications: technician certifications and management certifications. The technician certifications were designed to recognize professional achievement while providing the association’s endorsement of a technician’s skills and knowledge. There are three technician certifications: assistant laboratory animal technician, laboratory animal technician, and laboratory animal technologist. All three are known and used throughout the laboratory animal care field, and are often a requirement for lab animal care positions. The AALAS management certification is designed to encourage competency and professionalism within the laboratory animal resources management field.
