A
AA - Ambassador Animal
AAALAC - Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care
AAG - Ambassador Animal Guidelines
AALSO - Aquatic Animal Life Support Operators
AAM - American Alliance of Museums
AARIC - Ambassador Animal Resource and Information Center
AASAG - Ambassador Animal Scientific Advisory Group
AAUS - American Academy of Underwater Sciences
AAZK - American Association of Zoo Keepers
AAZV - American Association of Zoo Veterinarians
ABMA - Animal Behavior Management Alliance
ABMC - Avian Management, Biology and Conservation
AC - Alternating Current
ACE - Animal Care Excellence
ACE for Wildlife - Advancing Conservation through Empathy for Wildlife Network
ACP - Aquarium Conservation Partnership
ACM - Animal Care Manual
ACSC - Aquatic Collections Sustainability Committee
ADPA - Association of Dive Program Administrators
ADR - Ain't doin' right
ADSO - Assistant Dive Safety Officer
AES - American Elasmobranch Society
AFS - American Fisheries Society
AI - Artificial Insemination / Artificial Intelligence / Aquatic Invertebrate / Avian Influenza
AITAG - Aquatic Invertebrate Taxon Advisory Group
AKF - Animal Keepers’ Forum
AMLAZ - Advancing Minority Leadership in Aquariums and Zoos
AMZAP - Association of Minority Zoo and Aquarium Professionals
AOA - Aquarium of the Americas
AOP - Aquarium of the Pacific
APHIS - Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service
APM - Animal Population Management
APMC - Animal Population Management Committee
ARCS - Annual Report on Conservation and Science
ASAG - Avian Scientific Advisory Group
ASCO - Asian Small Clawed Otter
ASIH - American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists
ASTC - Association of Science and Technology Centers
ASW - Artificial Saltwater/Seawater
ATA - Animal Training Applications in Zoos and Aquariums
ATACP - Animal Transport for Animal Care Professionals
ATIG - Animal Transport Interest Group
AVIAN - Avian Management, Biology and Conservation
AWA - Animal Welfare Act
AWEBM - Animal Welfare: Evidence-Based Management
AZA - Association of Zoos & Aquariums
AZFA - Aquarium and Zoo Facilities Association
AZH - Association of Zoo Horticulture
AZVT - Association of Zoo Veterinary Technicians
B
BAG - Behavior Advisory Group
BAR - Bright, alert, and responsive
BFR - Bowling For Rhinos
BHBPAW - Behavioral Husbandry Best Practices for your Animal Welfare Program
BIAZA - British & Irish Association of Zoos & Aquariums
BIMPOC - Black, Indigenous, and Multiracial People of Color
BIPOC - Black, Indigenous, and People of Color
BOD - Board of Directors
BSAG - Biobanking Scientific Advisory Group
BTP - Breeding & Transfer Plan
BW - Backwash
C
CAG - Contraception Advisory Group
CAP - Conservation Action Plan / Coral Aquarist Program
CARE - Cultivate caring, Amplify intent, Remove barriers, Expand impact
CASS - Consortium of Aquatic Science Societies
CBPM - Crocodilian Biology and Professional Management
CBSM - Community Based Social Marketing
CD - Career Development / Compact Disc / Construction Documents
CEaL - Conservation Engagement & Learning
CEC - Conservation Education Committee
CED - Conservation Education: Effective Program Design
CED II - Conservation Education II: Leadership for an Evolving Field
CEM - Communications, Education, and Messaging
CEO - Chief Executive Officer
CFO - Chief Financial Officer
CGF - Conservation Grant Fund
CHMAG - Coral Husbandry Management Advisory Group
CHoP - Coral Holding and Propagation
CITES - Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna & Flora
COB - Close of business
COO - Chief Operating Officer
COP - Conference of the Parties
CP - Conservation Psychology
CROCS - Crocodilian Biology and Professional Management
CSE - Creating Successful Exhibits
CTLE - Continuing Teacher Learning Experience
CVI - Certificate of Veterinary Inspection
D
D2 - Distilled and deionized
D&C - Drum & Croaker
DAN - Divers Alert Network
DC - Direct Current
DD - Distilled and Deionized / Design Development
DD1 - Detail Design phase 1
DD2 - Detail Design phase 2
DE - Diatomaceous Earth
DEAI - Diversity, Equity, Access, Inclusion
DEAIJ - Diversity, Equity, Access, Inclusion, Justice
DEI - Diversity, Equity, Inclusion
DEIA - Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Access
DEIB - Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging
DEIJ - Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice
DFA - Dynamic Factor Analysis
DI - Deionized
DOE - Department of Education
DNR - Department of Natural Resources
DO - Dissolved Oxygen
DPC - Directors Policy Conference
DSO - Dive Safety Officer
E
EaT - Education And Training program
EAZA - European Association of Zoos & Aquaria
ECA - Ex situ Conservation Assessment
EdARCS - Education Programs Annual Report
EEP - EAZA Ex situ Programme
EEZA - Environmental Enrichment in Zoos and Aquariums
EGZAC - European Group for Zoo Animal Contraception
EJ - Environmental Justice
ELDP - Executive Leadership Development Program
EQ - Emotional intelligence; Environmental Quality
ERI - Equipment Resource Initiative
ESA - Endangered Species Act
EUAC - European Union of Aquarium Curators
F
FB - Fluidized Bed
FCC - Field Conservation Committee
FCV - Flow Control Valve
FFTAG - Freshwater Fish Taxon Advisory Group
FFW - Filtered Freshwater
FRTRP - Florida Reef Tract Rescue Project
FW - Freshwater
FWC - Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
FWS - Fish and Wildlife Service
G
GAC - Granular Activated Carbon / Government Affairs Committee
GFO - Granular Ferric Oxide
GHG - Greenhouse gas
GPO - Giant Pacific Octopus
GRAZE - Growing Resilience for Aquarium and Zoo Employees
GSAG - Green Scientific Advisory Group
GSAR - General Services Administration Acquisition Regulation
GSRI - Global Sharks & Rays Initiative
H
HBCU - Historically Black Colleges & Universities
HL - Herpetologist League
HPLC - High Performance Liquid Chromatography
I
IAAAM - International Association for Aquatic Animal Medicine
IAAPA - International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions
IAATE - International Association of Avian Trainers and Educators
IAC - International Aquarium Congress
IACUC - Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee
IATA - International Air Transportation Association
ICCAT - International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas
ICP - Institutional Collection Plan
IDEA - Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Access
IDMAG - Institutional Data Management Scientific Advisory Group
IDP - Individual Development Plan
IEF - International Elephant Foundation
IL - Institutional Liaison
IM - Intramuscular
IMATA - International Marine Animal Trainers Association
IP - Intraperitoneal
IR - Institutional Representative
IRA - Inflation Reduction Act
IRK - Institutional Records Keeping
ISB - Institutional Studbook
ISIS - International Species Inventory System
ISK - Institutional Studbook Keeper
ISRA - Important Shark and Ray Area
IUCN - International Union for Conservation of Nature
IV - Intravenous
IZE - International Zoo Educators Association
J
JASM - Joint Aquatic Sciences Meeting
JAZA Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums
JEDI - Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion
JMIH - Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists
K
KISS - Keep It Super Simple
KPI - Key Performance Indicator
KUO - Keep Under Observation
L
LED - Light Emitting Diode
LCD - Liquid Crystal Display
LCV - Level Control Valve
LLT - Leadership Learning Team
LMS - Learning Management System
LRP - Lifetime Reproductive Planning
LSD - Leafy Sea Dragon
LRS - Least reinforcing scenario
LSO - Life Support Operator
LSS - Life Support System
LVSSP - Lake Victoria Species Survival Plan
M
M4S - Managing for Success
MAC List - MIAZS Acronym Cheatsheet
MACNA - Marine Aquarium Conference of North America
MAETP - Managing Animal Enrichment and Training Programs
MAP - Maintenance Animal Progapagation
MASNA - Marine Aquarium Societies of North America
MBTA - Migratory Bird Treaty Act
MFTAG - Marine Fishes Taxon Advisory Group
MFU - Male Female Unsexed
MHC - Madagascar Hissing Cockroach
MIA - Minorities in Aquaculture / Missing in Action
MIAZS - Minorities in Aquarium and Zoo Science
MISS - Minorities in Shark Sciences
MMA - Methyl methacrylate <1.6%
MMPA - Marine Mammal Protection Act
MOU - Memorandum of Understanding
MoZAICS - Modeling Zoos and Aquariums as Inclusive Communities of Science (for Autistic Individuals)
MPA - Marine Protected Area
MSCD - Managing for Success: Career Development
MSI - Minority Serving Institution
MSOD - Managing for Success: Organizational Development
MYM - Mid-Year Meeting
N
NAAEE - North America Association of Environmental Education
NAC - National Aquarium Conference
NAG - Nutrition Scientific Advisory Group
NAI - National Association for Interpretation
NARO - North American River Otter
NAUI - National Association of Underwater Instructors
NGO - Non-governmental organization
NIMM - National Inventory of Marine Mammals
NLL - Next Level Leader
NMFS - National Marine Fisheries Service
NOAA - National Oceanographic & Atmospheric Administration
NRC - National Research Council
NSF - National Science Foundation
NSW - Natural Seawater
NZKW - National Zoo Keeper Week
O
OD - Organizational Development
ORP - Oxidation Reduction Potential
P
PAAM - Principles of Ambassador Animal Management
PACT - People Advancing Conservation Together
PADI - Professional Association of Diving Instructors
PCV - Packed Cell Volume
PDC - Professional Development Committee
PDZA - Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium
PEM I - Principles of Elephant Management I
PEM II - Principles of Elephant Management II
PFE - Personally Facilitated Experience
PHVA - Population Habitat Viability Analysis
PM1&2 - Population Management Courses 1 & 2
PM I - Population Management I: Data Acquisition and Processing
PM II - Population Management II: Data Analysis and Breeding Recommendations
PMC - Population Management Center
PMP - Population Management Plan
POC - People Of Color
POSea - Conference highlighting People of Color in marine/aquatic sciences
PPE - Personal Protection Equipment
PRT - Positive reinforcement training
PSAT - Pop-up satellite tag; pre-SAT
PSI - Pound-force per square inch
PSK - Protein Skimmer
PTX - Palytoxin
PVC - Polyvinyl Chloride (pipe)
PWI - Primarily White Institution
Q
QA/QC - Quality Assurance/Quality Control
QS - Quartz sleeve
R
R&D - Research & Development
RAW - Regional Aquatics Workshop
RBC - Red Blood Cell
RCP - Regional Collection Plan; Regional Community of Practice
RFMO - Regional Fisheries Management Organization
RFP - Request for proposal
RMC - Reproductive Management Center
RMG - Reproductive Management Group
RO - Reverse Osmosis
ROFW - Reverse Osmosis Freshwater
ROSW - Reverse Osmosis Saltwater/Seawater
RSF - Rapid Sand filter
RTC - Research and Technology Committee
S
SAFE - Saving Animals from Extinction
SAG - Scientific Advisory Group
SB - Studbook
SC - Schematic Design / SSP Coordinator / Species Coordinator
SCA - Small Cat Alliance
SCTLD - Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease
SCS - Sawfish Conservation Society
SEA - Southeast Asia / Strategic Environmental Assessment / State Education Agency
SECORE - Sexual Coral Reproduction
SEDAR - Southeast Data, Analysis, and Review
SEZARC - South-East Zoo Alliance for Reproduction and Conservation
SF - Sand filter
SMART - Specific, Measurable, Assignable, Realistic, Time-bound / Spatial Monitoring And Reporting Tool
SMARTIE - Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Timely, Inclusive, and Equitable
SPMAG - Small Population Management Advisory Group
SRF - Shark Research Fishery
SSC - Species Survival Commission
SSG - Shark Specialist Group
SSI - Scuba Schools International
SSP - Species Survival Plan
SSRA - Social Science Research Agenda
SSRE - Social Science Research and Evaluation
StAR - Stegostoma tigrinum Augmentation & Recovery
STEAM - Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics
STEM - Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
STS - Sand tiger shark
SW - Saltwater/Seawater
SWOT - Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats
T
TAG - Taxon Advisory Group
TBD - To Be Determined
TFYM - Trees For You and Me
TRO - Total Residual Oxidant
TUBV - True Union Ball Valve
U
UFN - Until further notice
UPS - Uninterruptible Power Supply / United Parcel Service
USDA - United States Department of Agriculture
USDOI - United States Department of the Interior
USFWS - United States Fish and Wildlife Service
USGS - United States Geological Survey
UV - Ultra Violet
V
VE - Visitor engagement / Value engineered
VFD - Variable Frequency Drive
VMC - Volunteer Management Committee
W
WAZA - World Association of Zoos & Aquariums
WBC - White Blood Cell
WBCA - Wild Bird Conservation Act
WCC - Wildlife Conservation Committee / Wildlife Contraception Center
WCMC - Wildlife Conservation and Management Committee
WFH - Working from home
WSD - Weedy Sea Dragon
WQ - Water Quality
X
Y
YPRF - Young Professionals Recruitment Fund
Z
ZAA - Zoo & Aquarium Association (Aust/NZ) / Zoological Association of America
ZAHP - Zoo & Aquarium All-Hazards Partnership
ZDR3 - Zoological Disaster Response, Rescue, and Recovery
ZIMS - Zoological Information Management Systems
ZRA - Zoo Registrar's Association