The American Association of Biological Anthropologists sponsors the following awards and opportunities for its members.

The highest professional honors bestowed by the AABA are:

• The Charles R. Darwin Lifetime Achievement Award was established in 1992 to recognize and honor distinguished senior members of the American Association of Biological Anthropologists.   
  
• The Gabriel W. Lasker Service Award was established in 2006 to recognize and honor individuals who have demonstrated a history of excellence in service to AABA, its members, and/or the field of biological anthropology.
  

AABA Awards

• The AABA and Leakey Foundation Communication & Outreach Award in Honor of Camilla Smith is awarded annually to honor individuals for their outstanding public communication and educational outreach efforts in the field of biological anthropology.

AABA Grants

• Cobb Professional Development Grants provide up to $7,500 to support the career development of individuals at the beginning of their professional careers. 
  
• Pollitzer Student Travel Awards are designed to help student members defray the costs of attending the AABA meetings.  You do not need to be presenting at the meeting.

Funded Programs

• Committee on Diversity IDEAS (Increasing Diversity in Evolutionary Anthropological Sciences) Program includes a day-long science and mentoring workshop for undergraduate and graduate students at the AABA meetings, networking events throughout the meeting, and a virtual mentoring network throughout the year. IDEAS Student Scholars receive travel funding.
  
• Committee on Diversity Undergraduate Research Symposium provides the opportunity for undergraduate students to present their research in a poster symposium during the annual meeting and to graduate students to serve as reviewers and mentors for the symposium.  A limited number of travel awards are made based on the application materials.
  

AABA Student Awards

• Student Presentation Awards. The AABA awards seven prizes to outstanding student poster and podium presentations at the annual meeting. The first author of the presentation must be the student.
  

Getting involved in the AABA

• Early Career Liaison to the Executive Committee provides the opportunity for a recent PhD AABA member to become involved with the governances of the association and to bring to the Executive Committee issues of interest and concern to members in their early careers.
  
• Student Liaison to the Executive Committee is tasked with increasing student participation, co-chairing the ad hoc student committee, bringing to the Executive committee issues of interest and concern to the student members and assisting the Career Development Committee and the Auction Committee in planning and implementation.  
  
• Ethics Fellows Program is intended to raise the level of ethical literacy among the AABA membership and to provide interested members—particularly those early in their careers—an opportunity to engage actively with the Ethics Committee and gain experience with ethics educational and research projects.
  
• Auction Donors and Volunteers are always needed.  Donating items for the silent and live auction, bidding on items and volunteering at the auction are all a fun way to support student travel awards.
  
• Volunteering. There are many additional ways to become involved in the AABA and all members are encouraged to become involved. 
  

Outreach Opportunities

• Education Committee Classroom Visits and Teacher Training Workshop volunteers provide opportunity and experience in educational outreach.
  
• Committee on Diversity IDEAS Program partners with researchers interested in sponsoring additional IDEAS student scholars, mentoring student researchers, or running satellite workshops.