Animal Sciences

Jan. 8, 2021

Hongyu Liu

Dec. 16, 2020

CAFNR Office of Research Recognizes Drivers of Distinction

The CAFNR Office of Research recently recognized 10 faculty members as Drivers of Distinction. The honor was given to the faculty members, listed below, who had the highest total shared credit research expenditures over the past 10 years (2011-20). David Diamond – director, Missouri Resource Assessment Partnership (School of Natural Resources) Felix Fritschi – C. Alice Donaldson Professor in Bioenergy Crop Physiology and Genetics (Division of Plant Sciences) Shibu Jose – associate dean, CAFNR Office of Research; professor (School of Natural Resources) Henry Nguyen – professor (Division of Plant Sciences) Craig Paukert – cooperative professor (School of Natural Resources) Randy…

Nov. 17, 2020

Jared Decker Receives Early Investigator Research Award as Part of 2020 Celebration of Excellence

Jared Decker, associate professor in the Division of Animal Sciences and state beef Extension specialist, received the Early Investigator Research Award during CAFNR’s 2020 virtual Celebration of Excellence awards celebration. Decker received his bachelor’s degree in animal science from New Mexico State University before earning his PhD in genetics from the University of Missouri in 2012. After earning his PhD, Decker served as a USDA-NIFA postdoctoral fellow at MU for a year before joining the faculty as an assistant professor in the Division of Animal Sciences. In 2018, Decker became an associate professor. He has served as the state beef…

Oct. 21, 2020

Matthew Lucy Serves as Editor-in-Chief of New Journal

The first issue of JDS Communications, a new journal from the American Dairy Science Association (ADSA), is now available. Matthew Lucy, a professor in the Division of Animal Sciences, serves as the editor-in-chief of the new publication. “JDS Communications will offer a fresh and different publication option for dairy scientists,” Lucy said. “We are interested in high-quality research studies that are focused, hypothesis-driven and designed to answer a specific question on the production or processing of milk or milk products intended for human consumption.” Lucy added that the publication will serve as a home for short communications, technical notes…

Aug. 25, 2020

Chandra Boosani

Aug. 25, 2020

Kiho Lee

July 17, 2020

Sofia Ortega Named Zamorano AGEAP USA Alumni of the Month

Sofia Ortega, assistant professor of reproductive physiology in Animal Sciences, has recently been recognized as the AGEAP USA Alumni of the Month. Ortega’s interest in reproductive physiology began at Zamorano (Class of 2003), through her work in Honduras. She received her MS in Animal Sciences from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, and she completed her PhD at the University of Florida in 2016 in Animal Molecular and Cellular Biology. Her CAFNR team utilizes a systems biology approach to optimize cattle fertility, using CRISPR knockouts to study preimplantation bovine embryo development. Ortega has published more than 17 peer-reviewed articles in…

July 7, 2020

Thomas Spencer Receives 2020 President’s Award for Sustained Career Excellence

Thomas Spencer, Curators’ Distinguished Professor of Animal Sciences, received the 2020 President’s Award for Sustained Career Excellence from the UM System. This award recognizes faculty for distinguished career-long, sustained excellence in scholarship, research or creativity, for a period of 15 or more years. Spencer, who is also associate vice chancellor for research (emphasis in STEM disciplines), joined the University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) in 2015, and was a signature hire as part of the Mizzou Advantage program. He is an internationally recognized and respected leader in the fields of reproductive and developmental biology.

June 15, 2020

Matthew Lucy Receives ADSA Award of Honor

The American Dairy Science Association® (ADSA®), the international organization of educators, scientists and industry representatives who are committed to advancing the dairy industry, recently announced the winners of professional and student awards for 2020. Matthew Lucy, professor in the Division of Animal Sciences, received the ADSA Award of Honor. The award recognizes unusually outstanding and consistent contributions to the welfare of the Association or distinguished service to the Association. The award is primarily for services to the American Dairy Science Association.

May 7, 2020

Karl Kerns Honored with Distinguished Dissertation Award

Karl Kerns, a postdoctoral fellow in animal sciences, has received the MU Distinguished Dissertation Award from the Graduate School as part of the Sixth Annual Graduate and Postdoctoral Award Ceremony. Kerns’ dissertation, “Zinc Ion Fluxes on the Pathway to Mammalian Sperm Fertilization Competency,” was supervised by Peter Sutovsky, professor of animal sciences. The research used a combination of new techniques to explain sperm zinc ion fluxes and develop a new sperm fertilization competency test. The test has been submitted for international patenting by the University of Missouri. The findings from Kerns’ dissertation have been published in the highly regarded Nature…