NEWS & EVENTS
Spring 2022 Awards Barbecue
On Tuesday May 24th, the Department of Animal Science held their annual Spring Awards BBQ. This is the first BBQ we’ve been able to have in two years and it was great to see so many in attendance to celebrate the success of our undergraduate and graduates students that received awards over the last year. We also welcomed our generous donors and their families to this event that wouldn’t be possible without their fantastic support of our students. A great time was had by all!
CONFERENCES AND OUTREACH
Dr. Bradley recently conducted Poultry Health Inspector (PHI) classes in the central valley. In addition, she judged at the Greater California Society of Poultry Fanciers’ Show and ran the Avian Bowl State Qualifier. Following the statewide competition, the Ventura County Avian Bowlers and coaches presented Dr. Bradley with a display box of hand crafted Pysanky eggs.
Genomic Variation Lab undergraduate student Isoline Donahue presented a poster titled "Assessing an alternative spawning strategy for Delta Smelt supplementation" at the UC Davis Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activities conference on Friday, April 29.
Richard Blatchford is assembling a resource group for graduate students and post docs who identify (or ally) with the LGBTQ+ community in the Animal Science Department. Please contact rablatchford@ucdavis.edu for more information.
The Center for Animal Welfare hosted the 14th North American Regional meeting of ISAE (the world’s leading scientific society for animal welfare). Over 95 researchers from 12 states and 3 Canadian provinces were in attendance. Graduate students Blair Downey and Ashlynn Kirk (Tucker lab) were awarded top prizes for best oral and poster presentations, respectively.
AWARDS AND GRANTS
Cynthia Jinno was selected as 2022 ASAS Midwest Section Animal Science Young Scholar.
Dr. Kwangwook Kim was awarded Stahly/Peo Outstanding Graduate Student in Swine Nutrition Award. Please see my detailed in this link: https://www.asas.org/sections/midwest-section/awards
Dr. Kwangwook Kim’s poster was selected as the best poster presentation at The 7th Annual Postdoc Research Symposium-2022 (PRS-2022) at UC Davis.
Researchers from UC Davis and universities in Denmark and the Netherlands are joining forces in a new research project to reduce the need for antibiotics in pig production by improving intestinal resilience in developing piglets. The $21.2 million, 5-year PIG-PARADIGM project is funded by the Novo Nordisk Foundation. UC Davis will receive $3.8 million as part of the grant. https://www.ucdavis.edu/blog/improving-pig-diets-prevent-antimicrobial-resistance
Claudia Lu and Cirenio Hisasaga (Maja Makagon's lab) received awards from the Western Poultry Scholarship and Research Foundation. Claudia's scholarship is sponsored by the Luda Rico Deluca, george Petrusich, Sr., Albert & Beverl Zacky, Don Wharton, Manual Thomas and Willie Benedetti endowments; Cirenio received awards from the William Austin, Richard & Jennabelle Leach, Don Bell, and Francine Bradly endowments.
Maggie Creamer (Horback lab) was chosen to be a member of the 2022-2023 Professors of the Future program (https://gradpathways.ucdavis.edu/news/announcing-our-newest-pftf-cohort); a year-long competitive fellowship program designed to recognize and develop the leadership skills of outstanding graduate students and postdoctoral scholars who have demonstrated their commitment to professionalism, integrity, and academic service.
Dr. Sarah C. Klopatek is the recipient of the American Society of Animal Science Young Scholar Award, presented during the 2022 ASAS-CSAS Annual Meeting and Trade Show. The ASAS Young Scholar program recognizes and features the research accomplishments of recent Ph.D. graduates or current Ph.D. students in the advanced stages of their program. This award is sponsored by the American Society of Animal Science.
Kwangwook Kim (Liu Lab) is the recipient of the American Society of Animal Science 2022 Young Scholar Award! The award will be celebrated during the 2022 ASAS-CSAS Annual Meeting and Trade Show in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, June 26-30, 2022. The ASAS Young Scholar program recognizes and features the research accomplishments of recent Ph.D. graduates or current Ph.D. students in the advanced stages of their program. This award is sponsored by the American Society of Animal Science.
Maci Mueller (Van Eenennaam Lab) is the recipient of the American Society of Animal Science Agri-King Outstanding Animal Science Graduate Student Award, presented during the 2022 ASAS-CSAS Annual Meeting and Trade Show. The ASAS Agri-King Outstanding Animal Science Graduate Student Award recognizes an individual who has shown outstanding achievement as a graduate student working toward the mission of ASAS: “The American Society of Animal Science fosters the discovery, sharing, and application of scientific knowledge concerning the responsible use of animals to enhance human life and well-being.” This award is sponsored by Agri-King, Inc.
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
Dr. Patricia Bacchetti (Class of 1975) made a pledge gift of $50,000 to endow a new scholarship fund in Animal Science. Pat earned her B.S. in Animal Science (1975) and later a D.V.M in the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine (1979). She and Dr. Kathleen Brennan (DVM, Class of 1982) happily co-owned the El Sobrante Veterinary Hospital from 1986-2020. They were quite happy to pass on their practice to another Aggie alumni last year when they retired. Pat was born and raised on a farm in the Central Valley’s Delta region and remains close to the spirit of the land. One of Pat’s preferences for her scholarship recipients are Animal Science majors from one of the Central Valley counties and who, like her, are first-generation college students.
In this difficult time of Covid, Pat wanted to help Animal Science students who might be struggling to support themselves and pursue their degree. She gave an additional $2,000 for a one-time scholarship to be awarded in 2021-22. “UC Davis was the place that took me in, allowed me to pursue my passions in science and veterinary medicine, and helped me become a person who continues to learn about and explore this interesting world that we live in. As I come to the end of my professional career, I hope that I can help others pursue their passion and attain their goals.” Pat is an avid bird watcher, and enjoys travel, photography, cooking, and being outdoors. See A picture of this generous donor below
PUBLICATIONS FROM ANIMAL SCIENCE
Kim, K., Y. He, C. Jinno, L. Kovanda, X. Li, D. Bravo, E. Cox, and Y. Liu. 2022. Supplementation of oligosaccharide-based polymer enhanced growth and disease resistance of weaned pigs by modulating intestinal integrity and systemic immunity. J. Anim. Sci. Biotechnol. 13:10-23.
He, Y., C. Jinno, C. Li, S. L. Johnson, H. Xue, Y. Liu, and P. Ji. 2022. Effects of a blend of essential oils, medium-chain fatty acids and a toxin-adsorbing mineral on diarrhea and gut microbiome of weanling pigs experimentally infected with a pathogenic E. coli. J. Anim. Sci. 100:skab365
Hennig, S.L., McNabb, B.R., Trott, J.F., Van Eenennaam, A.L. and Murray, J.D. (2022). LincRNA#1 Knockout Alone does not Affect Polled Phenotype in Cattle Heterozygous for the Celtic Polled Allele. Science Reports 12:7627 https://rdcu.be/cNeUC
Josephine F. Trott, Amy E. Young, Bret R. McNabb, Xiang Yang, Thomas F. Bishop, and Alison L. Van Eenennaam
GEN Biotechnology 2022 1:2, 192-206