ANSC's 38th Annual Symposium was a day filled with research presentations and enjoyment
Primary tabs View Edit Revisions ANSC's 37th Annual Symposium was a day filled with research presentations and enjoyment ANSC graduate students present their research during the poster presentations section of the 38th Annual Symposium.
Image Credit: Jonathan Stephanoff
The 38th Annual Symposium of the Department of Animal and Avian Sciences was held on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. The morning began with coffee, snacks, and an insightful presentation by keynote speaker Phil Cardoso, DVM, PhD, professor of animal sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His presentation was titled, “The Cow as Compass: A 20/20 Vision of Animal Science—Looking Back to Move Forward,” which highlighted the past, present and future of dairy cattle examining economic, nutrition, environmental and genetic factors that impact dairy production.
The rest of the day showcased the department's projects and research conducted by graduate students and post-docs, including 11 oral presentations and 23 posters. Through the Symposium, ANSC graduate students gain valuable presentation experience for their future participation in national and international conferences as well as feedback from faculty and guest judges.
At the conclusion of the symposium, awards were given to the top-rated oral and poster presentations as well as other departmental recognitions. See the full list of honors below.
The oral presentations were filled with great research throughout the department. The top masters presentation was awarded to Paige Meisner who is examining lipid profiles in broiler chicken egg yokes as biomarkers for early embryonic death and how egg storage can change those profiles in the Porter Lab. Top doctoral presentation went to Andrew Brodrick who is analyzing the 3D structures of infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) variants and leveraging the shape rather than just its genetic sequence to provide a much better prediction of poultry immune system response and vaccine efficacy in the Broadbent Lab.
Poster presentations were broken into three classifications this year: masters, doctoral, and postdoc/research associate. First place for masters students went to Niraj Suresh who is examining the prevalence of harmful bacteria and toxins in Maryland dairy farm TMR, which can hurt animal health and productivity, highlighting the need for more affordable testing and better feed management practices in the Cardoso Lab. Best doctoral poster presentation was awarded to Pratibha Poudel who is investigating how copper is transported in the body before and after birth, aiming to understand how key proteins change location and function during development—knowledge that could help improve treatments for copper-related diseases like Menkes and Wilson’s in the Kim Lab. Top postdoc/research associate poster presentation went to Panpradub Sinpru who is exploring how genetic selection for rapid growth in modern broiler chickens has changed how their hormone-regulating genes function during embryonic development, potentially contributing to their enhanced growth and productivity in the Porter Lab.
The Shaffner Award for Research in Poultry’s first place recognition went to Caroline Halmi who is working with the protein N-cadherin, essential for the proper formation, growth, and interactions of specialized nerve cells in developing embryos, insights that could help explain certain nervous system disorders in animals and humans in the Taneyhill Lab. Second place went to Ricardo Sierra Arroyo who is comparing low and high egg-producing turkey hens, the hormonal signals required to trigger ovulation in both groups, and their genetic differences which could help improve reproductive efficiency in commercial turkeys in the Porter Lab.
The Outstanding Ph.D. Student was awarded to Andrew Brodrick and the 2025 ANSC Staff Member of the Year was awarded to Victoria Pearlman.
Closing out the day was a barbecue dinner during which students, faculty, staff, and presenters enjoyed a nice spring evening.
2025 SYMPOSIUM HONORS:
- Best M.S. Graduate Student Oral Presentation: Paige Meisner
- Best Ph.D. Graduate Student Oral Presentation: Andrew Brodrick
- Best M.S. Graduate Student Poster Presentation: Niraj Suresh
- Best Ph.D. Graduate Student Poster Presentation: Pratibha Poudel
- Best Post-Doctoral Poster Presentation: Panpradub Sinpru
- Shaffner Award for Poultry Research: 1st - Caroline Halmi, 2nd - Ricardo Sierra Arroyo
- Most Outstanding Ph.D. Student: Andrew Brodrick
- 2024 Staff Member of the Year: Victoria Pearlman
