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 37th Annual Symposium.
Image Credit: Jonathan Stephanoff
The 37th Annual Symposium of the Department of Animal and Avian Sciences was held on Thursday, May 23, 2024. The morning began with an insightful presentation by keynote speaker, Dr. Carol Cardona, Professor and the Pomeroy Endowed Chair in Avian Health for the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Minnesota. Her presentation “Living with the threat of H5N1 influenza in the US,” highlighted the history and lessons learned from previous animal influenza events and offered recommended actions and policy updates for the ongoing and future cross-species outbreaks.
The rest of the day showcased the department's projects and research conducted by graduate students and post-docs, including 10 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 from throughout the department. The top award went to Andrew Brodrick who is exploring viral protein structures of infections bursal disease virus (IBDV) with a goal of developing a more effective vaccine for the poultry industry in the Broadbent Lab. Second place went to Caroline Halmi who is examining sensory nervous system defects in chick embryos by blocking specific proteins during specific developmental stages as a way to identify developmental abnormalities in animal and human disorders in the Taneyhill Lab. For post-doc presentations, Juyoung Kim was recognized for her work with copper transporting proteins in fat cells and their relationship to energy balance and cold exposure in genetically edited mice with implications as a therapeutic target for metabolic disorders in the Kim Lab.
Poster presentations were divided into two classifications this year: graduate students and post-doctoral associates. First place for graduate students went to Caitlin Ryan who is working on techniques to modulate and evaluate specific amino acid levels in insulin sensitive mice in the Sunny Lab. Second place went to Xuedi Zhang who is working to identify the specific proteins and mechanisms that regulate iron compounds within cells and throughout the body with genetically edited mice in the Hamza Lab. Among the posters entered by post-docs, first place was awarded to Sofia Egana-Labrin who is sequencing and analyzing the current strands in circulation of infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) in the Delmarva region and evaluating specific mutations for vaccine efficacy in the Broadbent Lab. Second place for post-docs went to Ali Ali who has developed a comprehensive catalog and epigenome annotation tracks map for rainbow trout that is among the first for fish in the Salem Lab.
The Shaffner Award for Research in Poultry’s first place recognition went to Chuan-Wei Tung who is evaluating an antibacterial agent to reduce antibiotic-resistant Salmonella with poultry industry implications in the Biswas Lab. Second place went to Kuan Ling Liu who is analyzing the genetic sequence and functions of a new cell population they discovered in chicken embryonic pituitary development in the Porter Lab.
The Outstanding Ph.D. Student Awards went to Kuan Ling Liu and Margaret Hines, and the Outstanding MS Student Award went to Mariana da Silva. The 2024 ANSC Staff Member of the Year was awarded to Nikki Thompson.
Closing out the day was a barbecue dinner during which students, faculty, staff, and presenters enjoyed a warm spring evening.
2024 SYMPOSIUM HONORS:
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Graduate Oral Presentations: 1st – Andrew Brodrick, 2nd – Caroline Halmi
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Post-Doc Oral Presentations: 1st – Juyoung Kim
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Graduate Poster Presentations: 1st – Caitlin Ryan, 2nd – Xuedi Zhang
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Post-Doc Poster Presentations: 1st – Sofia Egana Labrin, 2nd – Ali Ali
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Shaffner Award for Research in Poultry: 1st – Chuan-Wei Tung, 2nd – Kuan Ling Liu
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Outstanding Ph.D. Students: Margaret Hines and Kuan Ling Liu
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Outstanding MS Student: Mariana da Silva
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2024 Staff Member of the Year: Nikki Thompson
