AnSci Connection
The newsletter of the Department of Animal Science

January 2007

   Notes from the Department Head | News & Announcements | Graduate Student Profile
Congratulations | Recent Grants | Animal Science Seminars | Calendar of Events

As we start a new year, 2007, here are some of the changes we will be seeing in the Department of Animal Science.

First, we are pleased to welcome Kyle and Gretchen Rozeboom into the Department. Kyle is originally from Murdock, Minnesota, where he grew up on a swine and beef farm. Kyle earned his BS in Animal Science from the University of Minnesota. For the Rozeboom’s this was a family tradition with his brothers, Kevin and Dale, also receiving degrees from the U of M.  Kyle went to Missouri for a Masters degree and after receiving it, taught at the University of Georgia and University of Tennessee-Martin before joining us. Kyle has been hired into the position of Youth Leadership/ Livestock Specialist, and will teach animal products for consumers and the livestock evaluation courses.  He will also coach the general livestock judging team.

Gretchen is joining us as an Academic Advisor. Her responsibilities will be to help advise Animal Science students, particularly freshmen students, and help with our program and curriculum activities. Gretchen will be working with students to help them get off to a great collegiate start. Gretchen also has an animal background having grown up on a dairy farm in Missouri. 

Both Kyle and Gretchen are going to be very involved and play a very important role in our undergraduate program. We know they will be great additions to our already outstanding program. We welcome both of them to the Department.

As you know, Dave Plath retired this past October after 30 plus years of supervising the Meat Lab. Replacing dedicated employees like Dave is difficult, especially with the skills and abilities he developed over the years. However, we did temporarily hire two fine young men, Mike Aggen and Matt Witzel, to take over the Meat Lab. We are expecting to process a large number of pigs this spring for a diabetes project along with the regular animal needs of the livestock evaluation course. We welcome both Mike and Matt to the Department. You are encouraged to stop by the Meat Lab, meet them, and maybe place an order for some quality pork that will be available in the next few months. 

Another change directly affecting the Department is that we will be in a division of CFANS known as the Food, Animal and Nutritional Sciences, or FANS. The division will include the Department of Animal Science, and Food Science and Nutrition. We will be one of six divisions in CFANS. The divisions replace clusters as the college moves towards a new structure, which will be due out later this spring. As a division, departmental leadership and faculty will explore opportunities to provide better services and support to our teaching, research and public engagement missions. Dave Smith, Interim Head of Food Science and Nutrition, and I have worked together to develop a new initiative and instructional compact for the division that integrates some of the goals of division without loss of identity or programmatic efforts for our respective departments. 

Best wishes for a happy, healthy and productive 2007. 
  

Organic Dairy Project Gets the Nod

Spiehs Leaves Minnesota Extension for USMARC

Mindy Spiehs, Morris Regional Center Extension Educator and former Animal Science Graduate student, has taken a job at the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC) in Clay Center, NE. USMARC is a very prestigious animal research center administered by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) within the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). This is a great opportunity for Mindy and a measure of her outstanding capability as a researcher and educator.

Although we will sorely miss her here in Minnesota, we are glad that she will be able fulfill the personal goal of moving closer to her family in Nebraska. Over the past 2-1/2 years, Mindy has done great job developing Extension education programs in livestock manure management. She has been particularly effective in building collaborations across several extension livestock teams and state agencies.

Our thanks to Mindy. We wish you and your family well as you settle into a new job and home at Clay Center.
  

Coming in February - Beef Cow/Calf Days

The 2007 Minnesota Beef Cow/Calf Days is a popular program designed to provide current information on issues facing the beef industry and new technologies available to producers. This year, the event will be held at 9 locations in February (see details below).

Program topics include:

• Current Update on Industry Issues (Beef Team Research, Bovine TB, Animal ID)
• Targeting a Branded Beef Program
• A New Look at Fall Grazing (Windrow Grazing)
• Feeding Distillers Grains to the Cow/Calf Herd
• Planning and Zoning for Animal Agriculture at the Local Level.

The registration fee is $25 per family or farm. Please pre-register no later than one week prior to the event by contacting the site coordinator.

Travel Funds Available

The Department of Animal Science will offer 4 Zinginhagen Travel Awards of $300 each. Applicants must be undergraduates enrolled in the Animal Science program and must be traveling to a professional development activity or scholarly meeting. The travel cannot be for a competition or judging event.

Applications are being accepted for travel occurring from now until September 2007 and should contain the following information:

1. Student name
2. Year in program
3. Description of the professional development activity or professional meeting
4. Student contact information

Applications should be e-mailed to Dana Souther at  south005@umn.edu. If you have questions, please call Dana at 624-7453.
 

Sustainable Food Systems of Italy - Still Open

Enrollment is still open for Sustainable Food Systems of Italy (ANSC 4099), which will take place May 16 to June 9, 2007. The course will take students to the city of Florence, the capital city of the region of Tuscany. Professor Mike White will serve as faculty leader.

Sustainable Food Systems of Italy is offered through the Learning Abroad Center. The course will include full-day excursions to the Chianti Valley region including Siena and Montalcino where olive oil, wine, grains, cheeses and meats are produced, and to Parma Italy where Parmigiano Reggiano, Proscuito di Parma and Balsamic vinegar are produced. Additional excursions may also include visits to local producers of olive oil, wine or cheese, and a guided tour of the amazing San Lorenzo Fresh Food Market in Florence.

Enroll for ANSC 4099 through the Learning Abroad Center web site. Students who sign up by February 1st will receive priority. The deadline for registration is March 1, or when the class has filled (maximum of 25 students). For additional information and a complete description of the course, visit http://www.umabroad.umn.edu/programs/GLOBAL_SEMINARS/italyFood/index.shtml.
  

Staff Day Planning Committee Seeks New Members

The Civil Service/Bargaining Unit Staff Day Planning Committee needs new members to attend planning meetings and work at Staff Day, and help distribute gifts over extended lunch hours for a week after the event.

The committee meets once per month. Upcoming meetings (January 19, February 16 and March 23, 2007) will be held in 41 McNeal Hall from 8:30-10:00 a.m.

Staff Day is tentatively scheduled for June 6, 2007. The January meeting will likely select the gift to be given away.

Questions may be directed to Cathy Marquardt at marqu005@umn.edu.
  

Volunteers Needed
- Environmental Internship and Career Fair

CFANS, CBS, IT and the St. Paul Campus Career Center are co-hosting the Environmental Internship and Career Fair on Tuesday, February 6th, 2007. See details below.

Over 75 total volunteers are needed for the event. CFANS' goal is to recruit 26 volunteers; they already have 11 volunteers and need only 15 more to meet their goal!

For more information about the types of volunteer positions available and the times they are needed, please contact Kay Ellingson (612-624-6280 or kellings@umn.edu). The deadline to volunteer is 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, January 24th.

Environmental Internship & Career Fair
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
10:00 am - 2:30 pm
NorthStar Ballroom, St. Paul Student Center

Learn about careers, jobs and internships with employers in fields related to Environmental Education/ Engineering/ Sciences, Environmental Policy and Management, Conservation Biology, Fisheries and Wildlife, Forestry, Horticulture, Recreation Management and Water Science.  For more information, visit http://www.stpaulcareers.umn.edu/index/careerfair.html.
  

The Great University of Minnesota Get Together
- Quality Fair

The University of Minnesota will hold its first-ever Quality Fair on Thursday, January 25, 8:00 a.m. to noon, in McNamara Alumni Center. Faculty and staff from around the system will share best practices that improve teaching, learning, research, and work processes.

This event will feature a variety of projects that help foster a culture of continuous improvement and that are consistent with the goals of strategic positioning: exceptional students, exceptional faculty and staff, exceptional organization, and exceptional innovation.

President Bruininks will open the fair, which features more than 50 poster and breakout sessions on a diverse array of topics including podcasting, new-employee orientation, the video campus, customer relations technology, student evaluation of support services for on-line courses, engaged learning inside and outside the classroom, and executing strategy through a balanced scorecard.

Doug Lennick, Lennick Aberman Group, will give the keynote address, "WDYWFY--What Do You Want For You--Breakthrough Leadership: Aligning Personal Values, Aspirations, and Behaviors with Organizational Strategy and Culture."

As the "Great University of Minnesota Get Together," the fair comes complete with a side-show barker, mini-donuts, cotton candy, mini-corn dogs, and prizes.

The Quality Fair is sponsored by the Office of Service and Continuous Improvement, and the Improvement Liaisons Group.

To register or for more information, go to http://www1.umn.edu/twincities/index.phposci.
  

Outstanding Community Service Awards
- Nominations Due February 28th

Nominations for the ninth annual Outstanding Community Service Awards are due February 28, 2007. The Outstanding Community Service Award recognizes outstanding contributions and accomplishments of faculty, staff or University-affiliated community members who have devoted their time and talent to make substantial, enduring contributions to the external community, and to improve public life and the well-being of society. Such contributions and accomplishments must result in long-term and lasting changes for the public good and demonstrate an unusual commitment to the University and greater community.

Not to be confused with the President's Award for Outstanding Service internal to the University, the Outstanding Community Service Award emphasizes the importance of external community service and recognizes the role of faculty and staff that is over and above the expectations of their regular position description. Awards given to faculty or staff will also recognize the agency or group with which the recipient of the award is affiliated. Community members who receive the award will have made a significant public service or public engagement contribution through an affiliation with the U of M.

Approximately five Outstanding Community Service Awards will be presented this year. Awards to faculty and staff will carry a continuous salary award annually during their employment at the U of M. All faculty and staff at the University are eligible to receive this award: tenured and tenure-track faculty, adjunct or contract faculty, academic professional and administrative staff, civil service staff and bargaining unit staff. In addition, community members affiliated with the U of M may be nominated. Previous awardees are posted at http://www.engagement.umn.edu/awards/index.html.

Any person or group may make a nomination. An original and 7 copies of the nomination materials must be submitted by Wednesday, February 28, 2007 to the Outstanding Community Service Awards Committee, c/o Michelle Kuhl, Office of the Senior Vice President for System Academic Administration, Room 110 Morrill Hall,100 Church Street S.E., Minneapolis, 55455 (612-624-1562; witt0160@umn.edu). A completed packet must include a letter of nomination summarizing the scope and impact of the nominee's community service, and three letters of support focusing on personal knowledge of the nominee's exceptional community service.
    

President's Award for Outstanding Service
- Nominations due March 9th

The President's Award for Outstanding Service was established in 1997 to recognize faculty and staff who have provided exceptional service to the University. This award is presented each year in the spring and honors active or retired faculty or staff members who have gone well beyond their regular duties and have demonstrated an unusual commitment to the University community. Nominations for this award are due by March 9, 2007 and should be submitted to:

President's Award Committee
c/o Vickie Courtney
Program Director
University Honors and Awards
427 Morrill Hall
100 Church Street SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455

Nominators must be current members of the University of Minnesota faculty or staff or alumni of the University. Nomination letters should focus on the nominator's personal knowledge of the nominee's exceptional service, such as innovative service to students, the University community, individual units of the University, or outreach beyond the University. For further information about this award or the nominating process, please call the University Senate Office at 612-625-9369 or visit: http://www1.umn.edu/honors/Awards/President27s_Award_for_Outstanding_Service.html 
  

HR Offers Service Improvement Workshops and Career Development

The Center for Human Resource Development announces upcoming workshops in service improvement and opportunities for career development.

Career Development: Start this new year by taking a look at the work you do. Is it time to re-evaluate your career? Wondering how to find other options at the University? Employee Career Services can help you! They offer workshops designed to help you explore your interests, think about new possibilities, and gain skills for taking action. Register today for one of the workshops listed on-line at: http://www1.umn.edu/ohr/careerdev/workshops/index.html.

One-on-one career consulting is also available through Employee Career Services. To make an appointment, call 612-626-1004 or send an e-mail to chrd@umn.edu.

Service Improvement Workshops: Its a great time to enhance your professional development and build service-related skills! The Service Improvement Program offers workshops for Spring 2007. For a list of courses and complete course descriptions, see http://www1.umn.edu/ohr/trainingservices/sip/courses/index.html.
  

Roberta Borges Amaral

Roberta Borges Amaral grew up in Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil. She received a DVM from the Federal University of Uberlândia in January of 2004. After graduation, she came to the United States to join the MAST International Program. Following the MAST International Program, Roberta enrolled in the University of Minnesota Graduate Program.

Now as an M.S. student in Animal Science under the advisement of Dr. Lee Johnston, Roberta is enjoying her work on distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS). The quality of the master’s program is exceeding all of her expectations, as involvement in scientific research has always been Roberta’s goal! As a very friendly person, she loves fellowship enjoyed in the program.

For fun, Roberta loves to stay home talking to her family and friends in Brazil as well as to listen to Brazilian music.
  

Graduate student Nicolas Di Lorenzo and his bride Liza (see photo) were married in City Bell, Argentina on December 30th. Liza is originally from Columbia and has spent some time in the U.S. where she met Nicolas and has recently been working in Panama at the Smithsonian Institute. Liza will be braving a Minnesota winter when she returns with Nicolas in mid-January. Representing the Department at the wedding were Beka Gill, Carl Dahlen, Martin Ruiz Moreno, and Jamie Larson.

Student office assistant Crystal Lehnertz recently became engaged to Andrew Langeberg who she has been seeing for over 3 years now. Andrew proposed during their Hawaiian vacation in January (see photo).

Jessica Wakker successfully completed her MS thesis defense on December 12th. Title: In vitro fiber digestibility of forages and high-fiber byproduct feeds.
   

Professor Douglas N. Foster, PI, received $220,955 from Pfizer, Inc. Title: Identification of seminal plasma protein(s) responsible for reducing sperm-neutrophil binding and improving sperm transport and fertility. Period of performance: 12/25/06-12/24/08.   

Professor Yuzhi Li was awarded a Grant-in-Aid of Research, Artistry and Scholarship of $29,511. Project title: Is maternal fear associated with neonatal survival? Period: 1/1/07-6/30/08.
  

Department of Animal Science seminars are held September through May on Mondays at 3:00 p.m. in Room 365 Haecker Hall. Everyone is welcome. Please join us.

January 2007

1- New Year's Holiday - the U is closed.

3- Southern ROC Winter Crops Day, Waseca and Lake Crystal, MN. For additional information, call the Southern ROC at 507-835-3620.

4- Southern ROC Winter Crops Day, Kasson and Wykoff, MN. For additional information, call the Southern ROC at 507-835-3620.

5-19- Minnesota Dairy Days-2007 (9 locations around the state).

15- Martin Luther King Holiday - the U is closed.

16- Spring Semester classes begin.

20- 29th Annual Minnesota Goat Breeders Conference, U of M St. Paul Campus. To register, contact Linda Libra at 320-384-6634 or marslandgoats@yahoo.com. Direct general questions to: Greg Spurlock at greg@oldfarmlamanchas.com.

21-24 - 46th Annual National Mastitis Council Meeting, San Antonio Marriott Riverwalk, San Antonio, TX. Contact: Anne Saeman, 608-848-4615.

24-26- International Poultry Exposition, Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, GA.

24-26- College Student Career Program, held during the International Poultry Exposition, Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, GA.

31- I-29 Dairy Conference, Best Western Ramkota Hotel, Watertown, SD. Contact: Valerie Denison, SDSU 605-688-4116.

February 2007

1- I-29 Dairy Conference, Northwest Iowa Community College, Sheldon, IA. Contact: Valerie Denison, SDSU 605-688-4116.

6-14- 2007 Minnesota Beef Cow/Calf Days (8 locations around the state).

8-9- Swine Wean to Finish Management Workshop, West Central ROC, Waseca. Contact: Mark Whitney, 507-389-5541.

10- Horse Owner Education Day, College of Vet Med, U of M St. Paul Campus. Contact: Kristi Martini Starzynski, 888-241-0719.

15-16- Swine Wean to Finish Management Workshop, Southern ROC, Waseca. Contact: Mark Whitney, 507-389-5541.

17- Horse Owner Education Day, U of M Crookston Horse Facility, Crookston, MN. Contact: Kristi Martini Starzynski, 888-241-0719.

19- Carver County Dairy Expo, Norwood-Young America, MN. Contact: Laura Torbert, 952-466-5300.

March 2007

6-9- 2007 Western Canadian Dairy Seminar, Capri Centre, Red Deer, Alberta, Canada. For more information, contact Joanne Morrison at 780-492-3236 or wcds@ualberta.ca.

10- Horse Owner Education Day, Foley Intermediate School, Foley, MN. Contact: Kristi Martini Starzynski, 888-241-0719.

12-16- Spring Break

13-15- Midwest Poultry Federation Convention, St. Paul RiverCentre, St. Paul, MN.

16- Floating Holiday - the U is closed.

20-23- 2007 PDHGA Dairy Calf and Heifer National Conference, Sheraton Burlington Hotel and Conference Center, Burlington, VT. Contact: Hugh Chester-Jones. 507-837-5618.

24- Horse Owner Education Day, Cloquet Forestry Center, Cloquet, MN. Contact: Kristi Martini Starzynski, 888-241-0719.

April 2007

19-20 - Farrowing Management Workshop, Southern ROC, Waseca. Contact: Mark Whitney, 507-389-5541.

May 2007

15-17- Minnesota Dairy Health Conference, U of M St. Paul Campus. Contact: Veterinary Continuing Education, 1-800-380-8636 or 612-624-3434.

July 2007

26-27 - Swine Breeding and Gestation Management Workshop, Southern ROC, Waseca. Contact: Mark Whitney, 507-389-5541.

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