Kudos & Awards
Award
Animal Science Alum Published Honors Thesis
Animal Science alum Elana Kriegel has published her honors thesis in the scientific journal Heliyon in collaboration with her mentor Debbie Cherney, and Christian Kiffner. In her time at Cornell, started the Mentoring our Undergraduates (MOU) program, and was elected MOU president as a senior. Elana was also recognized as a Merrill Presidential Scholar. Elana is enrolled at Albany Medical College for the fall of 2021.
Award
Bison Research Grant
Ewa Bachminska, PhD candidate, received a grant to research conservation education about American bison in Yellowstone and beyond in the summer 2021. In the past, she explored European bison in Poland and Belarus; hence, she will compare educational methods concerning both species. Ewa's grant is sponsored by Cornell Institute for European Studies.
Award
Dr. Ketterings wins Faculty Excellence in Undergraduate Research Mentoring
The recipient of this award is selected annually by CALS undergraduate students to recognize an outstanding research mentor in the College who goes above and beyond to foster and support research among emerging scholars, and who has made a deep and lasting impact on their academic careers at Cornell.
Award
Rinske (Rink) Tacoma-Fogal Wins Andrew W. Mellon Student Research Grant
Rinske (Rink) Tacoma-Fogal has won the Andrew W. Mellon Student Research Grant to support her work in dairy nutrition, agronomy, and whole farm production modeling systems.
Award
Jason Cho wins first place
Jason Cho, MS student in Animal Science, received the 1st place in the graduate student competition that was held at the 2020 Virtual Agronomy, Soil and Crop Science Societies joint meeting November 9-13. His oral presentation: Spatial estimation methods for mapping corn yield monitor data.
Award
Ben Lehman wins third place
Ben Lehman received 3rd place in the undergraduate student poster competition that was held at the 2020 Virtual Agronomy, Soil and Crop Science Societies joint meeting November 9-13. Ben is a senior in Agricultural Sciences, a research assistant in the NMSP program (pursuing an honors thesis), a Hunter R. Rawlings III Cornell Presidential Research Scholar, and a Greenfield Scholar of the Agronomy Society of America. His poster presentation:
Cargill Global Scholar
2020 Cargill Global Scholar - Brianna Green, Animal Science Class of 2023
Advisor, Deborah Jeanine Cherney
The students selected as Global Scholars are those who demonstrate exemplary academic achievement and leadership potential and study in a field relevant to Cargill’s world of food, agriculture and risk management. Including Green, nine Cornell University students in total have been selected as Cargill Global Scholars finalists since the program’s inception. For full details, please read the Cornell Chronicle article.
Department Scholarships
Every year the Department of Animal Science hosts an awards ceremony where we recognize our student's outstanding achievements.
Gifts will be used to establish the Jerrie Gavalchin Memorial Award
which is awarded to a senior majoring in animal science.
Cornell Nutrition Conference 2020 Awards
Students Awarded During 82nd Annual Cornell Nutrition Conference
Three Animal Science graduate students received awards during the 2020 Cornell Nutrition Conference. Held virtually this year due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the Cornell Nutrition Conference provides industry leading research and information across the spectrum of animal nutrition to feed industry professionals and nutritional consultants.
Leonard A. Maynard Graduate Award
Established in 1988, the Leonard A. Maynard Graduate Award is presented to graduate students with a nutrition-related program in the Department of Animal Science and have exhibited outstanding graduate performance. This year’s recipients are Kasey Schalich and William “Billy” Myers.
Schalich is a PhD candidate working with Dr. Vimal Selvaraj. Her research program focuses on methods to more comprehensively characterize the bovine serum proteome as well as to more fully understand colostrum formation in the mammary gland and absorption of IgG by the neonatal calf.
Myers is a PhD candidate working with Dr. Joseph McFadden. His research program focuses on understanding metabolism of choline and trimethylamine-N-oxide in the dairy cow.
Charlie Sniffen Graduate Student Award
Now in its fourth year, the Charlie Sniffen Graduate Student Award is a partnership between Kemin Animal Nutrition and Health – North America, Cornell University and William H. Miner Agricultural Research Institute honoring the longtime dairy industry research leader. Throughout his career, including his time Cornell University and as a scientific advisor to Kemin, Dr. Sniffen published more than 100 peer-reviewed industry journal articles, over 140 abstracts and more than 400 trade publication articles focused on dairy nutrition. The award honors students that exemplify Dr. Sniffen’s leadership in conducting and communicating impactful research.
Andrew LaPierre, a PhD candidate working with Dr. Michael Van Amburgh, has been selected at the 2020 recipient. LaPierre’s research program focuses on amino acid requirements of lactating dairy cattle, an area of critical importance to the dairy industry.
Ewa Bachminska
Graduate Student Ewa Bachminska received a grant from Cornell Institute for European Studies to research conservation education in Poland in the summer 2019. It will help her include more wildlife conservation in the classes that she teaches at Cornell.
Tom Overton & Karl Czymmek
Tom Overton and Karl Czymmek were awarded the title of "AGR Faculty Member of the year", by Alpha Gamma Rho - Zeta Chapter. Read more about the award from AGR.
Debbie Grusenmeyer
The Sav-A-Caf® Youth Impact Award annually recognizes mentors who inspire youth to be passionate about animal agriculture. Grusenmeyer leads the way for New York dairy youth by developing, coordinating and implementing programs. She serves as the PRO-DAIRY youth specialist and statewide 4-H dairy programmer. The cornerstone of her program is Junior DAIRY LEADER, founded in 2000 for youth, ages 16-19, with an interest in exploring dairy careers. Read more about the award from Sav-A-Caf.
Graduate Student Awards
Leonard A. Maynard Graduate Award
Dr. L.A. Maynard was one of Cornell University’s most distinguished nutritionists. An endowment in his name was established by Drs. Edith S. and Russel A. Rasmussen 1988, to honor graduate students who have a nutrition-related program. Applicants must be enrolled in a graduate program in the Department of Animal Science and selection is based on “outstanding graduate performance.”
Winners
2019 - Ananda Fontoura and Rodrigo Molano
2018 - Amanda Davis and Andrew LaPierre
2017 - Michael Dineen, Niko Kochendoerfer, Sarah Lyons, and Maureen Valentine
2016 - Allison Lawton and Sarah Williams
2015 - Matias Stangaferro, Alessandro Zontini, and Sam Fessenden
2014 - Brittany Sweeney and Marcelo Gutierrez
2013 - Maris McCarthy, Kristen Davis, and Xi Yan
2012 - Ryan Higgs and Kennan McRoberts
2011 - Juliana Huzzey and Jose Ramos Nieves
Charlie Sniffen Graduate Student Award
Sponsored by Kemin Industries, Inc.
Dr. Charlie Sniffen’s dedication and enthusiasm for dairy nutrition research inspired Kemin to establish the Charlie Sniffen Graduate Student Award at the Cornell Nutrition Conference in 2016. The $1000 award honors animal science graduate students at Cornell University and Miner Institute/University of Vermont that exemplify Dr. Sniffen’s leadership in conducting and communicating impactful research.
Winners
2019 - Michael Dineen and Michael Miller, Miner Institute/University of Vermont
2018 - Allison Kerwin, Cornell University
2017 - Rodrigo Molano, Cornell University
CALS Outstanding Teaching Assistants Award
Given annually by CALS, this award recognizes outstanding graduate TA in each of the departments or graduate fields in the college.
Winners
2018-2019 - Sarah Lyons and Asha Miles
2017-2018 Christian Posbergh and Sarah LaCount
2016-2017 - Nikola Kochendoerfer and Brittany Leno
2015-2016 - Rachel Lemcke and Viju Pillai
2014-2015 - Lan Tu and Maris McCarthy
2013-2014 - Emmaline Long and Claire Stephens
2012-2013 - Katherine Churchill and Kristen Davis
2011-2012 - Ranji Singh and Fernando Migone
2010-2011 - Rick Watters and Kristin Gill
2009-2010 - Katie Schoenberg and Keenan McRoberts
2008-2009 - Melanie Soberon and Jeremy Weaver
2007-2008 - Julie Huzzey and Anne O’Donnell
2006-2007 - Jose Ramos-Nieves and Mary Ellen Urick
2005-2006 - Sarah Giesy and Helen Markewich
2004-2005 - Kevin Harvatine and Dave Kirschten