From veterinarians to dairy farmers: This core class is relevant to all

by Angelina Tang ’28

Students dressed in panda onesies to present a research proposal on the genetic quality of giant panda semen isn’t something you see in every class. But it’s a fun sight to behold in ANSC 2210: Principles of Animal Genetics. This class includes a final project that allows students to synthesize what they’ve learned throughout the semester into a research project proposal about the genetics of an animal of their choosing. Dressing as their chosen animal is optional.

“I really like seeing what they come up with for their research proposals,” said Heather Huson, associate professor of animal genetics, one of the professors teaching ANSC 2210. “Some of them are really funny and different, and it’s nice to see how they put their own twist and interests into a genetic framework.”

ANSC 2210 teaches the basics of genetics, such as DNA, gene expression and genetic mutations, while also discussing genetics research techniques and their specific applications in animal management and welfare. This past Spring 2026 semester, the course was co-taught for the first time by Huson and Ellie Duan, assistant professor of functional genomics. Three graduate and six to nine undergraduate teaching assistants also provide office hours, tutoring and valuable support for the class.

The 4-credit course, boasting 100 to 120 students, includes two lectures and one lab each week. Students are tested on lecture material by quizzes, two midterm exams and one final exam. Labs complement lecture topics, where students synthesize research papers, explore a digital DNA library database and gain hands-on experience extracting genomic DNA from sheep wool and tissue samples.

“Not only did [the final presentation] allow me to investigate an area in animal genetics I was interested in, but I was also able to learn about other interesting genetic conditions through my classmates’ presentations.” – Tiffany Chen '28

The labs culminate in the research proposal project. While it is one of Huson’s favorite parts of the class, it is also well-liked by students because it allows them to apply genetics to their own animals of interest.

“I enjoyed the freedom we had to choose a final project to work on,” said Tiffany Chen ’28, a student in the Spring 2026 class. “Not only did it allow me to investigate an area in animal genetics I was interested in, but I was also able to learn about other interesting genetic conditions through my classmates’ presentations — like osteochondrodysplasia or pituitary dwarfism, to name a few.”

a man watches while a woman uses a pipette to measure out liquid — Vishwa Basnayake PhD'28, a teaching assistant for the ANSC 2210 lab, watches while Niharika Edke '28 pipettes a PCR product for gel electrophoresis to extract DNA from sheep wool. Photo by Jackie Swift.

For the past 12 years, Huson independently taught ANSC 2210, but she has shifted to co-teaching to dedicate more time to teaching other courses. This new arrangement ultimately allows both Huson and Duan’s research expertise to shine.

Duan teaches the first half of the semester focused on fundamental genetics and topics such as gene expression regulation, epigenetics and developmental genetics; Huson teaches the second half, focused on population genetics, quantitative genetics and animal breeding.

“Each of us teach our own areas of expertise related to our research,” Duan said. “Students can really get the best out of both of their instructors.”

Duan joined the Animal Science department in 2021, and until now, only taught an upper-level course on animal genomics and epigenomics. Having grown up in China, she said that teaching the broader ANSC 2210 class gave her a bit of “culture shock” when she saw how students struggled with learning English genetics terminology. Complex genetics terms are often more intuitive in Mandarin, she said.

“I feel that many scientific terms in English can be inaccessible to a general audience, whereas in Chinese, many terms are more descriptive and directly convey their meaning,” Duan said. “For example, the Chinese term for DNA, deoxyribonucleic acid, can be understood as ‘a ribose-based nucleic acid that removes an oxygen atom,’ which describes exactly what the molecule is. In English, however, the prefix ‘deoxy-’ is not immediately meaningful to most lay audiences.”

Ellie Duan co-teaches AnSC 2210.

Heather Huson co-teaches ANSC 2210.

Despite these struggles, students are pushed to persevere, as ANSC 2210 is one of the core classes in the animal science major. Every student must take it, whether they are seeking to be veterinarians or dairy farmers. Duan and Huson both emphasized that genetics is relevant to all animal science fields, from improving medicine to maximizing production to informing best management practices.

Ultimately, the instructors hope students will truly engage with and enjoy learning about genetics throughout the class.

“My goal is to not only provide information about the topic, but to get students excited about it, even if it’s only for one little bit in the whole semester,” Huson said. “I’d like to turn a class that students have to take into something that they enjoy and get something out of.”

Angelina Tang ’28 is an animal science and communication double major and the communications assistant for the Cornell CALS Department of Animal Science.

From veterinarians to dairy farmers: This core class is relevant to all

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