The American Dairy Science Association (ADSA) annual meeting brings academics and industry professionals together to present and talk about the latest breakthroughs in dairy research, spanning from calf health and ruminant nutrition to the chemistry of cheese production.
One of the key groups that presents their research at the annual meeting are dairy science graduate students. Aside from presenting research, the ADSA graduate student division (GSD) facilitates professional development and social events throughout the week to help prepare students to be the future leaders of the global dairy industry. This year’s ADSA annual meeting in Kansas City, Missouri, was certainly a week to remember with more than 600 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows presenting 950 abstracts along with dozens of workshops and networking events.
Leading with the scientific competitions
Competitions were a highlight for GSD students. Approximately eight to 10 students in both the master’s and Ph.D. divisions competed in either the poster or the oral presentation competitions. A slate of judges from academia and industry then evaluated the presentation for clarity of the science, professionalism and ability to respond to questions. Monetary awards were distributed to each of the contest winners along with recognition during the awards program at the annual meeting. As a special case for this year, all students communicated their science on the Real Science Exchange Podcast by Balchem (Photo 1). The winners’ research covered everything from fat tissue metabolism, transition cow health and reproduction protocols. This year’s winners include:
Master’s division presentation
Ursula Abou-Rjeileh, Michigan State University
Ph.D. division presentation
Thaina Minela, Michigan State University
Master’s division poster
Alisson Da Mota Santos, Michigan State University
Ph.D. division poster
Jackson Seminara, Cornell University
Driving home science communication
As young aspiring scientists, there is always an emphasis placed on communicating science to diverse audiences from many backgrounds. To help overcome this barrier, the GSD hosted a symposium with Joe Proudman, the communications director from the U.C. – Davis CLEAR Center. The center focuses on communications regarding cattle production and its environmental impacts along with outreach to the multitude of stakeholders interested in this topic.
Proudman walked attendees through the basics of media training, which included tips to keep in mind when talking to members of the media and how to help the message resonate. Some of those tips were to stick to three main pieces of information the audience should remember and to avoid rambling, as this can distract from the message, which could cause the wrong information to become that interview’s soundbite. Students then practiced by answering a series of questions about their research. While graduate students may not currently be talking to the media on a regular basis, learning and becoming better science communicators for the dairy industry will be helpful when that opportunity presents itself.
Career development for the next generation of dairy scientists
Many dairy science graduate students will go into jobs in the industry or academia once they finish their degrees. However, the transition from graduate school into the first professional job can be difficult to navigate. To help this transition, students participated in a Career Insights Luncheon with two professors and two industry members representing both the animal and the food sides of ADSA’s membership (Photo 2) Interviewing, job negotiation and when to make a career move were some of the most popular topics that helped students start thinking about and planning for whatever comes next.
The discussions continued that night at the professional networking Mix & Mingle event, where over 40 industry members met with graduate students to discuss their career journeys and what steps they can take now to best prepare for whatever that next step may be (Photo 3). This was a popular event with fantastic attendance where many stories, ideas and discussions were shared to help prepare the future generations of dairy industry leaders.The GSD’s path forward
The GSD’s activities were a small but important part of the entire annual meeting’s impact with sessions and gatherings that stretched across the 1,600 meeting attendees. At the conclusion of the meeting, the next round of GSD officers were elected, and they will carry out the planning for the GSD’s events at the 2023 ADSA annual meeting next June in Ottawa, Ontario. The officers include:
Exploring the social side of ADSA
Along with the importance of attending scientific presentations, there is equal importance placed on the social aspects of meeting other graduate students and industry professionals from across the country and around the world. On the first night of the annual meeting, the GSD held a social event with food, arcade games and conversation in the Power & Light District (Photo 4). These interactions continued throughout the conference as grad students from across the world connected over cows and cheese plates.
The GSD’s path forward
The GSD’s activities were a small but important part of the entire annual meeting’s impact with sessions and gatherings that stretched across the 1,600 meeting attendees. At the conclusion of the meeting, the next round of GSD officers were elected, and they will carry out the planning for the GSD’s events at the 2023 ADSA annual meeting next June in Ottawa, Ontario. The officers include:
President
Luke Qian, Cornell University
Vice President
Conor McCabe, U.C. – Davis
Treasurer
Richard Lobo, University of Florida
Production Division Director
Guilherme Madureira, University of Guelph
Dairy Foods Division Director
Caitlin Smits, North Carolina State University
With all the success culminating in this year’s annual meeting, next year’s meeting is sure to be another unforgettable experience. Recognition must go to the 2021-22 officer team, comprised of Lautaro Cangiano, Luke Qian, Sarah Burtnett, Conor McCabe, Sonali Raghunath and Caitlin Zaring, who helped organize and plan the GSD activities. Additionally, a big thank you from the GSD officer team goes out to all who helped support the GSD events with their time or financial contributions, and they look forward to what next year will bring with more conversations, sharing more science and being back together in person once again.
For more information about the ADSA graduate student division, check out the organization’s website.
