ANSC ANNUAL GRADUATE STUDENT AWARDS
THURSDAY, MAY 11, 2023
THE LOUJA GRADUATE TRAVEL AWARDS were established to provide grants to Animal Sciences Graduate students, presenting outstanding research papers based upon original research and excellence of presentation. The LOUJA Graduate Travel Awards were established in honor of the leadership and dedication to the animal industry of Dr. and Mrs. J.L. Krider. Dr. Krider served as Head of Purdue's Department of Animal Sciences from 1963 to 1971 and Professor until his retirement in 1979. Previously he had served on the staffs of Cornell University and University of Illinois as well as on administrative assignments with Central Soya. He was very active in many organizations serving as President of the American society of Animal Science and as a consultant to several organizations and countries.
Each year, Dr. Jake Krider and his wife, Louise, provide travel funds to a few Animal Science graduate students to attend scientific meetings. Eligible students must be the author or a co-author on the abstract and must be the presenter at the meeting. Meetings can be regional, national, or international as long as the proceedings are published to public acquisition or viewing.
Mrs. Krider passed in October, 2000 and Dr. Krider passed in June, 2005.
2023 LOUJA AWARD WINNERS:
From left to right: Xiyue (Cici) Chen, Madigan Snyder, Jung Sung, Esther Oluwagbenga, Paul Oladele, Tanner Wise
Xiyue (Cici) Chen - PRMT5 mediates methylation of a mitochondrial protein to regulate brown fat thermogenesis and systemic metabolism
Madigan Snyder - LETMD1 is required for thermogenic function in brown adipocyte mitochondria
Jung Sung - Validation of quantitative computed tomography to estimate bone ash and effects of autoclaving on bone ash in young broiler chickens
Esther Oluwagbenga - Increased adrenal response to ACTH in F1 Pekin ducks raised from parents that experienced heat stress
Paul Oladele - Effect of mode of delivery of fecal microbiota transplants on growth performance and gut microbiome in weaning piglets
Tanner Wise - Amino acid and phosphorus digestibility responses of broiler chickens to exogenous phytase supplementation of standard- and high-phytate diets
BOOK-HARMON LEADERSHIP SCHOLARSHIP
The Book Harmon Leadership Scholarship was established in 2005 by Bob Book and Bud Harmon in recognition of their efforts to provide and promote leadership in animal agriculture. Each year, the Book-Harmon Leadership Scholarship provides a $1,000 scholarship to reward a graduate student in Animal Sciences that has displayed outstanding leadership skills and efforts.
Criteria for receiving the scholarship:
- Major in Animal Sciences
- Have and maintain a minimum overall GPA of 3.0
- Possess good communication and leadership skills
- Be involved with department, university and national organizations
- Have an up-to-date Progress Report from their Graduate Advisory Committee
The Book-Harmon Leadership Scholarship is awarded to Ruth Eunice Centeno Martinez.
Eunice accepting the award from Dr. Zoltan Machaty, Chair of the Graduate Program Committee at the Department of Animal Sciences
Eunice is a native of Honduras. She studies microbial ecology that can help us understand how the presence of microorganisms influences the animal’s health and performance. As a grad student Ruth has maintained an outstanding GPA, submitted 5 manuscript to peer-reviewed journals and is working on submitting 4 additional ones. She has mentored 5 undergraduate students, and during the Fall 2022 Undergraduate Student Symposium all of her mentees’ abstract got accepted for poster, one for oral presentation and one of them won 1st place in the poster session at the college level. She is involved in the Animal Science Graduate Student Association and served as Social Chair.
Congratulations, Ruth!
G. W. FRIARS INTERNATIONAL GRADUATE STUDENT FELLOWSHIP
The purpose of the Gerry W. Friars Fellowship is to alleviate some of the monetary stress of foreign students at Purdue University. Dr. Gerry Friars completed his Ph.D. at Purdue University in 1961, while on leave from the Ontario Agricultural College; the College later became part of the University of Guelph. Dr. Friars' career at Guelph from 1951 to 1985 involved teaching and research in poultry and fish genetics and breeding. From 1985 to 1995, he was the Chief Scientist at the Atlantic Salmon Federation with a cross appointment at the University of New Brunswick. His long association with graduate students cultivated an awareness of the financial needs of these students. An annual award of $1,000 is awarded to an international M.S. or Ph.D. student studying quantitative poultry or fish genetics in the Department of Animal Sciences. The Gerry Friars Fellowship is awarded to Jung Sung.
Jung accepting the award from Dr. Zoltan Machaty.
Jung is a native of Korea. He started in the Animal Science Ph.D. program in 2020. He is a hard-working, respectful, scientifically inquisitive, and thoughtful graduate student. He has demonstrated outstanding scholarship as well as great advance in his research. Jung has published 4 papers in Poultry Science and Journal of Animal Science since starting his Ph.D. program. In his academic career, he is first author on 12 journal publications and has contributed to 27 abstracts. As an international student conducting research in poultry area, Jung is qualified for and deserving of the Gerry W. Friars International Graduate Student Fellowship.
Congratulations, Jung!
THE W.R. FEATHERSTON AWARDS
The W.R. Featherston Awards were established to recognize the outstanding achievements of graduate students in the Department of Animal Sciences. These awards were established in honor of the leadership and dedication to graduate students exhibited by Professor W.R. Featherston. Professor Featherston was on the staff from July 1962 to June 3, 1980, the date of his untimely death. Professor Featherston's teaching and research activities were a source of guidance, encouragement and inspiration to the graduate students.
W.R. FEATHERSTON EARLY GRADUATE CAREER AWARD
The Featherston Early Graduate Career Award was established in memory of Professor W.R. Featherston to annually recognize the outstanding M.S. or Ph.D. student within his/her first two years of graduate study. The award consists of $650, plus a certificate of award, individual plaque and her/his name will be added to the permanent plaque maintained within the department. This year's recipient is Esther Oluwagbenga.
Esther accepting the award from Dr. Machaty.
Esther is originally from Nigeria and she joined Purdue University in May of 2021. She has an extraordinary potential to be a future powerhouse scientist in the poultry industry. Right from the start, Esther actively participated in experimental design and made suggestions to improve experiments. She interpreted data on her own and actively participated in data discussions. Esther’s natural intelligence, her work ethics, and personal drive have allowed her to become an incredibly productive member of the laboratory that she works at. Esther truly personifies the characteristics of this award.
Congratulations, Esther!
W.R. FEATHERSTON OUTSTANDING GRADUATE TEACHING AWARD
The Featherston Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award was established in memory of Professor W.R. Featherston to annually recognize the outstanding teaching by an M.S. or Ph.D. student within the Department. The award consists of $850, plus a certificate of award, an individual plaque and their name will be added to a permanent plaque maintained within the Department. This year's recipient is Maha Abdelhaseib.
Maha accepting the award from Dr. Zoltan Machaty.
After completion of her doctorate in Food Hygiene at Assiut University in Egypt, Maha challenged herself to pursue her second doctorate degree at Purdue University. She joined the Animal Sciences department in 2021. She has served as a teaching assistant (TA) for the General Microbiology class and was the winner of the best TA award in 2020. She has two education papers under review in two of top education field journals. Maha also developed and taught an interactive microbiology course for elementary school students as part of the Purdue Gifted Education Research Institute’s Super Saturday program. The course, "Introduction to Microbiology," introduced students to basic microbiological concepts.
Congratulations, Maha!
W.R. FEATHERSTON OUTSTANDING M.S. AWARD
The Featherston Outstanding M.S. Award was established in memory of Professor W.R. Featherston to annually recognize the Outstanding M.S. student within the department. The award consists of $500, certificate of award, an individual plaque and the recipient's name will be added to a permanent plaque maintained within the department. The Featherston Outstanding M.S. Award is presented to Esther Oluwagbenga.
Esther accepting the award from Dr. Zoltan Machaty.
Esther’s excellence was recognized by yet another award during the ceremony. In less than two years, Esther earned first author on two manuscripts in Frontiers in Avian Physiology that were published before her master’s thesis defense, and her third thesis chapter has recently been accepted for publication. In addition, she has also earned authorship on a fourth manuscript. She authored 5 abstracts for national and international conferences and is first author on 3 of them. She is well on her way to becoming an excellent poultry scientist.
Congratulations again, Esther!
W.R. FEATHERSTON OUTSTANDING Ph.D. AWARD
The Featherston Outstanding Ph.D. Award was established in memory of Professor W.R. Featherston to annually recognize the outstanding Ph.D. student within the department. This award is considered an extremely high honor in the Graduate Program and serves to reward excellence. The award consists of $1,000, a certificate of award, an individual plaque and the recipient's name will be added to a permanent plaque maintained within the Department. The Featherston Outstanding Ph.D. Award is presented to Jingjuan (Candice) Chen.
Candice accepting the award from Dr. Zoltan Machaty.
Candice graduated from Jilin University in Changchun, China in June 2017, with a B.S. degree in veterinary medicine. She then came to Purdue to pursue a Ph.D. degree in muscle biology. The thesis research that Candice has been pursuing focuses on the novel role of a mitochondrial protein in regulating skeletal muscle mass and regenerative function. She discovered that in the absence of this protein, the muscle mitochondrial function is disrupted, leading to muscle wasting and loss of regenerative function. Candice has published 10 papers as a graduate student at Purdue, including a recent paper that was just accepted by EMBO Reports.
Congratulations, Candice!
W.R. FEATHERSTON OFF-CAMPUS TRAINING FELLOWSHIP
The Featherston Off-campus Training Fellowship was established in memory of Professor W.R. Featherston to annually provide financial support for a M.S. or Ph.D. degree student in the Department of Animal Sciences to attend a formal career development training program, organized workshop, or course off campus. The recipient will be given a check for reimbursement of the expenses, certificate of award, individual plaque and her/his name will be added to the permanent plaque maintained within the Department. This year the recipient of this award is Xiyue (Cici) Chen.
Cici accepting the award from Dr. Zoltan Machaty.
Cici completed both BS and MS at China Agricultural University, where she has received strong research training. She started as a Ph.D. student at Purdue University in 2019. Cici’s research project mainly focuses on lipid metabolism, using the state-of-the-art multiomics approach. Her research led to the publication of a first-author paper in the influential “Methods in Molecular Biology” series on lipidomics analysis. Cici plans to use the award to strengthen her skills in single cell RNA-sequencing data analysis, and use the knowledge to help others in the department who may need assistance in omics data analysis.
Congratulations, Cici!