ANSC ANNUAL GRADUATE STUDENT AWARDS
THURSDAY, MAY 15, 2025
The LOUJA Graduate Travel Awards were created to support Animal Sciences graduate students who present exceptional research papers based on original work and excellence in presentation. These awards were established in honor of Dr. and Mrs. J.L. Krider, recognizing their leadership and dedication to the animal industry.
Dr. Jake Krider served as Head of Purdue University's Department of Animal Sciences from 1963 to 1971 and continued as a professor until his retirement in 1979. Prior to his time at Purdue, he held academic positions at Cornell University and the University of Illinois and also worked in administrative roles at Central Soya. He was actively involved in numerous professional organizations, serving as President of the American Society of Animal Science and acting as a consultant to various organizations and international entities.
Each year, Dr. Jake Krider and his wife, Louise, generously funded travel grants for select Animal Sciences graduate students to attend scientific conferences. To be eligible, students must be the author or co-author of an abstract and serve as the presenter at the meeting. Supported conferences may be regional, national, or international, provided the proceedings are publicly accessible.
Mrs. Krider passed away in 2000, and Dr. Krider followed in 2005.
2025 LOUJA AWARD WINNERS:
Ayooluwa Ojo - Genome-wide association study of mature cow weight in American Angus cattle
Saud Rehman - Assessing pork spoilage using meat exudate microbial and metabolomic signatures
Yuechi Fu - Effects of maternal dietary live yeast supplementation on piglet intestinal development and proteome profiles of sow milk and piglet jejunal mucosa
Hayley Sutherland - Parting the feathers: Examining the effects of northern fowl mites on cage-free laying hen welfare
Stetson Herzog - Effect of ruminally protected lysine on growth and nitrogen balance of grain-finished beef cattle fed diets of decreasing protein concentration
Jenna Schober - Serotonin and dopamine activity associated with aggressive feather pecking in Pekin ducks
BOOK-HARMON LEADERSHIP SCHOLARSHIP
The Book-Harmon Leadership Scholarship was established in 2005 by Bob Book and Bud Harmon to honor their commitment to fostering leadership in animal agriculture. Each year, this $1,000 scholarship is awarded to a graduate student in Animal Sciences who has demonstrated exceptional leadership abilities.
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 Maha Abdelhaseib.
Maha accepting the award from Dr. Zoltan Machaty, Chair of the Graduate Program Committee at the Department of Animal Sciences.
Maha is a Ph.D. student under the supervision of Dr. Brad Kim, specializing in meat quality and safety. She currently serves as a teaching assistant for ANSC 35100 (Meat Science) for the second time and has been a teaching assistant for BIOL 22100 (Introduction to Microbiology) for seven semesters. Her dedication to teaching has been recognized with several prestigious awards, including the 2024 Graduate School Excellence in Teaching Award, the highest university teaching honor at Purdue University. Beyond her academic and teaching roles, she has taken an active part in leadership and service within the Department of Animal Sciences, the College of Agriculture, and national organizations. Since Fall 2022, she has been serving as the Graduate Social Chair for the Animal Sciences Graduate Student Association (GSA). She has also been an active member of the American Meat Science Association (AMSA) and the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), further strengthening her professional development and engagement within the field. Congratulations, Maha!
THE W.R. FEATHERSTON AWARDS
The W.R. Featherston Awards were created to honor the exceptional accomplishments of graduate students in the Department of Animal Sciences. These awards commemorate the leadership and dedication of Professor W.R. Featherston, who served on the faculty from July 1962 until his untimely passing on June 3, 1980. Professor Featherston’s teaching and research provided invaluable guidance, support, and inspiration to graduate students throughout his career.
W.R. FEATHERSTON EARLY GRADUATE CAREER AWARD
The Featherston Early Graduate Career Award was established in memory of Professor W.R. Featherston to annually honor an exceptional M.S. or Ph.D. student within the first two years of their graduate studies. The award includes a $650 cash prize, a certificate, a personal plaque, and the recipient’s name inscribed on a permanent plaque displayed within the department. This year’s award recipient is Vitor Haetinger.
Vitor receiving the award from Dr. Zoltan Machaty.
Vitor is a Ph.D. student in Dr. Layi Adeola’s laboratory. He started his Ph.D. studies in 2023 and has maintained an outstanding academic record with an average GPA of 3.96 across a solid combination of challenging courses ever since. Vitor’s research targets the critical issue of phosphorus nutrition in chicken meat production, with the twin objective of mitigating the environmental impact phosphorus and enhancing production efficiency by reducing reliance on non-renewable inorganic phosphorus. Vitor is the first author of 5 publications in the prestigious journal of Poultry Science and has additional manuscripts that are in review for publication or in preparation for submission to various journals. In addition, Vitor has served as a teaching assistant for two different classes and has served as Vice President and President for the Animal Sciences Graduate Student Association. Way to go, Vitor!
W.R. FEATHERSTON OUTSTANDING GRADUATE TEACHING AWARD
The Featherston Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award was created in memory of Professor W.R. Featherston to annually recognize exceptional teaching by an M.S. or Ph.D. student within the Department of Animal Sciences. The award includes an $850 cash prize, a certificate, an individual plaque, and the recipient’s name added to a permanent plaque displayed in the department. This year’s recipient is Alyx Fisk.
Alyx Fisk
Alyx completed her Ph.D. in the non-ruminant nutrition laboratory of Dr. Brian Richert. Her primary research focused on optimizing swine health and performance through natural feed additives, specifically essential oils, as alternatives to antibiotics. By investigating their effects on sows during lactation and nursery pigs, Alyx looked to enhance growth, immune function, and gut health while addressing consumer concerns about antibiotic use. Alyx is the author of one published journal article, one article in review and 5 under preparation. She had an excellent GPA of 3.86. In addition, Alyx has served as a teaching assistant for the class ANSC 32600 (Applied Non-Ruminant Nutrition) and has been a vital part of the success of the class. In recognition of her commitment to teaching excellence, organizational ability, and excellent understanding of the course materials, in the fall of 2024 she became the head TA for the class. In that role she was responsible for leading other TAs in the running of the labs, grading and answering student questions. Congratulations, Alyx!
W.R. FEATHERSTON OFF-CAMPUS TRAINING FELLOWSHIP
The Featherston Off-Campus Training Fellowship was established in memory of Professor W.R. Featherston to provide annual financial support to an M.S. or Ph.D. student in the Department of Animal Sciences for participation in a formal off-campus career development program, organized workshop, or course. The recipient receives reimbursement for related expenses, a certificate of award, a personal plaque, and their name is added to a permanent plaque displayed in the department. This year’s recipient is Saud Rehman.
Saud accepting the award from Dr. Machaty.
Saud is a Ph.D. student under the supervision of Dr. Brad Kim, with a research interest in meat science and food safety. Saud is going to attend the 6th Annual North American Mass Spectrometry Summer School at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in July. This training directly supports Saud’s ongoing dissertation work, which uses metabolomic and microbial profiling to assess meat spoilage and safety. While he has made strong progress in experimental design and data collection, his next step involves mastering metabolomics data analysis — a key focus of the summer school. The program’s hands-on workshops in spectral interpretation, quantification, and bioinformatics will help Saud overcome current challenges in his research and strengthen upcoming projects involving high-dimensional data. Congratulations, Saud!
W.R. FEATHERSTON OUTSTANDING M.S. AWARD
The Featherston Outstanding M.S. Award was established in memory of Professor W.R. Featherston to annually honor the most outstanding M.S. student in the Department of Animal Sciences. The award includes a $500 cash prize, a certificate, an individual plaque, and the recipient’s name inscribed on a permanent plaque displayed in the department. This year, the Featherston Outstanding M.S. Award is presented to Audrey Ellis.
Audrey accepting the award from Dr. Zoltan Machaty.
Audrey started in Dr. Tim Johnson’s lab as an undergraduate researcher and became a graduate student in September 2023. Her research explores how microbial communities living in and on animals are shaped by host factors and industry-relevant management practices across both companion and livestock species. Audrey’s current project is a collaborative pilot study to determine the baseline microbiome composition of puppies from commercial breeding kennels, and to determine the factors that are important in driving changes in the animals’ microbiome. This analysis will provide important information to potentially contribute to understanding and determining the welfare of dogs. Audrey already has three publications as a co-author and four papers nearly ready for peer review (two as first author). She has made poster presentations at local and regional scientific microbiology meetings. Furthermore, Audrey has been active in the Student Association of Applied Microbiome Sciences, first as Social Chair and now as President. She has also been active in the Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship, as well as in the Animal Sciences Graduate Student Association. Congratulations, Audrey!
W.R. FEATHERSTON OUTSTANDING Ph.D. AWARD
The Featherston Outstanding Ph.D. Award was established in memory of Professor W.R. Featherston to annually honor the most outstanding Ph.D. student in the Department of Animal Sciences. Regarded as one of the highest distinctions in the Graduate Program, this award recognizes exceptional achievement and excellence. It includes a $1,000 cash prize, a certificate, a personal plaque, and the recipient’s name will be added to a permanent plaque displayed in the department. This year, the Featherston Outstanding Ph.D. Award is presented to Opeadura Osunbami.
Opeadura Osunbami
Opeadura started her Ph.D. studies in 2021 under the supervision of Dr. Layi Adeola. During her entire graduate program, Opeadura maintained an outstanding academic record of a perfect 4.0 GPA. She has assessed calcium and phosphorus utilization as well as feed for broiler chickens and pigs. Her hard work is exemplified by 6 journal publications, 2 book chapters, and 5 abstracts, which were given as oral talks. Opeadura is also an inspirational and talented teacher. She has contributed to ANSC 52200 (Monogastric Nutrition) as well as BIOL 20300 and 20400 (Human Anatomy and Physiology) through preparing and giving lectures, setting exam questions, proctoring and grading exams, as well as leading laboratory sessions. In addition, she has previously served as Senator and as Vice President for the Animal Sciences Graduate Student Association and represented Animal Sciences graduate students on the Purdue Graduate Student Association (PGSG). Congratulations, Opeadura!
G. W. FRIARS INTERNATIONAL GRADUATE STUDENT FELLOWSHIP
The Gerry W. Friars Fellowship was established to help ease the financial burden faced by international students at Purdue University. Dr. Gerry Friars earned his Ph.D. from Purdue in 1961 while on leave from the Ontario Agricultural College, which later became part of the University of Guelph. His career at Guelph, spanning from 1951 to 1985, focused on teaching and research in poultry and fish genetics and breeding. From 1985 to 1995, he served as Chief Scientist at the Atlantic Salmon Federation, with a cross-appointment at the University of New Brunswick. Through his longstanding work with graduate students, Dr. Friars developed a deep understanding of their financial challenges. In his honor, an annual $1,000 award is presented to an international M.S. or Ph.D. student in the Department of Animal Sciences who is studying quantitative poultry or fish genetics. This year’s recipient is Esther Oluwagbenga.
Esther Oluwagbenga
Esther arrived in Dr. Greg Fraley’s lab in 2021 from Nigeria and after successfully completing her MS degree in May 2023, she continued in the lab working on Ph.D. Her primary project involves research into the epigenetics of stress in Pekin ducks. She has demonstrated in two separate studies that heat stress in breeder ducks cause increased fear responses and exaggerated hormonal stress response. She has a total of 6 first-author publications and has earned co-authorship on an additional 5 publications. In addition, she has a total of 8 presentations as the presenting author, and authorship on another 6 abstracts at national and international conferences. She also did an excellent job explaining her research findings to farmers during the Small Farms Conference at the Hendricks County Fairgrounds, Indiana, in 2023. Esther has also TA’ed for the ANSC 23000 (Physiology of Domestic Animals) and ANSC 44500 (Commercial Poultry Management) courses. She served, among other things, as the Treasurer for the Animal Sciences Graduate Student Association and is an active member in the Nigerian Student Association at Purdue. Congratulations, Esther!