The awards and honors were abundantly presented to outstanding students at the American Association of Swine Veterinarians (AASV) Annual Meeting at the AASV Annual Meeting in Las Vegas, Nev.
AASV Foundation Announces Results of First Graduate Student Competition
The AASV Foundation awarded scholarships totaling $5,000 to three graduate students who participated in the Research Topics session. The Research Topics session highlights research projects related to swine health and production, including virology, diagnostics, environment, biosecurity and welfare. For the first time, graduate students presenting in the session competed for scholarships sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health.
• $3,000: Katlyn McClellan, South Dakota State University, “Blood hemoglobin as a predictor of removal risk and reproductive performance in prolific sows”
• $1,000: Rafael Medeiros de Avila Melo, University of Minnesota, “Assessing viral environmental contamination in and around mortality handling structures in wean-to-finish farms”
• $1,000: Sara Correia Sequeira, The Ohio State University, “Assessing connectivity and biosecurity compliance of vehicles in a Brazilian swine production system”
AASV Foundation Announces Student Seminar Awards and Scholarships
The AASV Foundation awarded scholarships totaling $25,000 to 15 veterinary students who participated in the AASV Student Seminar at the Annual Meeting.
Bryn Van Winters, University of Guelph, received the $5,000 scholarship for top student presentation. Sloane’s presentation was titled “Effects of early-life energy supplementation on survival and growth in pre-weaned piglets?” The Zoetis Foundation provided funding for the Top Student Presenter Award.
Elanco Animal Health provides $20,000 in additional funding, enabling the AASV Foundation to award scholarships for 2nd through 15th place. Four veterinary student presenters received $2,500 scholarships: Maeve Powis, University of Guelph; Jacqueline Springer, University of Illinois; Jinnan Xiao, Iowa State University; Emma Zwart, Iowa State University. Five veterinary student presenters received $1,500 scholarships: Ginny Bass, North Carolina State University; Emily Evans-Stevens, Kansas State University; Ben Hollis, Iowa State University; Kara Linder, Colorado State University; Johanna Vandenack, Iowa State University. Those student presenters receiving $500 scholarships were: Sean Dullard, University of Illinois; Lila Minnick, University of Illinois; Rebecca Smith, University of Georgia; Nicole Villalon, Iowa State University; Samantha Wagner, Midwestern University. In addition to the $5,000 Top Student Presenter award, the Zoetis Foundation provided $11,250 in grant funding to support $750 awards for each student selected to participate in the oral session.
AASV Announces Student Poster Competition Awardees
The AASV provided an opportunity for 15 veterinary students to compete for awards in the Veterinary Student Poster Competition. United Animal Health sponsored the competition, offering awards totaling $4000. Additionally, the Zoetis Foundation provided $10,000 in grant funding to support $500 awards for students selected to participate in the poster session.
- $500 scholarship: Molly Jones, North Carolina State University – Top student poster titled “The dosing disconnect: Evaluating agreement between two measurement methods of swine water medicator performance”
- $400 scholarships: Abigayle Brown, Iowa State University; Heath Keiser, Iowa State University
- $300 scholarships: Lindsey Britton, North Carolina State University; Logan Griggs, University of Pennsylvania; Aleah Vetter, University of Minnesota
- $200 scholarships: Lee Ammons, Iowa State University; Emma Coursey, University of Illinois; Rachel Kontz, University of Minnesota; Timothy Magdall, University of Minnesota; Ella Moll, Iowa State University; Abbey Pals, Iowa State University; Amanda Pisarczyk, Iowa State University; Seth Reicks, University of Minnesota; Antonio Rodriguez-Torrado, St. Georges University
K-State Student Wins David A. Schoneweis Scholarship
Emily Evans-Stevens, a second-year student at Kansas State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, was awarded the David A. Schoneweis Scholarship. The children of the late Dr. David Schoneweis established a scholarship in his memory to benefit swine-interested students from Kansas State University (KSU) and Oklahoma State University (OSU). The $1,000 scholarship is awarded to a student or students from KSU or OSU who participate in the student oral or poster presentations during the AASV Annual Meeting, based upon a selection rubric prepared with the oversight and approval of the Schoneweis family. Evans-Stevens presented her research, “Evaluation of sanitation procedures in swine nursery facilities utilizing adenosine triphosphate bioluminescence,” during the AASV Student Seminar.
AASV Foundation Awards First Baysinger Scholarships
Yoonsuk Lee and Mary Lisa Kasakamu were the named the first recipients of the AASV Foundation Angela Baysinger Memorial Scholarship. The objective of the Angela Baysinger Memorial Scholarship is to promote the long-term improvement of production animal welfare by supporting experiential learning opportunities for the next generation of animal welfare veterinarians and scientists. This scholarship is awarded annually to a student with a passion for production animal welfare who is currently working or studying in a field of animal welfare science.
Yoonsuk Lee spent seven years as a practicing dairy veterinarian before pursuing his graduate studies in welfare. He is a PhD student majoring animal welfare science at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where his research focuses on experimental and epidemiological investigations of dairy calf welfare practices, particularly in calf pair housing. Lee’s goal is to contribute to a future in which farm animal welfare practices are supported by robust science and where producers feel confident making decisions that benefit both animal welfare and farm success. He expects this scholarship to support his continued efforts to advance meaningful, practical, and scientifically sound welfare improvements, particularly in the dairy industry, but also to benefit animal agriculture more broadly.
Mary Lisa Kasakamu is pursuing a PhD in animal sciences at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, specializing in animal health, welfare and precision livestock management. She regards precision livestock management as a powerful tool for individual animal care within populations. Her goal is to develop science driven technologies that detect welfare challenges, including thermal stress, lameness, and failure to thrive. Supported by this scholarship, Kasakamu hopes to deepen her expertise, further develop her communication skills, identify adoptable solutions, contribute to meaningful dialogue, and evolve as a spokesperson for animal welfare improvements – just like Dr. Baysinger.
