Penn State Students Excel at ADSA-SAD Annual Meetings

The Penn State Dairy Science Club had a successful trip to Cincinnati to attend the American Dairy Science Association Student Affiliate Division (ADSA-SAD) meetings held June 22-25. Club members won first place in the quiz bowl and placed second in the Outstanding Chapter competition, based on an annual report of chapter activities, participation in the ADSA Student Affiliate Division, club publications and website.

Penn State was represented by eight students at the meetings: Shoshana Brody, Baltimore, MD; Kelly Forbes, Pittsburgh, PA; Sydney Jewell, Spencer, NY; Daniel Kitchen, Danville, PA; Kelly MacRae, Grove City, PA; Megan Moran, Tunkhannock, PA; Michael Morgan, Shirleysburg, PA; and Bailey Winslow, Warren, PA. Club Advisers Dr. Chad Dechow and Dale Olver accompanied the students.

Members of the winning quiz bowl team were Shoshana Brody, Kelly Forbes, Daniel Kitchen, and Michael Morgan. They emerged victorious in an exciting final match against Cal Poly. In the undergraduate presentation contests, Kelly MacRae competed in the dairy foods category with her talk, "Enzyme Modified Cheese Production." Sydney Jewell earned second place in the original research category with her discussion titled, "Semen Quality in Lost Holstein Y-Chromosome Lineages." Bailey Winslow placed third in the dairy production division with his talk, "Implementing Precision Technologies to Manage Subacute Rumen Acidosis." Yvonne Longenecker compiled the club scrapbook, and the Dairyman yearbook edited by Gregory Norris and Hanna Welk placed third. Shoshana Brody was elected third vice president of ADSA-SAD for the upcoming year.

Students earning recognition for outstanding academic achievement were sophomores George Demers, York, PA; Sydney Jewell; Drew Walton, Cochranville, PA; and Andi Wood, Himrod, NY. Juniors receiving scholarship recognition included Shoshana Brody, Rebecca Dent, Berwick, PA; Jill Heffner, Pine Grove, PA; Kelly MacRae, and Michael Morgan. Seniors receiving scholarship certificates included Dylan Dietz, McVeytown, PA; Abigail Jantzi, Clymer, NY; Katie Sondericker, Attica, NY; Anna Schmidt, Garrett Park, MD; and Stephanie Takitch, Latrobe. These awards are based on grades, club membership, and dairy production coursework.

Dr. Terry Etherton, Head of the Department of Animal Science, said, "It is a wonderful pleasure for me to annually congratulate our dairy science club members for the outstanding recognition they achieved at the ADSA-SAD competitions. Their hard work, dedication and commitment to excellence is remarkable and, as many know, the Club has sustained this high level of excellence for decades. Our faculty and staff deserve recognition for all the support they give to help our students achieve success."

During the meetings students participated in professional development, educational and networking events. They also took part in a media training workshop and careers roundtable. Students had the opportunity to attend symposia, oral sessions and poster sessions presented by professional members of the organizations. There were over 60 scientific sessions, 1,100 abstracts and 34 symposia and workshops during the meeting. Approximately 100 undergraduate students from across the country participated in ADSA-SAD events.

While in Ohio, the students attended the meetings as members of the American Dairy Science Association Student Affiliate Division (ADSA-SAD). The ADSA-SAD is a division of the parent organization that works to develop leadership and promote scholarship among students interested in the dairy industry, and to encourage students toward careers in dairy science. There are more than 600 undergraduate student members in ADSA. ADSA was established in 1906 as a scientific and educational association to serve the dairy and dairy-related industries. It facilitates the discovery, application and dissemination of dairy science knowledge and information.