The Department of Animal Sciences held its annual recognition event, the Evening of Excellence, at the Nationwide & Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center on April 8, 2017. Bonnie Ayars led the Team Recognition program, with coaches and advisors introducing their teams, while Joe Ottobre led the Awards of Excellence program.
The evening began with the Recognition of Teams. Representatives from each team spoke about the students who were a part of the teams during the 2016-2017 academic year. The list included: Academic Quadrathlon, Animal Welfare Judging, Dairy Challenge, Poultry Judging, Dairy Judging, Livestock Judging, and Meat Judging. In addition, several "anniversary" teams were honored, including 10-, 25-, and 50-year dairy, livestock, and meat judging teams.
A social followed the recognition of teams and included a buffet dinner, with meat dishes prepared by the Ohio State Meat Shoppe, and a live auction.
Rounding out the night was the Awards of Excellence program. Highlights included scholarship, undergraduate research, and ASAS recognition. The Awards of Excellence began by honoring individuals that received recognition during the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences’ Celebration of Students.
The Department of Animal Sciences had four of the 21 Outstanding Seniors recognized during the CFAES event. The four recognized seniors were:
- Rachael Adams (Morgantown, WV)
- Clint Gasser (Creston, OH)
- John Rowe (Cincinnati, OH)
- Brittany Webb (Milford, DE)
The Department of Animal Sciences was also well represented amongst the Newcomb Scholars, which recognizes the top five students of each class based on GPA. The Department of Animal Sciences Newcomb Scholars included:
- Megan Whalin, Year Two (Stockport, OH)
- Aislinn Latham, Year Three (Thurmont, MD)
- Randi Shaw, Year Three (Liberty Twp, OH)
- Clint Gasser, Year Four (Creston, OH)
- Ellen Schwieterman, Year Four (Lewistown, OH)
Other College-level award recipients included:
- Ann Ottobre, Outstanding Academic Mentor Award
- Animal Science Community Alliance (ASCA), Outstanding Student Organization
- Mariette Benage, 2017 Honorary Sphinx Member
The Department of Animal Sciences also honored numerous students at the Departmental-level for winning scholarships, participation in the CFAES Undergraduate Research Forum, and academic recognition in the American Society of Animal Science (ASAS).
Individuals honored for Outstanding Student Awards were:
- Dr. G.R. Johnson Scholarship Award (Senior(s) with the Highest GPA)
- Aislinn Latham (Thurmont, MD)
- Hannah Walczyk (Superior, CO)
- Waldock Brothers Award (Outstanding Senior in Animal Science)
- Rachael Adams (Morgantown, WV)
- L.E. Kunkle Award (Outstanding Graduate Student in Animal Science)
- Stehpanie Hutsko (Dublin, OH)
The final portion of the program was dedicated to individuals who have dedicated their careers to the improvement of animal and meat sciences. The Animal Science Hall of Fame induction ceremony honored Dr. Sue DeNise, while the Dairy Science Hall of Service induction ceremony honored Dr. Joseph Hogan and Andy and Itske Miedema.
