Cindy Coy will retire from her role in the Department of Animal Sciences at The Ohio State University in March of 2024, following forty-four years of service to Ohio State and twenty-six years of service in her current position of research supervisor in Animal Sciences where her contributions to research have advanced the field of poultry science.
Coy has been a Buckeye from the beginning, graduating from Ohio State in 1975 with a degree in Animal Sciences. Following graduation, the Ohio native began training horses, a passion she has carried with her for much of her life. After spending three years in the role, she began taking lab science courses at Ohio State ATI and working in Dairy Science, assisting with studies on selenium in dairy cattle. Coy soon found her niche in the lab, working in six-month appointments on different forage analysis trials within the department. Coy’s days hardly ever looked the same, and her lab expertise soon expanded into the
field of molecular biology.
Growing up around Hereford cattle, she never anticipated working in the field of poultry science. However, Coy has spent over thirty years in collaboration with Dr. Sandy Velleman, using her skills in cell culture and “jack of all trades” approach to support research at the university on various species of commercial poultry. Coy has enjoyed learning new techniques in the lab and passing that knowledge on to the graduate students she trained. Her experience in histology with qPCR and RNA extractions have been invaluable over the years, providing the technical skill for industry-wide scientific discovery.
Today, Cindy Coy has spent over three decades contributing to impactful research and supporting faculty and graduate students in their endeavors. Her work has been critical to the success of dozens of studies throughout her time as a Buckeye. Coy has been awarded the OARDC Outstanding Staff Award for her work at The Ohio State University, an accomplishment reserved for staff exemplifying commitment and achievement in their role at Ohio State.
Coy notes how thankful she is to have worked alongside the faculty and graduate students in the Department of Animal Sciences. She also is thankful for her parents instilling in her a strong work ethic that has allowed her to achieve so much. Coy will be spending her retirement seeing the country on horseback, and she is hoping to spend time with friends in the Black Hills enjoying the trails. Coy also plans to continue her hobby Appalachian-style clogging.
Please join us in thanking OARDC Outstanding Staff, Cindy Coy, for her contributions to the college, department, and community in her thirty years at The Ohio State University.