Three Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources animal science faculty members -- one recently retired -- received awards for excellence at last week’s joint American Society of Animal Science (ASAS) and American Dairy Science Association (ADSA) annual meetings in New Orleans.
In ASAS, Chris Calkins received the Meats Research Award and Rick Rasby the Extension Award. Jeff Keown, who retired from UNL June 30, received ADSA’s DeLaval Extension Award.
The ASAS’s most distinguished award, the Morrison Award, went to an animal science adjunct faculty member, Larry Cundiff, retired research leader of the Genetics and Breeding Unit at the USMARC, who was a co-advisor for Ronnie Green, IANR vice chancellor, when Green earned his Ph.D. at UNL.
Green served as ASAS president for the past year. The ASAS, with 4,600 members worldwide, works to “discover, disseminate and apply knowledge for sustainable use of animals for food and other human needs.”
Green turned his gavel over at the annual meeting, and now serves as ASAS past president. He is not the only IANR faculty member serving as an ASAS leader.
Deb Hamernik, Agricultural Research Division associate dean who currently is interim UNL associate vice chancellor for research, is on the ASAS board. She also is co-chair of the Food Animal Integrated Research Symposium that will be held in Washington D.C. in March 2012.
Past ASAS presidents from Nebraska include Irv Omtvedt, former IANR vice chancellor; Abe Aberle, former animal science department head; and faculty member Terry Klopfenstein.
"Servant leadership is so important in our work and in our world," Green said, "and IANR and Nebraska can be proud of these award winners, others from IANR who serve in the ASAS, ADSA and other professional organizations carrying out the work of those organizations, and the many members of the IANR community who work locally, nationally and internationally in servant leader roles."