2021 Award Winners
Distinguished Service Award
Kristen E. Govoni, University of Connecticut
Dr. Kristen E. Govoni earned her B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. (2003) degrees in Animal Science from the University of Connecticut (UConn). Her postdoctoral training was at the Musculoskeletal Disease Center in the Jerry L. Pettis VA Medical Center in Loma Linda, CA. Dr. Govoni joined the faculty in the Department of Animal Science at UConn in 2008 and her laboratory’s current research focuses on understanding growth and development at the cellular level to identify methods to improve animal health and efficiency of production. Dr. Govoni has secured over $1.9 million in funding, published 42 peer-reviewed papers, and mentored 14 graduate students as primary advisor and 15 as associate advisor. She has served as Northeast Section Director since 2016, ASAS Publications Committee Chair since 2016, member of the organizing committee for Perinatal Biology Symposium (2022), Section Editor for the Journal of Animal Science from 2013-2016, and coordinator for Northeast Graduate Poster competition from 2008-2016.
Young Scientist Award – Educator
Danielle N. Smarsh, The Pennsylvania State University
Dr. Danielle Smarsh received an Honors Degree with Distinction B.S. in Animal Science from the University of Delaware in 2008. She then completed a Ph.D. degree in Equine Exercise Physiology at Rutgers University under the guidance of Dr. Carey Williams. In 2013, Dr. Smarsh was hired as an Assistant Professor of Animal Science in the Animal Science Department at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls (UWRF). At UWFR she taught a number of classes including animal physiology and equine production. In 2018, Dr. Smarsh joined the Department of Animal Science at Penn State University, where she currently serves as an Equine Extension Specialist and Assistant Professor of Equine Science. Dr. Smarsh coordinates, hosts, and speaks at workshops and events across the state of Pennsylvania on topics including horse health and care, equine nutrition, and pasture management. She also teaches several classes at Penn State, including equine exercise physiology and embedded study abroad courses.
2019 Award Winners
Distinguished Service Award
Terry D. Etherton – The Pennsylvania State University
Dr. Etherton received a B.S. degree (1971) in Agricultural Science and an M.S. degree (1974) in Animal Science, both from the University of Illinois. He received a Ph.D. degree in Animal Science from the University of Minnesota (1978) and was an NIH Postdoctoral Fellow at Stanford University from 1978-79. In 1979, Dr. Etherton joined the Department of Dairy & Animal Science at Penn State as an Assistant Professor and rapidly rose through the faculty ranks. He was named a Distinguished Professor of Animal Nutrition in 1996,and has served as Head of the Department (now Animal Science) since 1 May 1998. Dr. Etherton is internationally recognized for his research in the area of endocrine regulation of animal growth and nutrient metabolism and was the first to establish that administration of recombinantly-derived porcine growth hormone to growing pigs improved growth rate, increased muscle mass and decreased body fat. He has served as the president of ASAS (2003-04) and FASS (2005-06).
Young Scientist Award - Educator
Samuel David Alcaine – Cornell University
Dr. Samuel Alcaine is an Assistant Professor at Cornell University. He has a BS from the University of Maryland (2002), an MS from Cornell University (2007), and a PhD from the University of Massachusetts (2016). At Cornell, he has led and participated in 17 workshops, reaching over 300 dairy professionals. His lectures are highly valued by attendees, who find Dr. Alcaine a very effective and innovative educator. He has a very active research program that uses protective bacterial cultures and enzymes to address dairy food waste and safety, and has received an impressive number of research grants from federal and state agencies. He has already published several research papers and technical articles relevant to the dairy industry, and is often asked to give interviews to the press on issues that are important to the dairy industry. He is very very engaged with various dairy associations, and is already recognized as one of the emerging leaders in dairy education and research in the US.
2018 Award Winners
Distinguished Service Award
Richard A. Erdman – University of Maryland
Dr. Rich Erdman served as Chair of the Department of Animal and Avian Sciences from 1999 to 2007 and has been member of the American Dairy Science Association (ADSA) for more than 40 years. He has served ADSA in many capacities including service on several standing committees, as a member of the editorial board and as routine reviewer for the Journal of Dairy Science. Rich served as host institution chair for the ADSA Annual Meeting that was held at the University of Maryland in June of 1993. Dr. Erdman served as Co-Chair of the ADSA Discovery Conference on Feed Efficiency in 2013. He was chair of the Production Division of ADSA in 1993 and finally served as a member of the ADSA Board of Directors from 2010 to 2013. Dr. Erdman was member of the National Research Council’s: Nutrient Requirements of Dairy Cattle that authored the 7th revised edition published in 2001 and is chair of the current committee completing the 8th revised edition. Rich has trained 30 graduate students and taught several nutrition courses. He has published nearly 100 articles in scientific journals, a majority published in the Journal of Dairy Science, and has received multiple awards for his contributions.
Young Scientist Award - Educator
Jonathan A. Campbell – The Pennsylvania State University
Dr. Campbell began his career in the meat industry in 1998 while working as an Animal Science undergraduate student in the Meat Laboratory at Clemson University. From 2000 – 2006, Jonathan served as the Meat Laboratory Manager. Jonathan then accepted a full-time extension associate and research position and joined the meat science group at Iowa State University. Campbell worked in Ames from 2006-2013, where he gained valuable knowledge and extensive experience in the area of processed meats and food safety. Jonathan then joined the Animal Science faculty at Penn State University on July 1, 2013 where he currently serves as the Extension Meat Specialist hosting numerous workshops and short courses annually. Campbell is also closely tied to meat and food processors in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern U.S. and works on validating the safety of various processed meat items, specifically artisanal salumi and charcuterie style products.
Young Scientist Award – Research
Joseph W. McFadden – Cornell University
Dr. Joseph W. McFadden is the recipient of the 2018 Northeast ADSA-ASAS Young Scientist Award for Research. In 2003, Dr. McFadden received a B.S. degree with Distinction in Research from the Department of Animal Science at Cornell University in the lab of Dr. Dale Bauman. He then completed a M.S. degree in Animal Sciences under the advisement of Dr. James Drackley at the University of Illinois, and a Ph.D. degree in Dairy Science at Virginia Tech with guidance from Dr. Benjamin Corl. After his doctoral training, Dr. McFadden joined the postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Neuroscience and the Center for Metabolism and Obesity Research at Johns Hopkins Medicine where he received training in mass spectrometry-based lipidomics. In 2012, Dr. McFadden joined the faculty at West Virginia University as an Assistant Professor of Biochemistry in the Division of Animal and Nutritional Sciences where he applied lipidomics as a means to biochemically map the bovine lipidome and reveal the sphingolipid ceramide as an associative and causative biomarker of insulin antagonism in dairy cattle. In 2017, Dr. McFadden joined the faculty in the Department of Animal Science at Cornell University as an Assistant Professor of Dairy Cattle Biology and the Northeast Agribusiness and Feed Alliance Faculty Fellow. Throughout his early faculty career, Dr. McFadden has secured more than $1.5 million in support from organizations including the United States Department of Agriculture, National Science Foundation, the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research, and industry partners. He has published 20 peer-reviewed papers, 71 conference abstracts, presented 24 invited talks, and overseen 11 graduate student and postdoctoral programs. Joe is currently exploring new nutritional approaches to mimic somatotropin action and mitigate fatty liver disease in dairy cattle and developing a course in Nutritional Physiology and Biochemistry.
2017 Award Winners
Distinguished Service Award
Thomas Hoagland – University of Connecticut
Dr. Thomas Hoagland grew up South East of Boston and learned to enjoy animals at a young age. He earned his B.S. in 1973 and his M.S. in 1975 from the University of Connecticut. He completed his PhD in 1979 from Oklahoma State University. After completing a post doc at Purdue University, he returned to the University of Connecticut as an assistant professor in 1980. At the University of Connecticut, Dr. Hoagland has taught Livestock Production and livestock evaluation courses and has been advisor to the Block and Bridle Club and to AGR for many years. In addition, he has organized programs throughout New England that focus on Livestock Production. He has been the president of the Northeast Division of ASAS, the national director to the ASAS national board, and the treasurer of the ASAS. Dr. Hoagland has been active in companion animal activities throughout New England.
Northeast Graduate Student Video Competition
First Place
Investigating the effects of poor maternal nutrition on lamb inflammation
Amanda Jones, University of Connecticut
Second Place
The effects of poor maternal nutrition during gestation on the number of Pax7(+) myogenic progenitor cells
Mary Wynn, University of Connecticut
Third Place
Emissions intensity: understanding the environmental impact of selection in dairy cattle
Caeli Richardson – University of Guelph
Young Scientist Award - Educator
Tara Felix – Pennsylvania State University
Dr. Felix grew up in Northwestern Pennsylvania where her family raised predominantly dairy goats, but also hogs, rabbits and a variety of poultry. She received her bachelor’s degree in Animal Bioscience from Penn State University in 2006. She completed her Master’s degree in ruminant mineral nutrition at the University of Florida under Dr. Lee McDowell and her PhD in beef cattle nutrition at The Ohio State University under Dr. Steven Loerch. Dr. Felix then began her career as an Assistant Professor of Beef Cattle Feedlot Nutrition and Management in the Department of Animal Sciences at the University of Illinois in September 2011. While at the University of Illinois, Tara investigated the impacts of feeding a variety of co-products to beef cattle on ruminal metabolism, growth performance, and feedlot economics. In January 2016 she decided to pursue her passion for education in a teaching and Extension appointment in the Department of Animal Science at Penn State. Dr. Felix has published 39 peer-reviewed articles in under 10 years and has also mentored 8 master’s students and 3 doctoral candidates, as well as undergraduate students. Her student’s have successfully presented their scientific research in 33 abstracts. Dr. Felix has also published 13 articles in popular press and extension publications and has been invited nationally and internationally to speak about the work she has done feeding various co-products to cattle.
Dr. Felix has been a member of ASAS for 9 years and has served on the Midwest Ruminant Nutrition Committee and chaired the national Graduate Student Program Committee. She also maintains active roles in the Pennsylvania Farm Show as part of the Beef Committee and in the PA Beef Producers Working Group, an organization dedicated to working together to monitor the beef industry needs in order to create educational opportunities that improve performance and production. In addition, Tara has served as an adviser for Penn Ag Industries Association as part of the Feed, Grain, and Allied Industries executive committee for over a year.