Congratulations to Jessica C L Motta who obtained 1st place in the poster presentation competition for the Food, Agriculture, and Environmental Sciences (FAES) academic area at the 36th Hayes Graduate Research Forum. The forum is organized by The Ohio State University and was held in Columbus – Ohio, March 4^th. The abstract presented by Jessica was titled “Effect of pattern of p-FSH treatment prior to ovum pick-up on ovarian response and in vitro embryo production in pregnant Holstein heifers”, which is part of Jessica’s research thesis. Besides of a monetary award, Jessica and the winners from the other academic areas were selected to apply for a $1,200 grant provided by the Ohio State Chapter of Sigma Xi for research-based effort.

Congratulations to Daniela Saade who received runner-up in the Undergraduate Poster Competition at the 48th Annual Meeting of the International Embryo Technology Society (IETS) held in Savannah, January 10 – 13, 2022. Daniel’s abstract titled “Blood sample type and storage conditions affect circulating anti-Müllerian hormone concentrations in cattle” was selected as a finalist upon submission  and Daniela received $1,000 travel grant to present her work at the Annual Meeting and participate in the final stage of the competition. Abstracts from student finalists are judged based on the quality of the poster presentation by a panel of judges from the Education Committee of the IETS Foundation. Congratulations to Daniela for her outstanding work!!

The OSU Repro Lab is once again partnering with the Ohio Cattlemen’s Association to offer Calving Clinics as part of the Cattlemen’s Academy. Upcoming dates and locations:

• BUTLER COUNTY – SEPTEMBER 1, 2021
•  TUSCARAWAS COUNTY – SEPTEMBER 8, 2021
• ADAMS COUNTY – SEPTEMBER 16, 2021

For more information and to register visit the Ohio Cattlemen’s Association website.

The current research project focused on the utilization of on-animal sensors to monitor beef bull reproductive performance during natural mating was recently featured in the monthly newsletter published by the Office of Research at the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences. Click here to learn more about it.

A Graduate Research Assistant position is available for a Ph.D. student in the laboratory of Dr. Alvaro Garcia-Guerra in the Department of Animal Sciences at The Ohio State University. The successful candidate will work on an ongoing USDA-NIFA funded project directed at investigating pregnancy loss and the mechanisms implicated in maintenance or regression of the corpus luteum beyond classical maternal recognition of pregnancy in ruminants.

The goal of the OSU Repro Lab is to investigate the biology of ovarian follicle development and early pregnancy to enhance fertility. We also focus on the application of reproductive physiology to the development and implementation of reproductive technologies and management strategies to enhance reproductive success, efficiency and sustainability of beef and dairy production systems. The research group currently consists of 6 graduate students (4 MS and 2 PhD) and 2 undergraduate students.

Qualifications: The ideal candidate will be highly motivated, detail-oriented, enthusiastic with a strong interest in reproductive physiology. Requirements include a M.S. degree in Animal Science, Biological Science, or closely related field with a minimum graduate GPA of 3.0.  Applicants must also meet minimum departmental, college and university requirements for acceptance into the graduate program.

Starting date: Spring (January), 2022

Application: Please submit a CV or resume, transcripts, personal statement and names and contact information for three references to Dr. Alvaro Garcia-Guerra (garciaguerra.1@osu.edu)  

For additional information contact: Alvaro Garcia-Guerra, Assistant Professor, Department of Animal Sciences, 323 Plumb Hall, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210. Office: (614) 292-6583; Email: garciaguerra.1@osu.edu

We recently hosted Dr. Sofia Ortega and one of her graduate students, Katy Stoecklein, from the Division of Animal Sciences at University of Missouri for a collaborative project to determine the effect of a modified embryo culture media on fertility in beef cattle. Control and treated embryos were transferred into recipient beef cows and  day 15 conceptuses were recovered, evaluated and frozen for subsequent gene expression analysis. It was a pleasure to host our colleagues and provide members of the OSU repro lab (Ben Duran, Alex Incarnato and Shaun Wellert) with training  on the collection and evaluation of conceptuses from cattle. Looking forward to continue collaborating with the Ortega lab.

Caleb presented his poster, titled “Evaluation of on-animal sensors for detection of breeding impediments and beef bull performance during the breeding season: A pilot study” at the Richard and Martha Denman Undergraduate research forum and obtained second place in the Animal and Insect Science Category. Well done Caleb!!

The North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture (NACTA) Educator Award recognizes those individuals whose efforts represent the very best in agricultural higher education.

Click here for more information.  

Our own Caleb Rykaczewski receives 2021 NAAB Doak Graduate Fellowship Award !!! Caleb is the recipient of this prestigious award from the National Association of Animal Breeders which will allow him to pursue his Masters degree right here in our lab. The announcement was widely distributed through the industry press. Congratulations Caleb!!!