The four winners of the 2012 prize were Daniel Lopez, Sarah Carpenter, Katie Stayton, and Christina Rettig. They are shown with Drs. Ron Butler, Chairman of the Department of Animal Science and Mike Thonney, Director of the Cornell Sheep Program.
Dan is a senior from Buffalo, NY where he grew up working at his father’s construction company. His family owned pleasure-riding horses, and this stimulated his interest in veterinary work. After attending his first two years of Cornell University as an Animal Science major, he developed a passion for the dairy industry and entered the Dairy Fellows Program. During the following two winters, he spent time working on a pair of 1700 cow dairy farms learning basic livestock production skills. During his senior year, Dan wrote a thesis on the potential ability of colostrum to cause long-term regulatory changes in neonatal calves. During parts of his undergraduate career, Dan has been a member of the Cornell University Dairy Science Club (CUDS), the Cornell Block and Bridle Club, and the lightweight rowing team. In addition, he has taken many classes pertaining to beef, sheep, and dairy. Dan is graduating this May 2012 and will be attending the Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine in the fall to pursuer large animal medicine and research.
Sarah is a senior in Animal Science from Stony Point, NY. She joined the Cornell University Block and Bridle Club as a freshman, and through the club learned to show sheep, beef heifers, and pigs. She was the secretary of Block and Bridle for two years. While at Cornell, she has assisted with a graduate student’s sheep research project and worked and ridden at the Oxley Equestrian Center. Her coursework has included ANSC 3800 (Sheep), along with other animal science courses, such as nutrition, immunology, reproduction, and pre-veterinary requirements. Outside of school she has worked at small animal veterinary hospitals and on her uncle’s dairy farm. Sarah will be attending The Ohio State College of Veterinary Medicine in the fall.
Katie is a senior from Moravia, NY where she grew up on a hay farm and was active in FFA. Throughout her time at Cornell, she spent a lot of time with the Block and Bridle Club serving as president her junior and senior years, and improving her horseback riding through lessons at Oxley equestrian center. Her coursework includes ANSC 3800 (sheep), ANSC 3600 (beef), ANSC 2650 (biology of horses), as well as other courses based around her interest in the field of reproductive physiology. Katie spent time during her sophomore and junior years assisting with research projects involving both sheep and dairy cattle, and spent her summers working in veterinary hospitals. Katie aspires to become a large animal veterinarian.
Christina is a senior from Los Angeles, CA. Although she came to Cornell in 2008 with no livestock experience, she has since spent three years as treasurer of the Block and Bridle club on campus gaining a variety of hands-on experiences. She has shown goats, beef cattle, and dairy cattle in the annual Student Livestock Show. She has assisted with a graduate sheep research project, worked in a veterinary hospital, and interned at a zoo. In addition to fulfilling pre-veterinary requirements, her undergraduate Animal Science course work included genetics, nutrition, beef cattle management, and sheep management. In fall 2012 she will be attending the College of Veterinary Medicine at Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, CA. |
