Animal & Dairy Sciences

Ph.D. Defense Seminar by Jessica Brown
2025-07-22 10:00 - 11:00 (America/Chicago) | 1933 Observatory Drive, Madison WI, 53706
Title: Identifying Effective Application for Advanced Microbiological Techniques to Assess Food Safety and Quality within Various Segments of the Meat Industry
Presenter: Jessica Brown, Animal Science Ph.D. candidate (advisor: Dr. Steven Ricke), UW-Madison Department Animal and Dairy Sciences
Location: MSABD RM 1115 or virtual:
https://uwmadison.webex.com/uwmadison/j.php?MTID=m0e2d97e08a5d99c219944f6c3999ae1c

M.S. Defense Seminar by Elizabeth McGuire
2025-07-28 09:00 - 10:00 | 1933 Observatory Drive, Madison WI, 53706
Title: A Novel Approach to Understand the Impact of Dry-off on Dairy Cow Welfare in Automatic Milking Systems
Presenter: Elizabeth McGuire, Dairy Science M.S. candidate (advisor: Dr. Jennifer Van Os), UW-Madison Department Animal and Dairy Sciences
Location: MSABD RM 1115

Ph.D. Defense Seminar by Matthew Wielgat
2025-08-20 11:00 - 12:00 | 1933 Observatory Drive, Madison WI, 53706
Title: Dictyostelid-Derived Biofilm-Degrading Products as Novel Therapeutics Against
Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa Wound Infections
Presenter: Matthew Wielgat, Animal Science Ph.D. candidate (advisor: Dr. Dhanansayan Shanmuganayagam)
Location: MSABD RM 1111

ADS Student Welcome Event - Ice Cream Float Social
2025-09-05 14:00 - 15:30 | Animal Science Building, 1675 Observatory Drive, Madison, WI, 53706, United States

Graduate Seminar - Agustin Chasco
2025-09-12 12:00 - 13:00 | 1933 Observatory Drive, Madison WI, 53706
Title: “Genetic evaluation of milk production using milking robot data.”
Speaker: Agustin Chasco

From data to research and decisions - the experience of New Zealand pasture-based dairy farms
2025-09-15 10:00 - 11:00 | Room 236 Animal Sciences Bldg., 1675 Observatory Dr, Madison, WI, 53706, United States
Mark Neal
Head of Data Science

Cnr Ruakura & Morrinsville Roads | Newstead | Private Bag 3221| Hamilton 3240 | NEW ZEALAND
Mob +64 27 807 0165

Bio – Mark Neal
Mark Neal works at DairyNZ, where the purpose is to progress a positive future for New Zealand dairy farming, where grazing pasture forms the basis of the sector. The organisation delivers research, development, extension and advocacy. Mark’s role is Head of the Data Science and Modelling team. He has been a key part of DairyNZ’s Modern Science Workflows project, which has transformed DairyNZ’s ability to manage big data and enabled the use of new techniques, like machine learning. This team primarily supports the Research and Science team, but also has a wider role in the organisation to provide advanced analytical capability where it is needed. He comes from a strong grounding in dairy farming, having worked in management roles on his family’s farms in Australia, and on pasture-based farms in Chile and Missouri. Prior to DairyNZ, Mark has had research roles at the University of Queensland and University of Melbourne. Researchgate and Linkedin.

From data to research and decisions – the experience of New Zealand pasture-based dairy farms

In this presentation, Mark will describe some of the data-centric research and development in pasture-based dairy farm systems of New Zealand, where a lot of workflows have been improved, with models and tools developed to help both researchers, rural advisors and dairy farmers get the most out of their system. Some of these are research tools, and others are farmer-facing. Of the farmer-facing tools, we have a large back catalogue (see here), with modern web-first coding such as our Breeding worth tool, Econ tracker tool , and Pasture Potential tool, with many of our major reports now online and interactive with data download options (e.g. Dairy Statistics). We also have a view on what are the tools that farmers, rural professionals and researchers use that would be of high value, which are enabled by connected data, machine learning or generative AI tools. Over the next year or so we will be developing our first LLM RAG-based solutions for farmer and research audiences, and further improving our research data capture (100% paperless/digital first to warehouse, with 48-hour validation and correction). Come and share some ideas!

Ph.D. Defense Seminar by Yijing Gong
2025-09-19 09:00 - 10:00 | 1933 Observatory Drive, Madison WI, 53706
Title: Supporting Decision-Making Using Dairy Farm Simulation, Optimization, and Artificial Intelligence
Presenter: Yijing Gong, Dairy Science Ph.D. candidate (advisor: Dr. Victor E. Cabrera)
Location: MSABD RM 1111 or virtual

Dairy Day! hosted by CALS and the Animal and Dairy Science Department
2025-09-29 09:00 - 16:30 | Dairy Cattle Center, 1815 Linden Drive, Madison, 53706, United States
Interested in learning more about the Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences and the Dairy and Food Animal Management major in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences at UW-Madison?
Join us for the day to meet with current students and faculty to learn more about the majors, facilities, and programs offered!
Please complete this short form to reserve your spot!
UW-Madison CALS: Dairy Day! Monday, September 29, 2025
Below is our schedule for the day. Check-in begins at 9 am at the Dairy Cattle Center (DCC; Street Address: 1815 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706). We will provide details about parking and more information closer to the event.
September 29 Dairy Day Schedule

Session 1
9:30 am: Welcome and Introduction to the Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences
Dairy Cattle Center
10:30 am: Tour of the Dairy Cattle Center and Mock Classroom
Dairy Cattle Center
Session 2
12:30 pm: Luncheon with Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences Faculty
Center for Dairy Research
1:30 pm: Campus Tour
Led by CALS Ambassadors
3:00 pm: Babcock Ice Cream Social
Center for Dairy Research
3:30 pm: Students: Undergraduate Dairy and Food Animal Management Student Panel
Dairy Cattle Center
Parents/Chaperones: Badger Dairy Insight with Extension Faculty
Dairy Cattle Center
4:30 pm: Closing Remarks
Dairy Cattle Center

Graduate Seminar - Keith Poulsen
2025-10-10 12:00 - 13:00 | 1933 Observatory Drive, Madison WI, 53706
Title: “How did it happen, and what did we learn? H5N1 remains alive and well in U.S. Dairy, but Wisconsin retains our “Gold Status.”
Speaker: Keith Poulsen, DVM PhD, DACVIM
Clinical Associate Professor, Large Animal Internal Medicine
Director, Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory

Graduate Seminar - Alejandra Abrego & Jordan Hartley
2025-10-31 12:00 - 13:00 | 1933 Observatory Drive, Madison WI, 53706
Title: “Understanding the impact of the farm and lairage environments on Salmonella contamination in market hogs.”
Speaker: Alejandra Abrego

Title: “Evaluating the Efficacy of Hydrated Surface Lethality as a Novel Approach for Food Safety in Thermal Processing.”
Speaker: Jordan Hartley

Graduate Seminar - Livia Martino Duarte & Barbara Dittrich
2025-11-07 12:00 - 13:00 | 1933 Observatory Drive, Madison WI, 53706
Title: “Evidence for a novel role of Pregnancy-Associated Glycoproteins (PAGs) in maintenance of the bovine corpus luteum of pregnancy.”
Speaker: Livia Martino Duarte

Title: “Effects of feeding alternative forage silages on early lactation performance and gas production in multiparous Holstein cows.”
Speaker: Barbara Dittrich

M.S. Defense Seminar by Trinidad Fernandez Wallace
2025-11-21 09:00 - 10:00 | 1933 Observatory Drive, Madison WI, 53706
Title: Characterizing immune cell metabolism and systemic function during the transition period of dairy cows
Presenter: Trinidad Fernandez Wallace, Dairy Science M.S. candidate (advisor: Dr. Lautaro Rostoll Cangiano)
Location: MSABD RM 1115

M.S. Defense Seminar by Andre Aguiar Zambon
2025-12-11 10:30 - 11:30 | 1933 Observatory Drive, Madison WI, 53706
Title: Characterizing and Diagnosing Subclinical Mastitis in Dairy Sheep
Presenter: Andre Aguiar Zambon, Animal Sciences M.S. candidate (advisor: Dr. Sarah Adcock)
Location: MSABD RM 1115

Graduate Seminar - Milo Wiltbank
2026-02-06 12:00 - 13:00 | 1933 Observatory Drive, Madison WI, 53706
Title: “Pregnancy loss in lactating dairy cows: Physiologic mechanisms and practical manipulation”
Speaker: Milo Wiltbank, Professor, UW-Madison Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences

Graduate Seminar - Laura Hernandez
2026-02-13 12:00 - 13:00 | 1933 Observatory Drive, Madison WI, 53706
Graduate Student Updates and Q&A
Speaker: Laura Hernandez, Professor, UW-Madison Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences

Graduate Seminar- Dr. Pete Hansen
2026-02-20 12:00 - 13:00 | 1933 Observatory Drive, Madison WI, 53706
Title: Mechanisms of developmental programming in the preimplantation embryo
Speaker: Dr. Pete Hansen, University of Florida, Distinguished Professor and L.E. “Red” Larson Professor

High-Impact Undergraduate Activities (HIUA) Awards Application
2026-02-27 - 2026-03-27
High-Impact Undergraduate Activities (HIUA) Awards – Animal & Dairy Sciences

Animal Healthcare and Nutrition Meetup
2026-03-03 13:30 - 16:30 | Babcock Hall, 1605 Linden Drive, Madison, WI, 53706, United States
Animal Healthcare and Nutrition Meetup
March 3, 2026 | 1:30–4:30 pm | Center for Dairy Research (Atrium)
Explore careers supporting animal health and wellbeing at this informal drop-in networking event. Connect with professionals and alumni working in veterinary tech, animal nutrition, wildlife care, research, and more. Learn about their career paths, get guidance on entering the field, and ask about internships or full-time roles in a friendly, low-pressure setting. More info: https://wisc.joinhandshake.com/stu/events/1864667

Graduate Seminar - Dr. Hasan Khatib
2026-03-13 12:00 - 13:00 | 1933 Observatory Drive, Madison WI, 53706
Title: “Epigenetics: The Thread Connecting Milo, Jimena, Laura, Vanessa, and Allie.”
Speaker: Dr. Hasan Khatib, Professor, UW-Madison Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences

Graduate Seminar - Dillon Walker & Kaitlin Buterbaugh
2026-03-20 12:00 - 13:00 | 1933 Observatory Drive, Madison WI, 53706
Title: “Calcium and Ultrachill Effects Coupled with Rinse & Chill on Beef Meat Quality.”
Speaker: Dillon Walker

Title: “How and why cows are culled on Wisconsin dairy farms: The culling process and characteristics of culled cows “
Speaker: Kaitlin Buterbaugh

Graduate Seminar - Max Peckenschneider
2026-03-27 12:00 - 13:00 | 1933 Observatory Drive, Madison WI, 53706
Title: “Spatial Variability of Microbial Communities and Nutrient Composition in Poultry Litter.”
Speaker: Max Peckenschneider

Graduate Student Coffee with the Deans
2026-04-10 09:00 - 10:30 | Agricultural Hall, 1500 Linden Drive, Madison, WI, 53706, United States
Graduate Student Coffee with the Deans | UW–Madison Events Calendar

Graduate Seminar - Iago Leao & Megan Lauber
2026-05-01 12:00 - 13:00 | 1933 Observatory Drive, Madison WI, 53706
Title: “Removing the P4 implant from the timed-artificial insemination protocol for dairy heifers: A non-linear story.”
Speaker: Iago Leao

Title: “Insemination dynamics and fertility of lactating dairy cows resynchronized with or without GnRH treatment 32 days after first timed artificial insemination.”
Speaker: Megan Lauber

M.S. Defense by Dillon Walker
2026-05-06 13:00 - 14:00 | 1933 Observatory Drive, Madison WI, 53706
Title: Calcium and Ultrachill Effects Coupled with Rinse & Chill® on Beef Meat Quality
Presenter: Dillon Walker, Animal Science M.S. candidate (advisor: Dr. James R. Claus)
Location: MSABD RM 1115

Ph.D. Defense by Yanghai Zhang
2026-05-08 10:00 - 11:00 | 1933 Observatory Drive, Madison WI, 53706
Title: Disruption of RNA Binding Protein Nucleocytoplasmic Trafficking in Heart Muscle Disease
Presenter: Yanghai Zhang, Animal Science Ph.D. candidate (advisor: Dr. Wei Guo)
Location: MSABD RM 1111

Badger Dairy Camp
2026-07-09 - 2026-07-12 | UW-Madison CALS Campus
Our program includes hands-on workshops, tours, and recreational activities across the UW-Madison CALS campus for 72 students ages 12 to 17 from across the United States. Dairy industry leaders will present on topics covering land and water resources, animal health and welfare, human health and nutrition, farm business and community, and linear evaluations and dairy judging. College preparation workshops will be tailored to the camper’s current grade level in collaboration with CALS. Campers will have the full student experience, staying and dining at the Dejope Residence Hall. Thank you to our generous sponsors for making this camp a reality! Interested in volunteering at Badger Dairy Camp? Please contact Megan Lauber (mrlauber@wisc.edu)

M.S. Defense by Abigail Bowers
2026-07-31 08:30 - 09:30 | Meat Science and Animal Biologics Building, 1933 Observatory Drive, Madison, Wisconsin, 53706
Title: Effects of prepartum supplementation of chromium, rumen-protected choline, or both on colostrum quality and quantity
Presenter: Abigail Bowers, Animal and Sciences M.S. candidate (advisor: Dr. Heather White)
Location: MSABD RM 1115

M.S Defense by Martina I. Mancheno-Valarezo
2026-08-06 09:00 - 10:00 | MSABD Room 1111, 1933 Observatory Drive, Madison, Wi, 53706, United States

M.S. Defense by Fiorella Viquez Umaña
2026-08-19 11:00 - 12:00 | Zoom
Title: Calf Gastrointestinal Tract Microbiome: Early Colonizers and Colonization Dynamics
Presenter: Fiorella Viquez Umaña, Animal Sciences Ph.D. candidate (advisor: Dr. Hilario Mantovani)
Location: Zoom

https://uwmadison.zoom.us/j/93993704204?pwd=[REDACTED]

Meeting ID: 939 9370 4204
Passcode: [REDACTED]

M.S. Defense by Jordan Hartley
2026-08-21 09:00 - 10:00 | MSABD Room 1115, 1933 Observatory Drive, Madison, WI, 53706
Title: Novel Application of Hydrated Surface Lethality for Inactivation of Surface Salmonella Using Beef Jerky and Cooked Sausage
Presenter: Jordan Hartley, Animal Sciences M.S. candidate (advisor: Dr. Jeffrey Sindelar)
Location: MSABD RM 1115 Kerry Lecture Hall
