American Dairy Science Association Meetings

2022 American Dairy Science Association Meeting

Every year, students from the University of Georgia attend the national American Dairy Science Association (ADSA) meetings with their advisor Dr. Jillian Bohlen.  Their attendance and participation in this annual meeting show a true testament to their desire to learn more from and give back to the dairy industry. This year, their unwavering dedication to dairy was solidified.  Up and early at 3:00 AM on Saturday, June 18th, the delegation of 8 UGA undergraduate students, 1 graduate student, and Dr. Bohlen were ready to head to Atlanta for a flight to Kansas City, MO, where this year’s ADSA meetings were being held. Not long after, they received word of a last-minute cancellation of their flight for that morning at 8:00 AM.  With thousands of flight cancellations and delays, there was no opportunity to fly and make it there in time for their first meeting as part of the Student Affiliate Division on Sunday, June 19th.  Determined to get there, respectfully on time, the group jumped in a van at 8:30 AM for an over 16-hour drive to Kansas City.

The opener may seem theatrical but hopefully it proves that the dedication of these students is remarkable.  During their time at the meetings, they attended scientific sessions, gave talks in areas of production and foods, presented research findings, networked with peers, industry affiliates, and academics from across the world, and represented UGA impeccably. The merit of this group in work, respect, and dedication is one that all can be proud of.  Below is a list of their tremendous accolades.  

• Renee Hutton received 2nd place in the national Dairy Foods presentation category with her talk “The legalization of raw milk sales: a method to aid in the safety of unpasteurized dairy products”.
• Will Strickland received 3rd place in the national Dairy Production presentation category with is talk “Improving cow cooling with methodologies used in other animal industries”.
• The delegation received 1st place for their website entry.
• Miralee Shaffer was elected to serve as 2nd Vice President to the national board.
• Tate Hunda was recognized for his service as the outgoing Secretary-Treasurer to the national board.
• Graduate student Sarah Johnson received much interest regarding the research that she presented titled “Evaluating the relationship between previous estrous characteristics and production parameters on dairy to and estrous intensity at first service in a dairy with a robotic milking system”.

Finally, Dr. Jillian Bohlen was recognized as the National Outstanding Advisor for the American Dairy Science Association.  Nominated by her students and selected by a national student and peer committee, Dr. Bohlen’s commitment to student excellence and promotion of their experiences within the dairy industry earned her this prestigious award.