Purdue was well represented by graduate and undergraduate students at the 2024 Fall AVMA Animal Welfare Assessment Contest held November 22-24, 2024, at University of Wisconsin – River Falls. The undergraduate student Team Purdue placed 3rd, graduate student team Black & Gold placed 2nd, and graduate student team Boilermaker Special placed 4th in the team divisions. Hayley Sutherland placed 2nd in the individual division. Purdue faculty, Dr. Marisa Erasmus coached the teams and Dr. Heather Neave and Purdue researcher Dr. Judith Stella participated in the contest as judges.
Purdue graduate teams:
Team Black & Gold: Levi Byrd, Maddie Pinkerton, Elizabeth Schafer, Hayley Sutherland
Team Boilermaker Special: Gideon Ajibola, Mattie DeHaven, Nathan Griffith, Zimbabwe Osorio Santos, Isabella von Seggern
Purdue undergraduate team:
Team Purdue: Jenna Boewe, Teresa Carlson and Lexi Smith
Purdue graduate students Meagan Abraham, Katie Bachert, Guadalupe Ceja and Brittney Emmert participated in the virtual AVMA Welfare Judging and Assessment Contest and received first place in the Graduate Team assessment division. Meagan Abraham also placed 5th in the individual graduate student division.
As an associate professor of animal sciences and a poultry management expert, Darrin Karcher built an Extension program integrated with his research that meets industry needs. Known on a national scale as a laying hen expert, Karcher brought attention to hen wellbeing, housing systems and food quality and safety. Karcher also facilitated the adoption of "cage-free" standards by bringing together industry and government stakeholders to agree on definitions and practices in 2017. Karcher routinely engages with youth in the state, sparking interest in poultry-related careers and developing life skills through agriculture.
Congratulations to Dr. Marisa Erasmus on her promotion from assistant to associate professor! Marisa’s applied research focuses on developing animal-based measures of welfare for laying hens, turkeys and ducks and examining the effects of environmental and management factors on poultry welfare. In addition to her involvement with the commercial poultry industry, her extension and outreach activities are aimed at educating the public about animal welfare.
