On Wednesday July 19th, our lab attended the Animal Science department’s Mini Research Day at McGill Macdonald Campus. This was a day for graduate students of the department and featured guest speakers to showcase their research to each other. The day started off with a brief history of the department and campus by Dr. Kevin Wade, and was followed by student seminars and poster presentations.
Santiago Palacio presented his research on the effects of pasture access, winter exercise, and modified stalls on the behaviour and welfare of dairy cattle in tie-stalls
Other student seminars included a range of topics including using technology to determine genetic trends on-farm by Bernard Hagen, the effects of yeast supplementation on genetic expression in transition dairy cows by Audrey St Yves, and laparoscopic ovum pickup in prepubertal water buffalo by Luke Currin.
A poster session followed the first half of the oral presentations and guest speakers. Jessica St John showcased her poster on the effects of various tie-rail height and forward positions on physical injury level of dairy cows in tie-stalls
Some notable guest speakers attended the event, including the department's newest member Dr. Jennifer Ronholm, Holstein Canada’s Jeanette Van Der Linden, and McGill alumna Catherine Larivée-Bazinet. Dr. Ronholm gave an overview of her upcoming research looking at the microbiomes of cow mammary tissues and their relation to mastitis. Jeanette Van Der Linden talked about Holstein Canada’s genetic testing technology for herd improvement, while Catherine Larivée-Bazinet gave an overview of Quebec’s veal industry.
To end the day, a Brazilian-style barbeque was held at the Macdonald Campus Farm, where delicious food was provided and a conversation ensued. Here it was announced that Jessica St. John had won the people’s choice award for best poster at the poster session!
A special shout out goes to Yasmin Schermann for hosting and organizing the first Animal Science Mini Research Day. It was a wonderful event and we hope it will become a tradition in years to come!