Message from the Chair
Hello, ANFS alumni and friends!
2020 has been like no other year. Indeed, many plans were derailed, but we look forward to building upon all we have learned and overcome to excel on every front in the coming year. Personally, I have gained a greater appreciation for all members of the Department of Animal and Food Sciences (ANFS), our alumni, and generous friends who continue to provide support and contribute to our success.
In spite of all the challenges we faced due to the pandemic, our department had many victories and new beginnings that you will read about in this issue of ANFScratchings.
For example, our expertise in virology, animal disease surveillance, one health, and microbial food safety enabled us to address needs in human testing, management, and disease monitoring for SARS-CoV-2, as well as incorporate issues surrounding this real-world threat into our curricula. The need to move to virtual learning resulted in the creation of online courses, some of which will continue to be offered, particularly in winter and summer terms, to promote greater flexibility in student scheduling. We also moved into the long-awaited, newly renovated teaching and research spaces in Worrilow Hall. We eagerly anticipate the ribbon-cutting ceremony and your visits to see the amazing spaces first hand!
For undergraduate programs, we added two new, extremely popular courses in companion animal pre-veterinary techniques. These classes provided options for continued experiential learning through externships arranged at animal hospitals throughout the region. Enrollment in our non-thesis master’s programs continues to grow, providing alternatives in graduate education in the animal and food sciences. In the coming year, we will complete a food sensory laboratory to support teaching, research and service efforts of the food science program, as well as offer a new course in cheesemaking.
The outstanding contributions and accomplishments in research and service of many members of the department were recognized this year; some are highlighted in this newsletter. Please join me in celebrating their impacts and achievements. I hope you will enjoy learning of these and the many other happenings over this past year. Please contact Anita Stofa at [email protected] to provide any updates or news that you wish to share.
Many thanks to all of the generous donors whose gifts support our students and programs, as well as the distribution of this newsletter. Keep well and we hope you will be able to visit us in person soon.
Most Sincerely,
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A Complete Renovation of Worrilow Hall |
Through the generosity of UD donors, college faculty, staff and students are back in Worrilow Hall, but not the Worrilow that everyone remembers. The full-scale revamp brings new flex spaces, innovative teaching facilities, open lab space, and updated sensory and testing labs. The increased space is especially exciting for aspiring animal and food science professionals.
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Previous anatomy lab in Worrilow Hall |
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Newly redesigned anatomy lab |
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Red and green and yellow and brown and blue. Not colors in a Crayola box or a bag of M&M’s but rather the colors of samples that are carried into the Allen Lab for COVID-19 testing.
“It has gotten better but yes, we have just about seen it all”, said Marcy Murphy, a graduate of ANFS, a member of the University of Delaware Poultry Health System (UDPHS) and 34-year UD employee. “Human samples are disgusting, and I can’t wait to get back to handling only chicken samples'' she was quick to declare.
Since August of 2020, Marcy, Bri Ames, Amy Anderson, Dr. Erin Bernberg, Dr. Brian Ladman and Lauren Sauble have been performing COVID-19 PCR assays for the University of Delaware community.
“The lab was uniquely prepared to handle large numbers of surveillance samples” noted Dr. Ladman. “We are always dealing with populations in the tens of thousands if not more and hundreds of samples from large populations are the norm for us”.
As members of the National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN) for almost a decade, the Lasher Laboratory in Georgetown, DE and the Charles C. Allen Biotechnology Laboratory that comprises the UDPHS, has the daily capacity to test about 2,000 chicken swab samples to detect potentially devastating viruses like avian influenza. The UDPHS is accredited to the ISO 17025:20917 veterinary diagnostic laboratory standard. Shortly after establishing the SARS-CoV-2 testing capabilities, the laboratory also received a Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) certificate required for human diagnostic laboratories.
The approach to detecting the causative agent of COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, is similar to that of respiratory viruses that impact chicken health. To date, the UDPHS has tested over 36,000 samples from asymptomatic students and staff and is planning on testing an additional 120,000 this spring. In addition, the lab is supporting the return of UD Athletics through the rigorous testing of student athletes mandated by the NCAA and the Colonial Athletic Association that oversees UD athletic events.
“The UDPHS laboratory at the Allen Lab was the only place on campus that I know of that had the infrastructure and expertise to handle and test a large number of samples,” said Dr. Erin Bernberg, a Senior Scientist in the laboratory of Provost Robin Morgan.
The current Provost and ANFS faculty member who served as Dean of the college for 10 years, Provost Morgan was aware of the UDPHS and its abilities. Utilizing state and federal funding and a Unidel award, the lab was equipped with robots able to extract nucleic acid from 94 samples in 30 min and real-time PCR systems used for the rapid detection of SARS-CoV-2 in about an hour. Today, the laboratory capacity is about 1,500 samples in an eight-hour shift.
Bri Ames, a recent ANFS graduate, joined the group in preparation for testing load increase.
“As a med tech minor, I had a pretty good feel for what the lab was being asked to do but actually participating in the effort was something totally different. It is really cool to be part of this effort,” said Ames, who was involved in undergraduate research with the late Dr. Eric Benson and now retired Robert Alphin. “I occasionally worked with Dr. Ladman and his team. The opportunity to be involved in research projects as an undergraduate allowed me to build a skill-set I would not get in a classroom.”
UD parent and lab member Amy Anderson also noted, “I am happy to contribute to ensuring the campus community is safe, a community that includes my two kids”.
“I think people questioned having chicken people run human samples,” Lauren Sauble said. “But most people don’t realize how we utilize molecular techniques to answer chicken health related questions. It’s the same thing we are doing with COVID testing.”
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Dr. Kali Kniel, Professor of Microbial Food Safety, is one of the co-directors of the newly established Center for Environmental and Wastewater Epidemiology Research (CEWER). Recent graduate and ANFS alumna, Dr. Brienna Anderson-Coughlin is project manager for CEWER, and along with Dr. Adrienne Shearer and ANFS alum and Ph.D. student Alexis Omar are currently carrying out research on the detection of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater at sites at the University and elsewhere in New Castle County.
The data obtained through wastewater testing are then connected to epidemiological and clinical case data. Observed trends can be useful to guide testing and to help in better understanding of virus circulation. Research has shown that wastewater sampling can give early notice of a potential coronavirus outbreak and can be used to create a map to enhance mitigation efforts like additional testing.
“Wastewater-based epidemiology has been used for many years to study trends of infectious disease or chemical substance use in a population,” said Kniel. “Early in this pandemic, it became apparent to scientists that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes COVID-19, can be detected in many different clinical samples, including stool and urine.”
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New undergraduate offerings: Vet skills and equine therapeutics |
As a small animal clinician for nearly two decades in the Newark area, alumna and veterinarian Dr. Stephanie DeMarco (B.S. 1997) has helped many University of Delaware students. As veterinary schools require up to 500 hours of clinical experience before applying, UD pre-veterinary medicine majors need these hours at veterinary practices like VCA Kirkwood Animal Hospital, where Dr. DeMarco serves as an associate veterinarian. Dr. DeMarco approached her alma mater with her idea of teaching, mentoring and developing students’ veterinary skills. The idea was a simple one. First, teach a course about the skills needed to work within a veterinary hospital. Second, place these students in partner hospitals to use the skills they’ve learned.
“The importance of having a structured program is that the students know what the hospital expects of them and the hospital knows what skills the students possess,” explained Dr. DeMarco.
With mentoring from her former instructors Dr. Lesa Griffiths and Dr. Limin Kung, Dr. DeMarco turned the idea into a two-credit course series for students. The fall’s Clinical Pre-Veterinary Experience I is followed by winter externships in veterinary hospitals across the country. In the spring semester, the experience concludes with an advanced course, Clinical Pre-Veterinary Experience II, and another for-credit externship in the summer. The fall course covers behavior, restraint, obtaining histories, vaccines, basic pharmacology, phlebotomy, and application of oral/otic/ophthalmic medication. Students perform basic in-house testing, including ear cytologies, urinalysis, and fluid therapy. In the spring course, instructors teach IV catheters, anesthesia, surgery, and more advanced skills. Through labs, instructors utilize voluntary live animals, models, preserved specimens and other means to bring about the most real-life experiences for these students.
In the new fall course offering, Introduction to Equine Therapeutics, UD students learned activities and therapies facilitated through connection with horses. At Carousel Park and Equestrian Center working with Elyssa Donor, undergraduates gained hands-on experience to work with individuals with special needs and others with physical, cognitive and emotional challenges. Students will continue to complete a practicum this spring to attain the volunteer and teaching hours needed to become a Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor (CTRI) through the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH). Since UD is a Higher Education Member in PATH in collaboration with Carousel, we are able to facilitate the PATH CTRI credentialing process and students can take advantage of discounts. The Equine Science Minor has been revised to enable students to count the Introduction to Equine Therapeutics course toward the minor requirements.
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Professor Emeritus Dr. Paul Sammelwitz, passed away at the age of 87. “Dr. Samm” joined UD’s Department Animal and Poultry Industry (now Animal and Food Sciences) in 1959 to teach anatomy, physiology and genetics. He retired in 1999. During his tenure, Dr. Sammelwitz introduced thousands of UD students to animal science and functional anatomy using innovative teaching methodologies. He developed an interactive program to teach classical animal dissection techniques. The program allowed students to visually compare anatomical features in two different species. Dr. Samm was instrumental in establishing a flock of Delaware Blue Hens at UD’s farm, and he was a cofounder of Ag Day. Dr. Samm established a scholarship that is awarded each year to the most improved student.
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Dr. Melvin Reitnour, former equine science professor, passed away in February at the age of 87. His 34-year UD career began teaching equine science with just one pony; Dr. Reitnour grew the stable to 17 thoroughbreds, brood mares, geldings and young stock. With a penchant for equine nutrition, he conducted more than 30 years of animal science research. He consulted for national equine magazines and the Equine Veterinary Research Directory Board. Dr. Reitnour was the force behind the University’s equine science courses and a favorite teacher to many students. His “Light Horse” program afforded UD students the chance to learn about racing, hunting and recreational riding; the great majority of them came to him with zero riding experience. Dr. Reitnour was also a passionate adviser to the UD Equestrian Club and represented UD Cooperative Extension on the State 4-H Horse Advisory Committee.
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The UD Blue Hen flock is finally saying goodbye to Bob Alphin who has retired after 42 years. Bob began at UD starting his B.S. in Animal Science degree in 1971 and finishing his M.S. in Animal Science in 1978 studying avian influenza viruses. He worked for a year after graduation as laboratory manager at a poultry vaccine company before coming back to the Department of Animal and Food Sciences in 1979 as the Poultry Farm Manager. In 1987 he was appointed the Charles C. Allen Biotechnology Laboratory Manager. In 2001, he joined the department faculty as an instructor and became Senior Instructor in 2016.
He loved teaching and working with students in his poultry production courses and Introduction to Animal and Food Sciences laboratory sections. He mentored many students by organizing career seminars and industry field trips and by providing students the opportunity to travel to Atlanta, Georgia to a national career program in animal agriculture which helped many students obtain internships and full-time positions.
Responding to an avian influenza outbreak in the poultry industry on the Delmarva Peninsula in 2004, Alphin and fellow poultry scientist George “Bud” Malone and agricultural engineer Dr. Eric Benson developed depopulation equipment, and disposal and disinfection processes. Their patented depopulation equipment has been used extensively during recent avian influenza outbreaks throughout the United States. They, along with other colleagues, developed and led the Emergency Poultry Disease Outbreak Response training program and other similar programs for national and international veterinarians and poultry professionals in partnership with the USDA and UD Professional & Continuing Studies. Since 2009, 180 participants from more than 80 countries have visited Newark for these summer poultry programs. Bob also traveled overseas to Romania, Bulgaria and Brazil to deliver these programs.
One of his final projects at UD involved setting up a collaborative internship program between CANR and UD Athletics to train students to care for and to exhibit Blue Hens from our farm flock at home football games, Ag Day and UD events and to educate the public.
He is now retired to his horse farm outside of Chesapeake City and trying to improve his fly fishing.
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After many years of service at the University of Delaware dairy, Ron Gouge retired in summer 2020. Ron was the primary herd milker at the dairy where he milked and cared for hundreds of cows. He also patiently instructed thousands of students curious to learn the ins and outs of milking, and many of our students first met him during the milking portion of the ANFS 111 lab. He began his career with us corralling cows up steps and around a corner to our old milking parlor and worked through the transition to the modernized double 8 parallel parlor we use today.
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Elizabeth (Liz) Appleby retired from the University on April 14. She began working at UD in April of 2005 as a Records Specialist in the Procurement Department and joined ANFS in November of 2017 as an Administrative Assistant. During most of her time with us, Mrs. Appleby supported Dr. Sue Snider by working on Extension Programs, EFNEP, and FoodSkills. More recently, her main support has been helping faculty, professionals, and grad students doing business allocations and other office duties as needed. When she retires, she will enjoy being with her family, especially her grandchildren. She also cannot wait to spend time in her gardens.
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Hannah Bernardi joined the dairy farm starting in October as the primary milker. As someone who was captivated by the sciences in high school, she pursued genetics at the University of Connecticut after acceptance into their elite diagnostic genetic sciences program. The semester prior to graduation, looking forward to her cytogenomic clinical rotation, she took an introduction to animal science course. Within two weeks, she knew she had found her passion in dairy cows and proceeded to change her major while becoming heavily involved at UConn’s dairy facilities.
Since graduating, Hannah has been fortunate enough to travel across the U.S. and experience the spectrum of dairy practice — from large commercial farms that milk thousands to small holistic boutique farms and other approaches in between. She is now honored and excited to be at UD in a position where she can share her passion and serve as an agricultural leader and progressive dairy mentor for current Blue Hens in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources to help influence the future faces of our agricultural industry.
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During the fall of 2020, University of Delaware alumnus Stephen Cook was awarded the CANR Distinguished Alumni Award. Cook was born and raised on his family’s dairy farm only nine miles from the Newark campus. After graduating from Middletown High School in 1988, he followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather Herman Wallace Cook, Sr. (Class of 1923) and H. Wallace Cook, Jr. (Class of 1956), enlisting in the U.S. Army National Guard so they could serve and still run the farm.
After the fourth week of boot camp, Cook had difficulty running, and during a visit with his family physician, was diagnosed with Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy. Pondering his future, his mother Martha Gruwell Cook (Class of 1956) encouraged him to pursue a college degree. Since Cook’s family were all Blue Hens, the decision on where to study was easy. So, he went to work — on the farm in the morning, UD courses in the afternoons, back to more farm work and then sometimes closing the day with a night class.
After graduating from UD as an agricultural education major, Cook embarked on a career as an agriscience teacher. He began his career at Caesar Rodney High School, where he worked until 2018 when he moved to Appoquinimink High School. Steve understood that students learn in unique ways, so the Blue Hen alumnus used a variety of teaching pedagogies that engaged and inspired students. He takes his work home with him; the Cooks take pride in their farm’s role in educational outreach. In addition to high school agriscience students, he regularly hosts CANR classes and UD Animal Science Club members. The family also raises UD’s dairy replacement heifers. Cook takes up to 15 students per year to compete in large animal competitions at the Delaware State Fair.
Over his 24 years of teaching, Steve inspired hundreds of students to become agriculture advocates through their experience in FFA, a youth organization preparing students for leadership and careers in the science, business and technology of agriculture. He has coached numerous students in career and leadership development, encouraging many members to become state officers with FFA. Cook is extremely proud of all his students, especially the 13 former students he now calls colleagues.
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Dr. Hong Li was appointed to the USDA Task Force on Agricultural Air Quality Research. The members of the task force examine relevant issues and research related to agriculture’s effects on air quality, particulate matter and other pertinent topics, including greenhouse gasses, carbon sequestration and bioenergy.
Dr. Dallas Hoover is the 2020 recipient of the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Association for Food Protection, which is given to recognize an individual who has made a lasting impact on “Advancing Food Safety Worldwide” through a lifetime of professional achievement in food protection.
Dr. Brienna Anderson-Coughlin, recently graduated PhD student from the lab of Dr. Kali Kniel, was the recipient of First Place in the J. Mac Goepfert Developing Scientist Award at the 2020 Annual Meeting of the International Association for Food Protection for her presentation on “Evaluation of zero-valent iron filtration, removal, and persistence of E. coli in non-traditional irrigation water sources.”
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The Animal Science Club rang in the new year with a trip to the University of New Hampshire for the North Eastern Student Affiliate (NESA) Block and Bridle Competition. The University of Delaware placed sixth overall! We also had some individual member highlights: Rose Reynolds placed eighth in Paper Presentations, Carly Dillulio placed third in Livestock Judging, and Anna Lia Sullivan won the Individual Research Presentation.
While transitioning to a virtual club setting in the midst of a pandemic has been challenging, our club has worked together to stay connected and create invaluable experiences for club members. This fall we hosted six online events falling under livestock, pre-vet, and service categories. Dr. DeMarco spoke to our club about her experience as a veterinarian and took questions from club members. We also had presentations on the Kentucky Equine Management Internship Program, the Delaware Animal Response (DAR) team, and the UD Extension Scholar’s Internship. Alumni and veterinary school student, Amanda Paul, held a Q&A session with questions about her experience in veterinary school.
To keep members engaged and connected we held several social events, including a Bob Ross Paint night event. We have also continued our peer mentorship program where freshmen can choose to pair up with upperclassmen of similar interests and career goals. This year, the club created a study group for freshman animal science courses to help freshmen connect with their classmates online, build relationships with other members, and transition into college courses. We are so proud of what we have been able to accomplish virtually and we look forward to seeing what we are able to achieve next year!
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The Food Science Club worked to make 2020 a truly enjoyable year for its members! The new and dedicated executive board actively worked to recruit new members during the Fall 2020 semester. The club also participated in the UDairy cheese fundraiser, raising the most money against nine other CANR clubs! Larry Tong, a UD alumni, spoke on his vast experiences in the Food Science industry within product development for McCormick Foods. The upperclassmen within the club also began a freshman mentoring program, aiding freshman and first year students to learn more about the field. The club plans to host our IFT Area Conference, as well as participate in the IFT College Bowl during the Spring!
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The Department of Animal and Food Sciences is pleased to recognize alumni, faculty, staff, parents, students, organizations and friends who supported the department and the UDairy Creamery during calendar year 2020. Anyone interested in donating can do so here. The following listing includes donors who designated gifts to the ANFS Department from January 1 through December 31, 2020.
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Russell N. Abel
Amy S. Biddle
Ann S. Billek
Biomune Company
Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health USA, Inc.
Jane Burton Bruins
Holt P. Bui and Jennifer Codding-Bui
Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund
Virginia Kauffman Gillam
Caroline G. Gladding-Spiteri and Robert J. Spiteri
Tanya F. Gressley
Maureen Hermes-Kane
Michelle Wood Herring
Neal and Julie Hobert
Candice L. Hoffman and Alfred L. Pennesi
Camille M. and Jeffrey A. Hoover
Heather-Ann Herrick Howard
Peter R. Jamieson
Lalith H. Jayawickrama
Johnson & Johnson Family of Cos.
Dennis and Anne Johnson
Janet Schourek Johnson
Michele M. Karpovich and Ronald R. Staib
Michele Koenig
Katherine E. LaDow
John W. Lee Jr.
Kristin Lewis Noon
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Milos Markis
Lisa A. Marsico
Deanna Rubulotta Martin
Robyn M. Mauskopf
Jennifer Cleveland McEntire
Merck Animal Health
Daniel P. and Veda J. Moore
Karissa Oliver
Susan Parker
Kathryn Frost Porter and John F. Porter
Patricia L. Pyle
Lynn N. Rudman
Diane Lease Sammelwitz
Estate of Paul H. Sammelwitz
Nancy Shaffer-End and David W. End
David P. and Aruni Shapiro
Adrienne Hagelstein Shearer and Andrew L. Shearer
Michael D. Smyth
Raymond R. and Maureen T. Stankiewicz
Allison Stine
Denise and Michael Stypinski
Jillian C. Sullivan
Katherine Johnson Swanson and David E. Swanson
Stephen F. Sylvia
USPOULTRY Foundation
Kristen Verhey
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