Hay Everyone!
Oh my! What an exciting week last week was! The folks at the Equine Science Center traveled to Grapevine, Texas for the 2023 Equine Science Society Symposium. This symposium is hosted every two years by the Equine Science Society and brings together the best equine scientists to share the most exciting research being conducted in the field.
The first day of the conference kicks off with a welcome and opening reception. This is the time and place to start catching up with good friends and colleagues. This year was especially exciting because the last Symposium had to be hosted online and we all missed the opportunity to stand around chatting with everyone. The first full day of the symposium is filled with oral presentations. Graduate and undergraduate students competing in the student competition all present on the first day as do some of the presenters in the general sections. It’s always a tough job to sit down with the program and map out which presentations you want to attend. There’s not enough time to make it to all the presentations! Rutgers was well represented among the oral presentations this year. Three undergraduate students – Kaitlyn Charles, Sarah Paladino, and Ragavi Raman – presented in the undergraduate student section. Ph.D. candidate, Ellen Rankins, presented in the Equine Biosciences graduate student section and Postdoctoral Associate, Dr. Alisa Herbst presented in the Extension and Teaching section.
The Rutgers Equine Science Center’s students and postdoctoral associate present their research during the 2023 Equine Science Society Symposium.
The second full day of the conference is filled with workshops and tours. In the morning, attendees devoted their attention to workshops which allow the attendees to offer their thoughts and ideas on a number of topics while learning something new. We then boarded the buses to head to the Fort Worth Stockyards or local ranches to learn about the equine industry in Texas. Those who attended the ranch tour may have gotten to meet a few exotic animals. It seems one of the favorites were the giraffes! Everyone converged at Billy Bob’s in the evening for dinner and some fun social time!
Past presidents of the Equine Science Society. This distinguished group includes Dr. Kenneth H. McKeever of the Rutgers Equine Science Center.
The last day of the conference was filled with more oral and poster presentations on exciting research being conducted around the world. Interspersed among all of these activities were several keynote presentations which included topics such as the Past, Present, and Future of the Equine Science Society, Social License to Operate in the Equine Industry, and The Role of mTOR Signaling in Muscle Function. This conference concludes with a banquet and awards presentation. Ms. Ellen Rankins took home the first place prize for a graduate presentation in the Equine Biosciences Section. Dr. Kenneth H. McKeever was recognized as a Fellow of the Equine Science Society. Dr. Karyn Malinowski was awarded the Distinguished Service Award in Equine Science for her many contributions and years of service to the industry.
Ms. Ellen Rankins, Dr. Kenneth H. McKeever, and Dr. Karyn Malinowski receive their awards at the Equine Science Society Symposium.
I’m so jealous that I didn’t get to attend the symposium. I tried, but they wouldn’t let me on the plane. I hope you have enjoyed this brief glimpse into the fun week everyone else at the Center had! They clearly know how to celebrate the Month of the Horse!
Until Next Time.
Your Friend,
Lord Nelson