WESTERN SECTION

AMERICAN SOCIETY OF ANIMAL SCIENCE

 

 

 

MEMORANDUM

 

Date:          December 2003

 

To:             Members, Western Section American Society of Animal Science

 

From:          Jack C. Whittier, President, Western Section ASAS

Department of Animal Sciences

Colorado State University

Fort Collins, CO 80523

Phone: 970-491-6233; Fax 970-491-5326

E-mail: jack.whittier@colostate.edu

 

Subject:       2004 Western Section Meeting Announcements and Other News

 

Greetings and Thanks. This past summer our section met in conjunction with the national ASAS/ADSA/AMPA meetings in Phoenix. Thanks to Elaine Grings for arranging the Western Section component of these meetings. The awards luncheon was well attended and was a great way to honor those who received awards, and it also provided a forum at which our section could gather during the national meetings. The graduate competition presentations and the outstanding oral and poster presentations from our section rounded out an excellent set of meetings. Thanks also to the national and FASS staff persons for the hard work to make these meetings possible.

 

2004 WSASAS Meeting. The 2004 WSASAS meeting will be held at Oregon State University in Corvallis, OR, on June 16-18, 2004. Dr. Jim Thompson (WSASAS Secretary-Treasurer) and his group are planning an excellent program. The meeting schedule will include a symposium on Wednesday, followed with scientific sessions on Thursday and Friday. More information will be posted on the WSASAS Web site as it becomes available (http://www.asas.org/westernsection/index.asp).

 

Awards. The year 2004 will mark the fourth year of presentation of the WSASAS Applied Animal Science Paper Award. This award recognizes excellence in applied animal science research. The award is based solely on WSASAS proceedings. The criteria are 1) applicability to current production systems, 2) potential for enhancing return on investment, and 3) new and innovative approaches to existing production problems. First-, second-, and third-place receive cash awards. Directions for submission for all awards are in the Western Section Secretary-Treasurer letter included in this mailing and also posted on the WSASAS web page.

 

The 2003 WSASAS awards were presented to:

 

Award  Recipient          Institution                     Sponsor

Distinguished Service      Temple Grandin             Colorado State University                     Roche Vitamins Inc.

Distinguished Teacher    Tim Ross                       New Mexico State University               Elanco Animal Health

Extension                       John Paterson                Montana State University                     Fort Dodge Animal Health

Young Scientist              Bret Hess                      University of Wyoming                        Cargill Animal Nutrition

 

Graduate Student Oral Competition

                                     1st – E.J. Scholljegerdes  University of Wyoming                        WSASAS

                                     2nd – C.S. Schauer         Oregon State University                       WSASAS

                                     3rd – S.L. Lake              University of Wyoming                        WSASAS

                                     Institution                       University of Wyoming                        Zinpro, Inc.

 

 

Applied Animal Science Paper

                                     1st – H.H. Patterson       South Dakota State University              Various industry sponsors

                                     2nd – T.L. Lawler           North Dakota State University              Various industry sponsors

                                     3rd – R.C. Waterman      New Mexico State University               Various industry sponsors

                                                                                                              

 

Colleagues are encouraged to nominate WSASAS members for one of these awards for 2004. Eligibility requirements are posted on the WSASAS Web site (http://www.asas.org/western04/). The 2004 nominations will be accepted only via the electronic submission site (http://www.asas.org/western04/). The deadline is March 5, 2004. If you have questions on the award requirements, contact Dr. Elaine E. Grings, Ft. Keogh Livestock & Range Research Lab, USDA-ARS, 243 Fort Keogh Road, Miles City, MT 59301; Ph: 406-232-8202, E-mail: elaine@larrl.ars.usda.gov. If you have questions on the electronic submission process, contact Paula Schultz, ASAS Associate Executive Director, ph: 217-356-9050, ext. 21; email: paulas@assochq.org

 

Electronic Voting for Constitutional and By-Laws Changes. In an effort to ensure representation from all members, and to enable more timely voting on Section matters, the membership present at the 2003 WSASAS annual business meeting approved the use of electronic voting on matters requiring membership approval. These matters may include such items as Constitutional and By-Laws updates and revisions. As the need arises, you will receive notification via email concerning these matters.

 

Committee Assignments. Committee assignments for 2003-2004 are posted on the WSASAS Web site. I appreciate the help of all you who have agreed to serve on these committees.

 

Western Section Proceedings.  Proceedings papers are required for ALL abstracts submitted to the WSASAS meetings. Abstracts not accompanied by a proceedings paper will not be scheduled for presentation or printed in national or sectional abstract publications. Our section has the distinction of a highly recognized written proceedings publication, so let’s keep it up. Writing a WSASAS proceedings paper is excellent experience for graduate students, and it is a major factor distinguishing WSASAS from the other sections.

 

Future Meetings:

 

2005          New Mexico State University

2006          Utah State University

2007          University of Wyoming

2008          TBA

 

Thanks to the faculty members at these universities for hosting future WSASAS meetings. The WSASAS executive committee and past WSASAS officers will be happy to help your institution in the planning stages.

 

We look forward to an excellent meeting in Corvallis. If you have questions or concerns about the Western Section, please do not hesitate to contact me or other members of the executive committee. See you in Oregon!