Elizabeth Messersmith, a Nebraska native, is a second year Ph.D. student at Iowa State University with Dr. Stephanie Hansen. She obtained her B.S. in 2016 from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and completed her M.S. in 2018 at Iowa State University with Dr. Hansen. Messersmith’s research has focused on the roles of copper and zinc in growth promoting processes of feedlot cattle by utilizing hormone implants and beta agonists to induce growth. This research can be applied to further improve the performance of feedlot cattle and provide insights into the roles of trace minerals in growth processes regardless of species.