• Southern Section
• Awards

Distinguished Service Award

Robert W. Godfrey, USDA-NIFA

Bob earned his B.S. in Animal Science & Industry at Kansas State University (1980) and his M.S. and Ph.D. in Reproductive Physiology at Texas A&M University (1982 and 1987). He was a post-doc at USDA ARS MARC in Clay Center, NE. He was the Rhinoceros Research Coordinator at the Cincinnati Zoo. Bob spent 28 years as a research faculty member and Experiment Station Director at the University of the Virgin Islands where he researched the reproductive physiology of St. Croix White hair sheep and Senepol cattle. Bob held each office of the SS-ASAS Board and served on ASAS' National Board. Since 2021 Bob has served as the Division Director for Animal System in the Institute of Food Production and Sustainability. He works with Division staff to manage funding opportunities to support the research, education and Extension projects to promote animal production systems that are efficient, economically competitive, environmentally sound, and socially acceptable.

Emerging Scholar Award

E. Benjamin Rajo-Gomez, North Carolina State University

E. Benjamin Rajo-Gomez received his B.S. in Agricultural Sciences and Production from Zamorano Panamerican University in Honduras and later joined Dr. Daniel H. Poole’s program in the Department of Animal Science at NC State University, where he earned the M.S. in Animal Science in 2023. He is currently a Ph.D. candidate, with expected graduation in 2025. Benjamin’s research integrates technology platforms to evaluate metabolic and thermographic responses in beef cattle exposed to environmental stressors, specifically ergot alkaloids and heat stress. His work aims to determine their impact on nutritional efficiency and productivity, ultimately improving beef producer’s decision-making abilities to enhance performance and genetic progress in their herds. Benjamin's results have been disseminated in seven publications, and he has had a significant role in securing extramural funding (over $118k) for his program. Additionally, Benjamin plays a significant role in outreach and teaching efforts for our NC Beef System, and his efforts have been recognized across the state.

Extension Award

Jason Duggin, University of Georgia

Jason Duggin is an Extension Beef Specialist at the University of Georgia. Mr. Duggin has statewide responsibilities working with County Extension Faculty and the beef cattle industry. During his career at UGA, he has directed and implemented new concepts in three historic Extension programs that allow producers to consign cattle to gain first-hand knowledge. These include the Bull Evaluation Program, Heifer Efficiency and Reproduction Development (H.E.R.D.) Program, and the Georgia Beef Challenge. Additionally, Jason has implemented new technologies and management tools while maintaining relevance to Georgia cattle producers. Mr. Duggin developed three new programs to address the needs of the industry. These programs are the Livestock Emergency Response Planning Program for law enforcement, Top Hand Program to teach youth proper cattle handling and processing, and Elite Stockman to develop leadership skills and industry awareness for high school and college-aged individuals.

Outstanding Early Career Animal Scientist Award - Education

Andrew Weaver, North Carolina State University

Dr. Andrew Weaver earned his degrees in Animal Science from Michigan State University (B.S.), and Virginia Tech (M.S.) and his Ph.D. in Animal and Food Science from West Virginia University. Dr. Weaver joined the Animal Science Faculty at NC State University to teach livestock management courses and serve as the state’s Small Ruminant Extension Specialist. Dr. Weaver’s teaching and extension programs go hand in hand as challenges faced by the industry need to be understood and addressed by not only producers but also new graduates. Dr. Weaver’s extension program focuses on improving genetic selection and grazing systems for small ruminants through precision livestock technologies to maximize profitability of production systems. Dr. Weaver’s accomplishments in his short career include authored/co-authored 29 peer-reviewed manuscripts and popular press publications, over 50 invited presentations, 45 peer-reviewed abstracts, and secured more than 1.3 million dollars in funding.

Outstanding Early Career Animal Scientist Award - Research

Angela Gonella, University of Florida

Angela Gonella has conducted innovative research focused on understanding the molecular mechanisms involved in the role of the female reproductive tract in early pregnancy and postnatal development. She has led groundbreaking studies on how the reproductive tract environment influences embryo and fetal development. In a series of experiments, her lab investigated the effects of feeding cows diets rich in methyl donors (using rumen-protected methionine, RPM) around the time of artificial insemination. She demonstrated that calves from cows receiving RPM had greater growth and average daily gain by one year of age. Gene expression analysis revealed distinct differences in the liver and muscle. Gonella’s lab is also focused on identifying molecular markers for feed and reproductive efficiency. Her team has used genomics, metabolomics, and phenomics to identify potential biomarkers for feed efficiency and to explore the relationship between feed efficiency and seminal quality in young bulls.