ASAS Centennial Paper: The future of teaching and research in companion animal biology in departments of animal sciences

Departments of animal sciences must be relevant to a society in which a small number of people can raise almost all the food animal products needed. The declining number of people involved in animal agriculture has decreased enrollment of students interested in food animals in many departments of animal science. However, several departments welcomed students from a diverse background and began research on animals other than food animals. In many states, the undergraduate enrollment is made up primarily of students interested only in companion animals. A benefit of this is that we have recruited new students into animal agriculture and they have gone on to excellent careers. We have a new challenge now: how to maintain and expand the efforts in teaching, research, and outreach of companion animal science. Departments wishing to expand in teaching have examples of successful courses and curricula from other departments. Some departments have expanded their teaching efforts across their own university to teach about pets to a wider audience than their own majors; other departments can follow. In research, a small number of faculty have been able to establish extramurally funded projects on pets, including horses. But it will be difficult for more than a handful of departments to have a serious research effort in dogs, cats, birds, fish, or exotic animals. Departments will have to make a concerted effort to invest in such endeavors; joint ventures with other universities and colleges of veterinary medicine (or medicine) will probably be required. Funding sources for "traditional" efforts in nutrition, reproduction, and physiology are small and inconsistent; however, with the progress of the equine, canine, and feline genome projects, there should be opportunities from federal funding sources aimed at using animal models for human health. In addition, efforts in animal behavior and welfare can be expanded, perhaps with some funding from private foundations or animal-supportive organizations.     

What are animal science departments doing to address contemporary issues?

Animal science departments are principle progenitors and disseminators of scientific information relating to the production of agricultural animals and their food products. The Land-Grant university missions of teaching, research, and extension are conduits designed to advance and enhance scientific knowledge within agriculture and to make this knowledge available to the public. I conducted an electronic survey to determine whether animal science departments are addressing contemporary issues through the traditional missions of the Land-Grant university system, which issues they are addressing, and how they are addressing these issues. Sixty-three animal science department administrative heads (AH) were contacted through an E-mail listserve maintained through Michigan State University. An introductory letter described the goals of the survey and asked the AH to submit contact information for faculty coordinators of teaching, research, and extension within their departments. Forty-nine percent of the administrative heads responded and submitted contact information for 72 faculty members. Survey questions were sent to the identified faculty. The total survey return was 38.9%, 37.7% of the respondents answered questions for teaching, 31.1% for research, and 31.1% for extension. Animal waste, animal welfare, and food safety are examples of issues where all three missions have concentrated efforts. However, graduate student education on issues was identified as lacking emphasis. Animal science departments are responding to contemporary issues in all three of the Land-Grant mission components.     

农林高校《动物遗传学》课程教学的改革与探索

《动物遗传学》是农林高校生命科学和动物科学相关专业的重要基础课程,更是从事生命科学研究的重要背景课程。进一步提高《动物遗传学》课程教学效果,进一步发挥中国特色高等教育课程的全面育人职能是农林院校《动物遗传学》课程教学的重中之重,而进行课程改革是提高教学质量的有力手段之一。本文从《动物遗传学》课程的教学现状与存在问题出发,利用一系列教学改革手段探索如何提高《动物遗传学》教学质量,以期为相关院校课程教学建设提供建议与参考。     

Value-added animal agriculture: inclusion of race and gender in the professional formula

The Morrill Act establishing the land grant university system created public higher education institutions and paved the way for women and racial minorities to access them. Today women are -50% of the undergraduate population in animal science (AS) departments at the original land grant state universities, but racial minorities lag far behind, in part because the schools created under the 1890 legislation provided a diversion away from the state universities. Demographic trends from the U.S. Census and the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicate increasing positive growth in nonwhite workforce participation, with concurrent decreases in non-Hispanic male participation; men and women will be nearly equally represented by early in the 21st Century. In the faculties of AS departments, both women and minorities are seriously under-represented; causative factors underlying this phenomenon are similar. Although, historically, adherence to role stereotypes and divisions of labor explain some of the under-representation, these assumptions do not hold across all economic classes. Other factors contributing to the scarcity of women and faculty of color in AS include assumptions and mechanisms of scientific research itself; the very neutrality and disinterestedness of researchers, inherent in the scientific method, prevent recognition that values and personal biases affect decisions of hiring selections and mentoring effectiveness. We explore the cultural factors that underlie these values and biases that are common not only to agriculture but also to science more broadly.     

ASAS Centennial Paper: animal science teaching: a century of excellence

Teaching has a long and varied history in the life of departments of animal science and the American Society of Animal Science. Some of the earliest reports from meetings of the society have strong indication that planning the curriculum was a prominent feature of the meetings. Teaching symposia were also included almost from the beginning. The society went through a lengthy period from the 1940s through most of the 1960s when teaching was not a prominent focus, but a symposium in 1968 appeared to be a catalyst for change, and, since that date, teaching has again been an important part of the meetings. In recent years, outstanding symposia and contributed papers have made the teaching section a vibrant entry. Departments of animal science have changed considerably since the early days in which "men taught boys" and the primary goal was to produce farmers. More female students, more urban students, interest in a wide variety of animals, and greatly diversified career goals have been emerging during the last few decades. Departments of animal science and the American Society of Animal Science are positioning to be able to respond to change and face the challenge of providing excellence in teaching during the next century.     

Internationalization of the animal science undergraduate curriculum: a survey of its current status,barriers to its implementation and its value

The goal of this project was to identify the current level at which internationalization has been adopted as a theme in the North American animal science curriculum and to identify its value and the barriers to its implementation. We surveyed animal, dairy, and poultry science departments across Canada and the United States. One hundred twenty-four surveys were mailed and 60% were returned. Associations between aspects of internationalization and student outcomes (admission to veterinary and graduate schools and starting salaries) were examined. Although administrators strongly believed internationalization had value, implementation was limited. The most common practices included international content in core animal science classes, advising, international internships, and participation of faculty in international scholarly activities. Few departments have incorporated internationalization into their mission statements or developed a specific international-themed class, scholarships devoted to international activities, or roles for international students. Few departments reported participation of students in international programs. Barriers included finances and limited commitment from higher administration. Student outcomes were positively associated with faculty size, percentage of international faculty, the ratio of international students to the total student population, international content in core animal science classes, a specific international-themed class, availability of international internships, and exchange of class material internationally via the Internet. Departments that did not offer international opportunities had a negative association (r = -0.79) with starting salary, but these relationships may not be causal. Alternatively, progressive departments may attract and retain exceptional students. The analysis indicated an awareness of the value of international programs, positive impacts in student outcomes, and financial barriers to implementation.     

The scientific component of residency training

This article focuses on the role of veterinary teaching hospitals (VTHs) at public and private colleges and universities in the growth and nurturing of today's veterinary clinician scientists, who will assume the ranks of tomorrow's veterinary academic faculty. Virtually all residency programs offer some level of scientific education and training concurrently or sequentially with professional clinical training; approximately half (51%) include, or at least offer, the opportunity to obtain advanced scientific degrees (MS/MSc and/or PhD). If veterinary schools and colleges are the gatekeepers for the veterinary profession, then VTHs are the gatekeepers for the profession's scientific development, defining the future role of veterinary medicine in society. Although struggling to find their place in a financially challenging and competitive environment fueled by the demand for more and better clinical services, VTHs are in a potentially strong position to capitalize on the uniqueness of their faculty and academic resources and thus make an unparalleled contribution to the scientific evolution of the veterinary profession.     

课程思政融入《动物解剖与组织胚胎学》教学实践中的探索

课程思政是高校落实立德树人教育根本任务的有效途径。《动物解剖与组织胚胎学》是高等院校动物医学等相关学科领域的专业基础课之一。本文通过剖析《动物解剖与组织胚胎学》课程中的思政元素案例,以期为专业教育与思政教育的有效结合提供新思路,推动新农科背景下专业课程思政的建设。     

高等农业院校《兽医产科学》课程教学改革与创新研究

兽医产科学是高等农业院校兽医学教学中一门基础分支学科,主要研究动物的生理生殖、生殖疾病及繁殖技术。随着兽医学科的不断进步和国家畜牧产业发展和结构调整,向行业输送应用型、创新型、技能型兽医人才已成为农业院校人才培养的主要目标。对目前兽医产科学教学现状及存在问题进行了分析,探索了教学内容、教学方法、教学实践等方面的改革与创新研究,以期为提高我国高等农业院校兽医人才培养提供参考。     

Educational preparedness of veterinarians for foreign animal diseases

Veterinary medical education in FADs has been and will continue to be critically important if veterinarians are expected to fulfill the profession's primary obligations to society--those of protecting our animals' health, conserving our animal resources, and promoting public health. It is imperative that curricula and instruction in veterinary schools and colleges provide the depth and breadth of knowledge and understanding necessary to prepare all veterinarians, including those in private practice, for their key role in defending against FADs. Development and implementation of governmental and military programs to diagnose, prevent, control, and eradicate FADs will require a dedicated cadre of public sector veterinarians who have a solid educational foundation in FADs and understand the contemporary issues and global challenges we face. Animal-related industries, associations, and organizations will increasingly rely on well-educated veterinarians to help guide them in ways that will protect animals, clientele, consumers, and trading partners from effects of FADs. Agencies and organizations concerned with conservation of animal resources will require veterinary expertise necessary to prevent FADs in a multitude of animal species, including marine animals, wildlife, endangered species, zoologic specimens, and important genetic lines as well as our domestic companion and livestock species. Species affected by FADs also include human beings for those disease agents with zoonotic potential; thus, veterinary education also plays a key role in public health.     

新农科背景下牛生产学课程思政建设的探索与实践

课程思政建设是农林高校推进新农科建设的重要行动,是实现新农科宏伟蓝图的关键环节。牛生产学作为动物科学专业的专业核心课,在新农科建设背景下,如何将立德树人的根本任务落实到专业课教学全过程,发挥专业教师以及专业课程的育人功能,实现教书与育人相统一,是牛生产学进行课程改革和建设的重点。因此,本文从融入思政育人目标、建设思政资源库、完善课程思政建设途径和课程思政评价方式等方面对牛生产学课程思政建设进行探讨和总结,以期为新农科背景下动物科学类专业课的课程思政建设提供参考,也为做好课程育人工作和新农科背景下动物科学人才培养提供支撑。     

对高校师资队伍可持续发展的思考

可持续发展是科学的发展观.实施高校师资队伍的可持续发展战略,是高校办学的根本大计.师资队伍的可持续发展是高校可持续发展战略的根本保障,也是高等教育自身发展的必然选择.实现高校师资队伍的可持续发展,必须注重其发展的持续性、协调性和整体性.     

动物饲养试验的关键环节及考核要素

动物饲养试验是动物营养与饲料科学研究的重要方法之一,常用来评价饲料的营养价值、筛选最佳饲粮配方、研究营养代谢及营养需要等,是目前多数农业院校动物营养与饲料科学课程的实践教学内容,其中涉及多个关键环节,包括考查因素、水平、试验动物、试验日粮、试验设计、考查指标、数据收集与整理、数据统计等,正确把握这些环节是动物饲养试验取得良好效果的关键,也是该课程中需要考核的要素。对动物饲养试验的多个关键环节进行了讨论和总结,供实践教学课程参考和借鉴,以期提高教学效果和推进实践教学改革。     

Providing stewardship and leadership for the future of veterinary medical research: a responsibility of the veterinary colleges

As we contemplate responsibilities as well as opportunities in research, it is fair to begin by considering why research is, or should be, important to veterinary schools and colleges, to our profession, and to society. Veterinary research is conducted in many venues, such as colleges of veterinary medicine, veterinary science departments, comparative medicine departments, medical schools, and many other university departments, as well as in industry laboratories, governmental agencies, and other organizations. But schools and colleges of veterinary medicine have a unique and historic responsibility to ensure that our veterinary medical research programs are sufficient in quality, capacity, and depth to meet the research needs of our society. Consequently, my comments will be oriented toward veterinary schools and colleges.     

应用型高校动物生产学课程教学方法的探讨

随着经济的发展,社会分工越来越细,对专业技术人才的需求也愈加迫切,应用型教育是未来农林院校高等教育发展的必然趋势。动物生产学作为一门实践性很强的课程,在具体教学过程中应把握其特点,以提高学生对理论知识的理解效率、加强实践应用和提升社会生存的竞争力为目的,培养符合未来畜牧业发展需求的创新型专业人才。     

Results of a national survey of US veterinary college faculty regarding attitudes toward farm animal welfare

OBJECTIVE: To examine attitudes toward farm animal welfare among veterinary college faculty. DESIGN: E-mail survey. STUDY POPULATION: 157 US veterinary college faculty with large animal or food animal emphasis. PROCEDURE: Veterinarians from 27 US veterinary colleges were contacted via e-mail and asked to complete a 7-page survey relating to farm animal welfare issues. Thirty-one percent of those contacted responded. RESULTS: 71% of respondents self-characterized their attitude toward farm animal welfare as "we can use animals for the greater human good but have an obligation to provide for the majority of the animals' physiologic and behavioral needs." An additional 19% of respondents were more concerned about animal welfare than was indicated by that statement, and 10% were less concerned about farm animal welfare than was indicated by that statement. Significant relationships among demographic variables and attitude scores were observed, including more concerned attitudes among females, those with more liberal political views, and those who cited lower religiosity. No relationship between attitude and age was observed. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Veterinary college faculty have the opportunity to impact many stakeholders within the animal agriculture industries (eg, future veterinarians and policy makers looking for a veterinary science perspective). Results indicated that a considerable level of concern toward farm animal welfare is present in this population. Although the process of change may not be rapid, it is likely that the influence of these respondents will factor heavily into enhancing farm animal welfare.     

农林高校分子遗传学教学体系的改革与创新

全国农林高校应重视创新性人才的培养,而课程改革又是创新性人才培养的重中之重。《分子遗传学》是生命科学中一门基础理论科学,它在高等农业院校的教学计划中是一门重要的专业基础课程。因此,重视《分子遗传学》课程的教学与改革创新对农林院校学生来说尤为重要。为此,笔者总结了20多年教学实践中积累的经验和体会,为农林高校《分子遗传学》教学体系的改革与创新提供资料和参考。     

Preparing students for careers in food-supply veterinary medicine: a review of educational programs in the United States

The real and/or perceived shortage of veterinarians serving food-supply veterinary medicine has been a topic of considerable discussion for decades. Regardless of this debate, there are issues still facing colleges of veterinary medicine (CVMs) about the best process of educating future food-supply veterinarians. Over the past several years, there have been increasing concerns by some that the needs of food-supply veterinary medicine have not adequately been met through veterinary educational institutions. The food-supply veterinary medical curriculum offered by individual CVMs varies depending on individual curricular design, available resident animal population, available food-animal caseload, faculty, and individual teaching efforts of faculty. All of the institutional members of the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) were requested to share their Food Animal Veterinary Career Incentives Programs. The AAVMC asked all member institutions what incentives they used to attract and educate students interested in, or possibly considering, a career in food-supply veterinary medicine (FSVM). The problem arises as to how we continue to educate veterinary students with ever shrinking budgets and how to recruit and retain faculty with expertise to address the needs of society. Several CVMs use innovative training initiatives to help build successful FSVM programs. This article focuses on dairy, beef, and swine food-animal education and does not characterize colleges' educational efforts in poultry and aquaculture. This review highlights the individual strategies used by the CVMs in the United States.     

所农业院校大学生对马学教育的认知研究

为掌握农业院校大学生对马学教育的认知现状,通过问卷调查的方式在两所农业院校开展分析研究。结果表明大部分学生都有过与马相处的经历,且大多是在旅游景区和马术俱乐部等体育娱乐场所与马相处,多数大学生能够认识到马在现代社会中的体育和娱乐功能。受生源地和院校是否开设马学相关课程的影响,仍有部分学生对现代马业认识模糊。应通过开设马学相关专业加强知识和技能培养,并加大媒体宣传和社会推广,完善大学生对马学教育认知,推动我国马产业持久健康发展。     

模块化教学设计在《猪生产学》教学中的应用探索

模块化教学设计在教学改革中具有重要的应用价值。《猪生产学》是高等农业院校动物科学专业的主干课程。基于模块化教学的内涵,设计了《猪生产学》课程的6大教学模块,并叙述了模块化教学设计在该课程教学过程中的组织、实施以及应用效果。