LAURA JENSEN AWARDED INAUGURAL NAAB DOAK GRADUATE FELLOWSHIP

The National Association of Animal Breeders is pleased to announce Laura Jensen has been selected to receive the inaugural NAAB Doak Graduate Fellowship.

Laura impressed the application committee with her strong history in the dairy industry combined with a drive to be part of the future of dairy genetics. Laura earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Animal Science with dairy emphasis from the University of Minnesota where she was also President of the Gopher Dairy Club. In addition to working on her family’s dairy operation, Laura has been active in dairy judging and yearly summer internships at multiple AI companies. Currently, she is working on an internship at The Council of Dairy Cattle Breeding where she evaluates health traits for the Jersey breed. Laura’s personal ambition is to use genomic technological developments for the improvement of US dairy cattle performance.

The NAAB Doak Graduate Fellowship is a unique opportunity for individuals planning to pursue a career in the bovine genetic improvement industry to earn a Master of Science degree in bovine genetics or bovine male reproduction physiology. The fellowship was established to develop talent with the technical and management competencies as needed by the future cattle industry. As such, the award is intended for individuals who have long term aspirations in the genetic improvement industry as exemplified by Dr. Gordon Doak, who dedicated 42 years to developing NAAB programs. “With her qualifications, Ms. Jensen is precisely the type of student the Fellowship was designed for.” stated Jay Weiker, President and CEO of NAAB. “We are confident that she will be a great ambassador for the US A.I Industry.”

 

 

Laura will pursue a two-year Master’s degree in Animal Science at the University of Florida starting in the fall of 2019. She will be supervised by Dr. Peter Hansen who specializes in research on bovine reproductive physiology.

NAAB is the national trade association for artificial insemination businesses. NAAB members account for about 95% of dairy and beef semen sold in the USA and market semen to more than 100 countries around the world.