Immunesuppression & Environmental challenges

Dr. Lance Baumgard is a Professor in Dairy Science in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Iowa State University. He specializes in nutritional and environmental physiology. Baumgard’s group first discovered that reduced feed intake explains about 50% of decreased farm animal productivity during heat stress. In the last decade, his group has systematically discovered a series of events that explains the other 50%. In doing so, he has become a global leader in multiple and seemingly unconnected fields. The distinction of his program is demonstrated by invitations to numerous scientific  symposia.  He  has  given  86  international  presentations  in  22  different  countries  and  spoken  to  diverse organizations, including the National Institutes of Health, the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, the Federation of American Societies of Experimental Biology and the International Congress on Farm Animal Endocrinology. Baumgard’s  stature in the academic community is also reflected by prestigious awards he has received from scientific societies that focus on human nutrition and basic metabolism, as well as animal agriculture.

Dr. Geoffrey Dahl is Harriet B. Weeks Professor and Director of the Feed The Future Innovation Lab for Livestock Systems in the Department of the Animal Sciences at the University of Florida, conducting applied and basic research with direct impact on animal production and health.

Specifically, his program focuses on understanding the physiological impact of management interventions, notably photoperiod and heat stress abatement, at various stages of the lactation cycle, to harness that knowledge to optimize cow health and performance. The fundamental aspects of Geoff’s research has led to application in other agriculturally important species including sheep, goats and pigs. In his career Dr. Dahl also accumulates other important functions, serving as former president in the American Dairy Science Association and former Chair in the Department of Animal Science at the University of Florida.