EAST LANSING, Mich. — Four MSU students won the Midwest Regional American Dairy Science Association/American Society of Animal Science academic quadrathlon in Des Moines, Iowa, on March 14-15.
The team, made up of College of Agriculture and Natural Resources students Britt Larson, Taska Likavec, Joel Sparks and Shawnee Williams, competed against 13 universities from across the Midwest. Teams tested their knowledge of animal science in four events - quiz bowl, lab practicum, written exam and oral presentation.
"We had the opportunity to attend the Midwest ASAS conference to see presentations and network with peers and professionals of the agriculture industry," Likavec said. "It was a wonderful environment. Since participating, I am even more excited to work in animal agriculture."
The MSU squad took first place in the lab practicals and quiz bowl sections and second in the written exam, ensuring its championship.
"I discovered how much more there is to learn and acquired all kinds of new information pertaining to my future career," Larson said. "More importantly I found confidence in realizing how much I have learned here at MSU in the Department of Animal Science.
"The information we learn is practical, ‘hands-on' knowledge that will really help me to succeed in the shorter term as an animal husbandry volunteer in the Peace Corps, but also as a veterinarian for the rest of my life."
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