By: Dr. Drew Cassens
We had an amazing week at the 2023 AMSA Reciprocal Meat Conference! Connecting with our alumni, meeting new friends, and enhancing our knowledge of Meat Science. We raised $3,100 in the selling of our TSU Meat Science shirt for AMSA Student Events. Graduate student, Andrew Cano, presented collaborated research with FSNS from his thesis. Dr. Cassens spoke on a panel about “How to Coach a Meat Judging Team” for a student reciprocation session and was appointed to the Intercollegiate Meat Coaches Committee Board of Directors.
Andrew Cano represented Tarleton State University receiving the AMSA Student Teaching Cleaver Award for his success in the classroom. Andrew is the first recipient of this award from Tarleton State University. His achievement in receiving of this award is a testament to the success of our students in and out of the classroom. Andrew was later awarded the Outstanding Graduate Student Award for the Department of Animal Science. We are excited to have Andrew staying at Tarleton to help teach undergraduate courses in the Department of Animal Science.
Dr. Cassens had an opportunity to work alongside Tarleton Alumni Jarrod Montford to share more information about Tarleton Meat Science with students at Texas FFA Convention. We held a beef cutting demonstration with students to show them where different cuts of beef come from.
The Southwest Meat Association (SMA) has been an amazing supporter of Tarleton State University and our program. This year, 3 students were awarded scholarships. Dr. Cassens and Mr. Harwell attended the convention and hosted a booth to talk with industry professionals and showcase the amazing opportunities we have at Tarleton. Dr. Cassens ended the convention giving a university update highlighting the growth of the college along with current teaching and research efforts.
Students attended the AMSA Students Leaders Connecting conference in Fort Worth, TX. Students had an amazing opportunity to tour meat and food facilities in the Fort Worth area and network with their peers and industry professionals.
