U of A Graduate Research Assistant Named American Society of Animal Science Young Scholar

Samantha Howe, pursuing Ph.D. in animal science, conducts microbiome, probiotic research for AAES

By Lexi Workman – May 25, 2022

Samantha Howe
GOOD WORK — Ph.D. student Samantha Howe, a research assistant in the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station lab of animal scientist Jiangchao Zhao, was named the 2022 American Society of Animal Science Young Scholar. (U of A System Division of Agriculture photo by Fred Miller)

MEDIA CONTACT

Lexi Workman

Department of Animal Science

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Samantha Howe, a graduate research assistant in animal science at the University of Arkansas, has been named the 2022 American Society of Animal Science Young Scholar.

Howe, of Sulphur, Oklahoma, is an animal science doctoral student in the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences. She will present her research data at the ASAS National Meeting in Oklahoma City in June.

“I am so excited and honored to be the recipient of the 2022 American Society of Animal Science Young Scholar Award,” Howe said. “I am so thankful for everyone who has encouraged, helped and mentored me over the years. I could not have achieved this alone.”

Howe grew up as the fourth generation of commercial Black Angus beef cattle ranchers in south-central Oklahoma. She graduated summa cum laude with honors and a bachelor’s degree in animal science from Oklahoma State University in 2019. Her degree included an emphasis in animal biotechnology with a minor in microbiology.

She began pursuing her Ph.D. in animal science at the U of A in 2019 under the advising of Jiangchao Zhao, associate professor of animal science, and a researcher and scientist with the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the U of A System Division of Agriculture.

Zhao conducts microbiome research, including development of probiotic supplements, for both cattle and swine. Howe’s thesis research contributes to Zhao’s bovine microbiome investigations. Her research focuses on developing potential probiotics to treat or prevent bovine respiratory disease.

While at the U of A, she has received the Doctoral Academy Fellowship, served as president and vice president of the Animal Science Graduate Student Association and was recently named the department of animal science’s outstanding Ph.D. student.

​To learn more about the Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu. Follow us on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch and Instagram at @ArkAgResearch.

To learn about Extension Programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit https://uaex.uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @AR_Extension.

To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk.

About the Division of Agriculture

The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.

The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses.

The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.

MEDIA CONTACT

Lexi Workman

Department of Animal Science