Five outstanding professionals will be honored by the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison this fall. The school announced it will present its Honorary Recognition Awards to Mitch Breunig and Al Gunderson; its Distinguished Service Award to Elton Aberle; and its Distinguished Alumni Award to Max Rothschild and Claire Huschka Sink. Each will be recognized during a special ceremony in October.
Breunig stays connected to the Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences, CALS, and UW-Madison by participating in numerous research trials on his farm, Mystic Valley Dairy. He has also hosted tours and events for countless student and alumni groups. Over the past five years, Breunig has been involved in discussions on how to ensure that Wisconsin remains a world leader in the dairy industry.
Gunderson gives back to the university by helping coach students preparing to enter the agricultural industry as well as contributing financially to student scholarships. He recently worked to help raise funds for the new Meat Science and Animal Biologics Discovery Building. A leader at Vita Plus, a feed and nutrition management company that serves the greater Midwest, Gunderson and his business associates have invited faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates to their corporate headquarters in Madison for discussions, tours, and instruction.
When Aberle was selected as dean of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences in 1998, he prioritized securing infrastructure upgrades as well as research funding, which more than doubled during his tenure. Aberle emphasized strong linkages to Wisconsin's agricultural organizations and businesses, which helped establish stronger communication and trust. He advocated for recognition of academic staff and university staff in the CALS Awards program, to highlight their valuable contributions to the success of CALS' mission. After retiring as dean in 2005, Aberle continued to engage with the college, finding time to give classroom lectures and participate in undergraduate mentorship.
Rothschild has built an impressive research portfolio focusing on identifying, mapping, and sequencing genes in pigs and other animals. He received his master's degree in Animal Science at UW-Madison and recently retired as the C.F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor in Agriculture and Life Sciences and the M.E. Ensminger Chair in International Animal Agriculture in the Department of Animal Science at Iowa State University. His research funding has totaled over $31 million, and he has 12 U.S. and many foreign patents. A prolific author, he has over 425 published refereed journal articles and over 700 abstracts, invited papers, popular press and extension articles, proceedings, and book chapters.
Since receiving her academic grounding as a student in the Department of Life Sciences Communication at UW-Madison, Sink has gone on to make a number of extraordinary contributions to society. Her dedication to public service began in CALS with her involvement in organizations such as the Livestock Judging Team and the Saddle and Sirloin Club. She spent several years working in Cooperative Extension at Pennsylvania State University before working in the private sector. While at Penn State, she developed the proposal to create the university's first endowed chair, which was established in the School of Forestry. Today, there are 99 additional endowed chairs at this Big Ten University.
Categories: Wisconsin, Education