The pod belongs to the students once again as we welcome four of our 2025 ADSA Graduate and Undergraduate Student Division winners!

Each year at the ADSA Annual Meeting, top competitors in dairy production and dairy foods face off for cash prizes—and the pride that comes from developing excellence in both scientific rigor and scientific storytelling. Some of this year’s first-place winners include Mitchell T. Armstrong from the University of Wisconsin–Madison (2025 Dairy Management Inc. Graduate Student Paper Presentation Contest in Dairy Foods Research), Savitha Saikumar from the University of Florida (2025 ADSA Graduate Student Division Three-Minute Thesis competition), Tessa Tauke, president of the ADSA Undergraduate Student Division (USD), from Iowa State University (2025 ADSA-USD Undergraduate Student Oral Contest in Dairy Foods), and Brooke Seelenbinder of Michigan State University (2025 ADSA-USD Undergraduate Student Oral Contest: Original Research/Independent Study). Their award-winning research spans the frontiers of dairy science, from whey protein phospholipid concentrate and bone health to postbiotic supplementation in transition cows to dietary fatty acid balancing in mid-lactation cows to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) or “forever chemicals” in dairy products. Together, they share what inspired them to compete, how they prepared for high-pressure presentations, and the mentors—such as Adam Lock and Barry Bradford—who shaped their paths to the winning podium.

The group also reflects on where their degrees may take them next and how ADSA’s community and diversity, as well as the broad range of science at the Annual Meeting, have already influenced their careers. Their stories underscore why supporting emerging scientists is central to ADSA’s mission and the bright future of the dairy industry.

Episode Thirty-Five Show Notes

Graduate Student Division and Undergraduate Student Division, including their robust award programs and the many benefits for student members.

Connect with dairy’s next generation and refresh your scientific inspiration at the ADSA 2026 Annual Meeting in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, this June!

The 2026 Three-Minute Thesis Challenge is still open! Learn more and submit your science before Monday, May 18, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. CT to enter this year’s competition.

Read each of the winners’ 2025 abstracts:

· Impact of whey protein phospholipid concentrate and its fraction supplementation on bone and muscle health in a weanling mouse model, 2025 ADSA Annual Meeting

· Effects of peripartal supplementation of prototype postbiotics on blood metabolic profile and liver enzymes in transition dairy cattle, 2025 ADSA Annual Meeting

· Effects of balancing dietary 18-carbon fatty acids from high oleic soybeans or a commercially available stearic acid-enriched supplement on milk production of mid-lactation dairy cows, 2025 ADSA Annual Meeting

· Exploring the impacts of contamination by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in dairy products, 2025 ADSA Annual Meeting

We know our journals are the engine behind the ADSA community, but have you ever been curious about how the Journal of Dairy Science (JDS) comes together? Join us for a rare look at the stewardship required to keep dairy science’s gold standard journal moving as Matt interviews outgoing Editor in Chief Paul Kononoff, PhD, professor and dairy nutrition extension specialist at the University of Nebraska, and incoming Editor in Chief Laura Hernandez, PhD, professor of lactation physiology and director of the Endocrine and Reproductive Physiology Graduate Program at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. We trace their weaving paths to their dairy science careers, from early days influenced by icons like Bob Collier and Jud Heinrichs to their current roles steering the world’s leading dairy research publication. The conversation details Paul’s tenure, which began just as the global COVID pandemic took hold. He reflects on the “great leap of faith” required to guide the journal through that time of transition, as well as the monumental move to Open Access. The group discusses how ADSA remains committed to providing affordable publishing options for its members, emphasizing the importance of making science accessible to the world, and the refreshed loyalty program designed to reward our dedicated community of reviewers and authors. Listeners will also hear the origins of the JDS Club 100 and the impact of seeing the journal reach a 4.4 Impact Factor under Paul’s leadership.

Looking toward the future, Laura shares her vision for the journal’s next chapter. She tackles the challenges of generative artificial intelligence and explains her goals for growing dairy foods representation through interdisciplinary research that bridges production and processing. The episode wraps up with a look at the essential partnership between JDS and JDS Communications, some surprising revelations about what these two scientists would be doing if they weren’t in academia, and a heartfelt exchange of advice on how to lead by simply listening to the ADSA community.

Episode Thirty-Four Show Notes

Learn more about our guests and follow them on LinkedIn: Paul Kononoff and Laura Hernandez.

Read the journals’ new Artificial Intelligence Policy for Authors.

Join Paul and Laura—and the larger journal community—at the ADSA 2026 Annual Meeting in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, next June, and submit your research during our call for abstracts, which closes on February 10, 2026!

Are you looking to publish dairy research in 2026? Save on your article costs via the ADSA Loyalty Rewards Program for the Journal of Dairy Science and JDS Communications when you join the ADSA member community!

Explore articles related to the episode:

Laura Hernandez: Mentor, researcher and leader, Progressive Dairy (2025)

Some closing words to the Journal of Dairy Science community, Journal of Dairy Science (2025)

A note from the Journal of Dairy Science Editor in Chief, Journal of Dairy Science (2026)