Ms Lavis and Ms McQuellin began the internship on Monday with the first job of helping with the Charles Sturt Angus herd Artificial Insemination program.
The opportunity to be part of ground-breaking beef genetics research awaits two Charles Sturt University (Charles Sturt) students awarded an internship with Angus Australia and the Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation.
Charles Sturt Bachelor of Agricultural Science student Emily Lavis and Bachelor of Animal Science student Jaimee McQuellin share a passion for agriculture, experience in the cattle show ring and have worked in the commercial beef industry.
Ms Lavis grew up on a beef property at Braidwood NSW, has her own commercial cattle herd, was part of the school cattle show team and has worked as a stationhand in the Northern Territory.
Ms McQuellin is from Tumut NSW, has experience working at a Shorthorn cattle stud, was part of her school livestock show team and spent a year working in a large cattle feedlot.
As part of the internship program they’ll gain an insight into research by helping collect data from the Charles Sturt cattle herd as part of the Angus Sire Benchmarking Program (ASBP). The students will also work with Angus Australia at the national conference and Angus Youth Round-Up.
This is the third year Angus Australia and the Graham Centre have jointly funded the internship program to support Charles Sturt students to further their interest in the beef industry.
One of the program’s past participants, Charles Sturt Bachelor of Agricultural Science student Rebecca Dean, said the internship opened her eyes to the commercial relevance of genetics research.
“Seeing the accuracy of results from all the data collected is really quite amazing, and can ensure confidence in genetic technology only through the high precision and accuracy of data collected,” Miss Dean said.
“The Australia Sire Benchmarking Program is an example of a large, long running and exceptionally commercially relevant research. The really cool thing is that it’s leading to some pretty innovative uses for genetics such as the release of the ImmuneDEX Estimated Breeding Value (EBV).
“I am incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity and gained more than I could have imagined through the development of a strong network of new contacts.”
Read more about Miss Dean’s internship experience.
Graham Centre Acting Director, Associate Professor Marta Hernandez-Jover, said it’s an opportunity to support the next generation of industry leaders.
“We are pleased to be able to offer students the opportunity to develop their skills, build connections in the industry and learn more about current research.”
Angus Australia’s Strategic Project Manager Mr Christian Duff said the program has many benefits.
“Industry collaboration is critical for Angus Australia’s capability to deliver innovative programs and offer capacity building for young industry professional and students.
“This partnership with the Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation and delivery of the internship program, coupled with industry leading research and development, is a great example of this type of initiative.”
Ms Lavis and Ms McQuellin began the internship with the first job of helping with the Charles Sturt Angus herd Artificial Insemination program.