UF/IFAS Associate Professor Emily Miller-Cushon has been honored with the prestigious Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, a recognition that highlights her contributions to the field of animal welfare science.
“I feel incredibly honored and grateful to be nominated by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture,” said Miller-Cushon, associate professor of animal behavior and welfare. “I’m appreciative to President Biden for the recognition and to USDA NIFA for the research funding that has made my contributions possible.”
The award, awarded to her by former President Joe Biden earlier this month, recognizes early research success in government-funded projects and is the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on early-career researchers and scientists. Miller-Cushon’s work focuses on the behavioral development and welfare of dairy calves, specifically examining the long-term effects of early life management factors.
“Our department is immensely proud of Dr. Emily Miller-Cushon for receiving early-career recognition from President Biden and his staff,” said John Arthington, chair of the animal sciences department. “The Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers honors the nation’s top young scientists whose early achievements place them among the leaders in their fields. She exemplifies the qualities that make our department a national leader in research in animal sciences.”
Her research focuses on how social housing practices – raising calves in pairs or in larger groups – affects social behavior, cognition, responses to novel environments and growth. This research is especially relevant to the dairy industry, which has begun adopting the practice of social housing but housing approaches still vary a lot from farm to farm.
“How we raise young animals is going to have implications for how they behave their entire lives,” she said.
At the UF Dairy Unit, Miller-Cushon and her team have been examining the long-term outcomes of social housing practices. They’ve found that cattle that are reared in pairs have notable advantages long-term, compared to calves raised solo.
“Recent results have shown that adult animals reared in pairs cope more easily with new housing environments and social groups, are less threatened by competition and exhibit more exploratory behavior,” Miller-Cushon said. “We still have some work to do to fully understand longer term effects, but the consensus is clear regarding the welfare benefits of social housing.”
The logistical challenges of this research require considerable funding and time investment for long-term studies. One of the grants her team received from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, a five-year grant, involved following each animal from birth to two years old.
In addition to her specific research on dairy calves, Miller-Cushon’s lab is interested in behavior as an indicator of animal health. They are using various technologies and artificial intelligence to characterize behavior and optimize management practices that can one day be used to improve animal welfare on commercial farms.
“The whole area of animal welfare science is growing, especially with societal concern about the care of animals in agriculture,” she said. “I’m excited to have this presidential recognition for a program that contributes to care of animals and sustainability of animal agriculture.”
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ABOUT UF/IFAS The mission of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is to develop knowledge relevant to agricultural, human and natural resources and to make that knowledge available to sustain and enhance the quality of human life. With more than a dozen research facilities, 67 county Extension offices, and award-winning students and faculty in the UF College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, UF/IFAS brings science-based solutions to the state’s agricultural and natural resources industries, and all Florida residents. ifas.ufl.edu | @UF_IFAS