Outstanding Alumnus Early Career Award

Erin Connor graduated from the University of Maryland with a B.S.in animal sciences in 1989 and continued her education in wildlife science at Virginia Tech earning her M.S. in 1993, and then returning to College Park to earn her Ph.D. in animal science in 1999. She is currently a research molecular biologist at USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in the Bovine Functional Genomics Laboratory in Beltsville.

Erin received the Davis Memorial Scholarship while a graduate student at the University of Maryland, a testament to her excellence and recognition as the top doctoral student in AGNR. As a graduate student Erin was described as a “triple threat” – academically, in research and as a Teaching Assistant. She completed all her course work with a 4.0 and published 4 first-author papers from her dissertation and received an award for instruction. The focus and drive she exhibited as a student has continued as she began her career at USDA, where she has had a significant impact. The service to AGNR through assisting with activities such as the 4-H Dairy Quiz Bowl also continues since she has launched her professional career.

Erin’s work in the Bovine Functional Genomics Laboratory focuses on identification of genes that are physiologically relevant to dairy cattle production and health. She continues to be productive in scientific publications, having published over 20 articles since 2002, many in the top journals in the field of genetics and animal science. She has also contributed at least 17 novel gene sequences to GenBank, a repository for genetic information across species. This level of commitment to share new information is a testimony to her interest in moving the field forward.

She has been very successful in her ability to fund her research competitively. Erin and her collaborators have received grants from the highly competitive USDA – National Research Initiative. Proposals submitted by Erin and her collaborators have been the top ranked grants in the Animal Health and Well Being section over 2 cycles. She has also begun to acquire an international reputation, being invited to present her work at major venues including the Lactation Biology Symposium at the annual meeting of the American Dairy Science Association in 2006.