Plenary Sessions
Monday, 21 June 2010
3:15 to 4:30 p.m.
There's a Heifer in Your Tank!
Ever wonder how far you could get on the methane produced from a cow in one day if you car ran on methane? Come hear Dr. Frank Robinson, Interim Vice-Provost and Dean of Students and Animal Science Professor at the University of Alberta, talk about There's a Heifer in Your Tank, an innovative program that actively engages students in learning.
There's a Heifer in Your Tank is often described as "science answers questions you never knew you had about animal agriculture". In Dr. Robinson's Animal Science 200 class, students answer quirky questions about animal agriculture - questions like "does chocolate milk really come from brown cows?" "If people get chicken pox, do chickens get people pox?" "Why don't we milk pigs?" Groups of students answer a chosen question though entertaining skits and videos to audiences of over 600. An America Idol inspired panel questions the students on their presentation and the science behind their answer. The goal of the program is to empower students to educate others about agricultural issues and to help consumers appreciate where their food comes from.
This plenary session will also include skits by students who have participated in There's a Heifer in Your Tank. To learn more about what you will be treated to at CACUSS, check out the website.
Speaker bio: Frank Robinson
Frank Robinson is currently the Interim Vice-Provost and Dean of Students at the U of A. In this position he interacts with graduate and undergraduate students in co-curricular issues. Frank joined the University of Alberta in 1986 as an Assistant Professor in poultry science. He holds a BS in Agriculture from the University of Saskatchewan, a MSc from Virginia Tech and a PhD from the University of Guelph. Frank's primary research focus involves the reproductive fitness of chickens and turkeys and he has made over 300 presentations to poultry communities and the public.
He has served the Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science as Associate Chair (Academic), and as Associate Dean (Academic) of the Faculty of Agricultural, Life and Environmental. Frank is an avid champion of inquiry-based learning and is particularly interested in improving the freshman experience for students. He has been a frequent speaker on these topics which has furthered the objective of his innovative "There's a Heifer in Your Tank" Program. In 2007, Frank was inducted into the Alberta Agriculture Hall of Fame in 2006, awarded the 3M National Teaching Fellowship (2007), was named a Fellow of the Poultry Science Association (2008).