Soil science assistant professor Jingyi Huang and animal and dairy sciences assistant professor Jennifer Van Os were recently selected to receive Alfred Toepfer Faculty Fellow Awards. The one-year award is bestowed on pre-tenure faculty whose research benefits agricultural activities within the United States and whose areas of interest lie in the scientific fields of crop research, improvements in crop yield and quality, or animal sciences.

Huang joined CALS in in May 2018 as an assistant professor in the Department of Soil Science. His research focuses on the use of soil-sensing technologies — including ground- based proximal sensing and remote sensing — to study soil processes at various scales. His goal is to develop models that make sense of the data and help with efforts to monitor, map, manage, and conserve soil and water resources in Wisconsin and across the country.

Van Os joined CALS in March 2018 as an assistant professor of dairy science and a UW-Extension animal welfare specialist. Her research focuses on understanding, evaluating and improving the welfare of dairy animals from a biological perspective. The goal of her extension program is to promote best practices in management and housing to help the dairy industry adapt as scientific knowledge about animal welfare continues to grow.