UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN River Falls
Susanne Wiesner, assistant professor of environmental science at UW-River Falls, and her team monitor soil greenhouse gas emission and carbon uptake at UWRF’s Mann Valley Farm. UWRF photo.
June 11, 2024 - The University of Wisconsin-River Falls College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences (CAFES) recently awarded four faculty research fellowships to help increase dairy-related research capacity through the Dairy Innovation Hub initiative.
Those chosen for the fellowships are Assistant Professor of Animal and Food Science Grace Lewis of Hastings, Minn.; Associate Professor of Plant and Earth Science Jill Coleman Wasik of Cologne, Minn.; Assistant Professor of Environmental Science Susanne Wiesner of Hastings, Minn.; and Associate Professor of Agricultural Engineering Technology Youngmi Kim of Stillwater, Minn.
They will tackle research projects in the hub’s four priority areas: stewarding land and water resources, enriching human health and nutrition, ensuring animal health and welfare, and growing farm business and communities.
Funded through a $7.8 million annual investment by the state of Wisconsin, the hub combines research and development at UW-Madison, UW-Platteville, and UW-River Falls campuses to keep Wisconsin’s $45.6 billion dairy community at the global forefront in producing nutritious dairy foods in an economically, environmentally, and socially sustainable manner. Since its launch in 2019, the hub has funded more than 220 projects across the three campuses.
A faculty research fellowship is a temporary position for permanent faculty members. The goal is to provide support for a specific research project and any ancillary costs, including ensuring that faculty have time to conduct research and providing support for existing teaching responsibilities.
The four faculty research projects are: