April 23: Dhananjai, a PhD student, presents his poster on shotgun sequencing and metagenomics at the University of Minnesota Research Computing Exhibition.
April 18: Presented with the 2024 CFANS Borealis Exemplary Faculty Award (>5 years) at the CFANS Borealis Awards night.
April 18: Presented poultry TED talk at the PEAK convention. Visited the UMN extension booth displaying our online certificate and MSAPS programs.
April 17: Dhananjai, Amritha, and Peter presented at the NCADC annual meeting at the Minneapolis Convention Center.
March 29: The CFANS Borealis Awards Committee announced Dr. Johny as the winner of the 2024 Exemplary Faculty Award (>5 years). 
March 21 – Dr. Johny updated the North Central Poultry Association membership about the poultry programs at CFANS University of Minnesota.
March 18 – Dhananjai defended his MS thesis successfully! It was an excellent presentation with his shotgun sequencing data strengthening the overall project outcomes. Congrats, Dhananjai. He continues with me as a doctoral student.
March 15 – Shijina’s paper is published in Poultry Science. Congrats, Shijina! Well done!
March 6 – Grace’s paper is published in Frontiers in Microbiology journal. Congrats, Grace! A job well done!
February 3 – My team’s get-together at my home. It was a nice time to meet with my team and a couple of friends at home after a long time. The last time I remember was in 2019, before COVID hit us badly!
February 1 – Shijina’s paper gets published in Poultry Science. Congrats, Shijina.
January 26 – Dr. Johny attends the MAAE Reverse College Fair in St. Cloud, Minnesota, with his colleagues, representing the Department of Animal Science in the recruitment and promotional efforts of the education programs. 
January 25 – We are part of the Jennie-O Turkey store-produced YouTube video about the journey of the Presidential turkeys, Liberty and Bell. It has been published online. We have been featured from time 6.07.
December 23 – After the workshop, we visited the Taj Mahal, a historical monument in India.
December 21 – Dr. Johny spoke at the ICAR National Agricultural Higher Education Project (NAHEP)-sponsored International Workshop on “Quality and Safety Audit of Foods of Animal Origin” held in the College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, India, from December 20-22. He spoke to several dignitaries, industry people, veterinary students, and scientists during this workshop on antimicrobial resistance in the food animal industry and approaches to solving issues with zoonotic drug-resistant pathogens in foods. I was honored to meet and dine with the honorable Vice Chancellor, Dr. A. K. Shrivastava ji, and the Dean of the College of Veterinary Science, Dr. Vikas Pathak ji. There was excellent teamwork visible with Drs. Atul Shukla, the officer of NAHEP, Drs. Amit, Chirag, Meena, Ajay, and Shyma, teaming up with the administrators.
December 8 – A lovely welcoming party for Liberty and Bell happened in CFANS this afternoon. The turkeys were elegant and comfortable, meeting the visitors with their gobbles and fearless walk! What a scene! It was fulfilling to me as the PI of the turkey display protocol, preparing the birds and caretakers for a memorable event today! With the University of Minnesota Board of Regents and my students Peter Bina (on the left) and Spencer Hackman (on the right). Beth Nelson and Chelsea Russell of the Midwest Poultry Consortium were the invited delegates of the event. Peter is a COE graduate!
November 8 – Rich glides into history! A rich friend and colleague who impressed me with his humility, fun-loving, friendly, engaging nature, and interactive teaching style. We connected during the MPC COE session in Iowa three years ago through Ken Koelkebeck and continued the friendship! His big truck and a secret treasure were opened to us during our visit to his house that summer. The taste of a delicious pork dish, mashed potatoes, and tonic water still remains on my tongue! He taught COE when it happened in UMN as well!
Rich, I regret that I could not take you to my house and family when you visited Minnesota. I will miss you, Rich! CFANS, our alma mater, will miss you as well! (Photograph adapted from EIC, Iowa State University—all credits to EIC: https://www.eggindustrycenter.org/about-us/news/dr-gates).
October 24 – Grace defends her Ph.D. thesis! She joined me after her BS degree and continued through the MS and Ph.D. programs, excelling in academic performance with a perfect GPA through all her degree programs! That’s a unique accomplishment! Her research is the outcome of her dedication and commitment to exploring a new theme for our research team, stepping one foot at a time, and expanding research on innovations in Salmonella control. I discussed this step several years ago with Dr. Richard Gast, one of the most respected scientists in Salmonella research! Congrats, Grace. Thanks for being my student and helping us move one more step closer to accomplishing our goal of making animal foods safer than before! Thanks to my funders, MTGA and USDA. Grace has accepted a position with Elanco!
October 1 – Divek’s paper gets published in the Poultry Science Journal. Well done, Divek!
September 21 – Dr. Johny speaks at the Minnesota Nutrition Conference in Mankato, Minnesota on the “Sustainable Approaches for Poultry Food Safety.”
September 8 – Peter and I visited Charminar, a historical monument in Hyderabad, right before we left for the US. 
September 7 – We visited the ICAR—National Academy of Agricultural Research Management, Telangana State, a national institute for agricultural training and research. This unit trains all levels of higher officials. Spread over a 100-acre landscape, it has all the facilities on campus, including hospitals, chapels, dormitories, several kitchens, playgrounds, and other facilities. We delivered talks on graduate and undergraduate education here. I also updated the USDA NNF grant results. There were around 200 attendees, 100 in person and others online.
September 7 – We visited the state-funded hatchery in the Telangana State. There were active discussions on antibiotic use, global AMR spread, and One Health initiatives. The Director of the unit was generous to show us inside their facility and discuss the Indian view of the future of poultry systems sustainability. 
September 6 – The SAS team visits IndBro Industries (commercial breeder, hatchery, grow-out farm), Hyderabad, Telangana State. This was a great experience for all of us. The owner of this facility is a veterinarian turned poultry industry person who has bred his own birds’ line (he has his pedigree stock with him), produces grandparent stock, and sells it within and outside India. His breeder farm was so interesting, and how emerging markets like India sustain themselves with breeding and nutrition programs that are conducive to their climate with high production and profit. A very different scenario from the US production systems.
September 5 – The USDA Sustainability Agricultural Systems Grant team visits the Indian Council of Agricultural Research institution, National Meat Research Institute in Hyderabad, India, for an Indo-US workshop on “Systems-based integrated approaches for enhancing the sustainability of the poultry sector in India and the USA.” There were several invited higher officials of ICAR (Indian equivalent of USDA), scientists, researchers, students, trainees, and industry personnel. About 100 people attended. Dr. Johny convened the workshop and presented a talk here on the USDA grant update on consumer education, and Peter Bina, our recent graduate, presented his experiences with the US poultry industry.
September 4 – Dr. Johny visits his alma mater, the College of Veterinary & Animal Sciences in Mannuthy, Kerala, and meets with the Vice Chancellor of the Kerala Veterinary & Animal Science University, Director of Research, Director of National and International Collaborations, Dean of the Dairy College, and several department heads. 
August 21 – Shijina defends her doctoral thesis! What a wonderful moment. She joined me in the fall of 2017 for a MS degree, and completed MS and PhD in 6 years! Congrats, Shijina! All the best with your future prospects! Thanks to Drs. Sally Noll, Tim Johnson, and Ryan Cox for serving on her Committee. Thanks to Drs. Mike, Carol, Dianna, Sagar, and Annie, and several others attending the public seminar! Thanks to the Rapid Response Funds from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture delivered through the MAES, and Minnesota Turkey Growers Association for their research grants and MnDRIVE GFV and UMII fellowships on which Dr. Manjankattil worked and excelled! She has accepted a position at the Auburn University!
August 15 – Dr. Johny speaks at the Science Conclave 2023 as a resource person as a part of the PSK Dream Them Champions League grand finale S2 state-wide program. A large gathering of students from grades 6 through 12 in the Indian school system with several schools, teachers, parents, and national figures across the state of Kerala participated in the event. A student-parent-teacher crowd of about 300 was gathered in Trichur! So fulfilling to inspire the young Indian generation with my talk “Microbiology for Sustainable Development – A Focus on International Education.”
Dream Them Champions League Season 2 Program Sheet
July 15 – Dr. Johny attends the USDA Food Safety and Defense program Project Directors’ meeting in Toronto Canada. 
July 10-13 – The team attended the 2023 Poultry Science Association annual meeting. Grace and Shijina presented posters, and Dhananjai, his first oral presentation! Great work, folks! I also met with Mike and Spencer. Mike won the PSA student recruitment award. Congrats, Mike!
June 28 – Dr. Johny publishes a peer-reviewed article in Poultry Science. This work was funded through the USDA Organic Research and Education Initiative (OREI). “Effect of plant-derived antimicrobials, eugenol, carvacrol, and β-resorcylic acid against Salmonella on organic chicken wings and carcasses.”
June 21-23 – Midwest Poultry Consortium Center of Excellence teaching at Iowa State University. Dr. Johny taught poultry enterprise management this summer. A wonderful group of students! Peter graduated from the COE program (first from the right). This year my teaching schedule coincided with a major turkey project ending the following week! It was hectic, yet fulfilling two major institutional missions – research and teaching excellence!
May 13, 2023 – Mikayla graduates with Honors summa cum laude!
May 6, 2023 – Grace and Shijina hooded and conferred doctoral degrees in Animal Science during the CFANS Graduate Commencement!
It has been a worthwhile and fulfilling journey with them, teaching, mentoring, advising them on academic and professional goals, learning from them, and providing resources, time, and freedom to develop as independent and inclusive women thinkers in science! Thanks to all my leaders, administrators, and funders in this democratic and empowering process! Grace was the student speaker at the event – what a recognition hearing from her about Salmonella and poultry production at the commencement ceremony!
May 4, 2023 – Shijina was recognized with the Patrick J. Manning Research Award from the University of Minnesota Research Animal Resources. 
The Patrick J. Manning Research Award honors the memory of Patrick J. Manning, D.V.M., Director of Research Animal Resources at the University of Minnesota from 1974 to 1994. Research Animal Resources bestows this award to recognize her special efforts as a Graduate Student on behalf of research animals and, consequently, on behalf of science. https://research.umn.edu/news/rar-announces-winners-2023-patrick-j-manning-award
April 27, 2023 – Dr. Johny updates the North Central Poultry Association on the CFANS Poultry Program at their “Convene on the Green event” at TopGolf venue, Brooklyn Center.
April 11, 2023 – Team presents at the North Central Avian Diseases Conference in Minneapolis Convention Center. Shijina and Claire presented their dissertation abstracts. I presented about the USDA NNF funded new educational platforms for working professionals. 
April 11, 2023 – Dr. Johny was recognized with the MPC Outstanding Service Award. https://www.poultryproducer.com/university-of-minnesotas-dr-anup-johny-wins-mpcs-outstanding-service-award/
March 16, 2023 – Shijina is recognized with the first CFANS research symposium best poster award. Congrats, Shijina. Your hard work is recognized in a scientific forum!
March 10, 2023 – Mikayla Schlosser (current Honors researcher) and Ashton Amann (former undergraduate researcher) are admitted to the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine dual DVM-PhD program! What an amazing achievement! I am so proud to have them undergo a detailed segment of their academic progress with my team! Congrats Mikayla and Ashton!
February 24, 2023 – Guest editing a special issue of MDPI Animals on Salmonella in poultry production – causes, impacts, and solutions. 
February 2, 2023 – With Representative Ethan Cha at MN State Capitol today. 
February 1, 2023 – Attending the PDs meeting of the USDA National Needs Fellowship providing the 2nd year update of our online MSAPS program. It has been a great and fulfilling experience working with the Co-PD, Dr. Tim Johnson, instructors, content creators, course developers, administrators for developing MoUs, CFOs of both colleges, officials at the VP’s office, corporate partners, and stakeholders of this program. Thanks to all of them! Big hats off to our fellows as well!
January 28, 2023 – From Sally’s retirement get-together at Jeanine’s residence. Although an informal gathering, it was quite large to fill Jeanine’s residence’s main floor. It was a good time to catch up with some of Sally’s close family members (after a Thanksgiving party at her residence 4 or 5 years ago where I met Jack for the first time), the Brannons, the Salfers (Aylan, the new addition to the Salfers), the former Rosemount turkey facility crew, and many others.
January 24, 2023 – Attending the PDs meeting of the USDA Sustainable Agricultural Systems project at the Georgia World Congress Center held in association with the IPPE 2023.
January 18, 2023 – Attending the COE program instructors and Coordinating Council members’ meeting in the Department of Animal Science Kildee Hall at Iowa State University. 
January 3, 2023 – Read about Grace Dewi’s UK/France study tour sponsored by the Campden BRI as a part of her winning the IFTSA Graduate Research Video Competition in 2021. A great read! The picture below is adapted from the LinkedIn story posted by Grace. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/two-week-tour-campden-bri-grace-dewi/
November 1, 2022 – Dr. Muhammad Bilal Islam joins Dr. Johny’s lab. Welcome, Bilal!
Muhammad Bilal Islam is a visiting Ph.D. scholar from The University of Agriculture, Peshawar, Pakistan. He has a D.V.M and Master (Hons) degree in Poultry Sciences. He is serving as Livestock Production Officer at the Directorate of Livestock and Dairy Development Department (Extension)-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Along with pursuing his Ph.D. in Poultry Sciences from The University of Agriculture, Peshawar, he is working as a call center representative for the Livestock in the Bureau of Agriculture Information at the Department of Agriculture (Extension). He also served as a poultry consultant under the umbrella of Dairy Science Park.
During his Master’s, he worked as a research associate in the broiler breeder’s project of the National Research Program for Universities funded by the Higher Education Commission-Pakistan (HEC-NRPU). He also worked as a research assistant in the Animal Linkages Program for the genetic improvement of an indigenous breed of chicken funded by the Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC-ALP).
Bilal joined Dr. Anup Johny’s lab as Research Specialist-Poultry (visiting scholar) in October 2022. He will complete one of his Ph.D. research projects, i.e., to evaluate the antimicrobial property of different phytochemicals on foodborne pathogens like Salmonella in poultry. He is always eager to learn new technologies and wants to explore new things. He is kind-hearted and always keen to help others.
October 12, 2022 – Presented at the University of Minnesota – USDA FSIS Des Moines District Food Safety Summit on the approaches for poultry processing safety. Thanks to Dawn Sprouls DVM, Arcenia Maves, Scott Paukner, and Ryan Cox for their leadership this year! It was a great audience!
September 27, 2022 – Completing ten ODI certificate workshops in a couple of years! 
July 16, 2022 – It has been 10 years since Dan (Daniel Fletcher) passed away. My associate advisor for the doctoral program, a stalwart of tradition and style in pedagogy and research, pressed me with questions on turkeys during my doctoral exam. Turkeys were totally new to me then. Dan, I got the fire to learn about turkeys from that day and I am still in Minnesota, the turkey state, learning about turkeys! Although your questions carried the depth and sharpness of a stone, I felt the warmth of your care when I heard you sought me before you went into deep woods alone! I miss you! 
July 14, 2022 – Peter Bina wins one of the four 2022 MTGA Ranelius Scholarships. 
The Ranelius Scholarship program celebrates students currently enrolled in a post-secondary educational institution to prepare for a career within the turkey industry. Our team appreciates his contribution to the lab and research projects as a student researcher! Congrats, Peter!
July 8, 2022 – Shijina Manjankattil, one of my doctoral students, wins a Graduate Travel Scholarship from the Poultry Science Association to present her data at the annual meeting in Texas! Congrats, Shijina! All the best with your talk!
June 29, 2022 – With Associate Dean for Graduate Programs and Research, Greg Cuomo at his Going Away party at Urban Growler. Greg has been very supportive of my poultry research program at the University. 
June 28, 2022 – I was invited to give a talk on the recently completed project at the MTGA Summer Summit in Alexandria, MN. Thanks to MTGA for all their support through these years. Brandon Severns was one of my industry interns a few years ago. He is serving MTGA now. It feels good to see my students succeed in their jobs!
June 27, 2022 – Claire presented part of her doctoral thesis as an ePoster at the American Society for Animal Science annual conference in Oklahoma City, OK. 
June 23, 2022 – Last six weeks of the Midwest Poultry Consortium Center of Excellence Program have been a great experience. I am humbled to be part of the many activities to host such wonderful kids on the UMN campus. I enjoyed every bit as the MN site coordinator of the program, and as an instructor of microbiology and enterprise management courses with these emerging leaders of the poultry industry. Thanks to my team (Luna Akhtar, John Hobbs, and Thomas Hagen) who collaborated with me to organize the inventory, purchasing, and microbiology lab set-up! Thanks to Medora Creek and Claire Peichel for being my co-drivers on the study tours to MinnWest Campus and Howard Lake. I am also happy that two of my students (Peter Bina and Mikayla Schlosser) could successfully complete the courses.
June 3, 2022 – Peter, Mikayla, and Medora at the Select Genetics Quam turkey breeder farm (under construction) along with other COE participants from across the Midwest. A great visit! They did some turkey necropsy with Dr. Ben Wileman at the Select Genetics Diagnostics facility! We also visited the Vaxxinova facility in Willmar, hosted by Jay Halliday!
June 1, 2022 – June brought some surprise dahlias from the last Spring! A Thank-a-Teacher Certificate! 
May 20, 2022 – Dr. Johny was with COE Summer Session II students at the Forsman Farms egg-breaking facility in Howard Lake, MN. Such a wonderful group of students!
May 4, 2022 – Dr. Johny was recognized with the 2021-2022 CFANS Pioneering and Innovation Award at the College Spring Assembly by Dean Brian Buhr.
https://cfans.umn.edu/news/cfans-honors-awards-2022
April 29, 2022 – Grace’s first review paper was published in Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems journal. “Lactobacillus in Food Animal Production—A Forerunner for Clean Label Prospects in Animal-Derived Products.” Available online at https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2022.831195/full 
April 7, 2022 – Grace Dewi wins one of the IAFP (International Association for Food Protection) Travel Scholarships to attend this year’s annual meeting to be held in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania from July 31 – to August 3. 
March 24, 2022 – Dr. Johny presented at the Midwest Poultry Federation Convention in the turkey and processing tracks. Turkeys session was chaired by Dr. Ron Kean UWM and Marisa Erasmus, Purdue University. The processing track was chaired by Dr. Manpreet Singh, UGA, and Dr. Deana Jones, USDA ARS. The session was moderated by Dr. Lin Walker, NCSU. Proceedings articles on the two talks (1) preharvest Salmonella control approaches and (2) postharvest Salmonella control approaches are published. All funding agencies and collaborators were acknowledged in the proceedings articles and during the talks at the meeting. Below, Dr. Johny with Abby Neu Schuft, Poultry Extension Educator, and Brandon Severns, his former student industry intern, and MTGA Outreach & Member Services Coordinator, at the University of Minnesota booth, also showcasing the new Poultry Training Program (yellow poster on the right). Good to see you in this new role, Brandon. All the best! 
March 22, 2022 – Dhananjai, an MS student in the Animal Science graduate program supervised by Dr. Johny wins Minnesota’s Discovery, Research, and InnoVation Economy (MnDRIVE) Global Food Ventures (GFV) Competitive Graduate Fellowship. Congrats, Dhananjai!
February 18, 2021 – The Master of Science in Applied Poultry Science (MSAPS) online plan is approved by the Board of Regents at the University of Minnesota. This has been a great journey working with the experienced faculty members in CFANS and CVM, leaders in the poultry industry, and administrators and staff from both colleges, graduate school, and the Provost’s office. Working together with the poultry team has been a humbling experience! 
December 13, 2021 – Shijina wins a University of Minnesota Informatics Institute (UMII) – MnDRIVE Graduate Assistantship Award! Congrats, Shijina! The program supports UMN Ph.D. candidates pursuing research at the intersection of informatics and any of the five MnDRIVE areas. The UMII accelerates data-intensive research in the food system by providing solutions for informatics needs and data analytics. This program also helps to enhance competitiveness in data-intensive research, aiming toward the growth and improvement of the global food system.
November 22, 2021 – Hosting Biology Colloquium Students (BIOL 1020) in my lab. The class is designed to give undergraduate students, involved in the life sciences, a chance to explore different research and fields of science that are available here at the University of Minnesota. Thanks to Grace Dewi and Dr. Luna Akhtar who assisted me to organize it discussing our food safety research and extending opportunities for them to get trained in BSL2 pathogenic microbiology research.
November 7, 2021 – Grace’s research published in Poultry Science. Please read it here.
November 10, 2021 – Delta Theta Sigma Honorary Dinner at their complex! Their officers and members were kind to offer a great meal to a handful of their instructors at their place! Thanks much, Issac, Leif, Kelton, Nolan, Matthias, Nick, Mathew, and Riley! We are proud to have excellent students like you around us!
October 13, 2021 – Mike Darre departed us! My associate advisor and dear friend, who always stood by my side, passed away! https://cahnr.uconn.edu/2021/10/13/passing-of-emeritus-professor-dr-michael-darre/
September 30, 2021 – Shijina’s research was published in Poultry Science. Please read it here.
September 23, 2021 – Dr. Johny presents at the 2021 Minnesota Nutrition Conference in the non-ruminant session on the topic “Preharvest strategies to control multiple Salmonella serovars in turkeys” held in Mankato, MN. Link to the proceedings paper
August 30, 2021 – Dhananjai joins Dr. Johny’s group as a new MS student. He is a Veterinary Medicine graduate from the Kerala Veterinary and Animal Science University in India. Welcome, Dhananjai!
August 19, 2021 – Serving as a Director – at – Large (2021 – 2023) of the Minnesota IFT.
August 6, 2021 – Dr. Johny was presented with the 2021 IFT Food Microbiology Division Outstanding Service Award (digital badge). 
August 4, 2021 – Dr. Johny was an invited speaker at the South Dakota State University – USDA Des Moines District Food Safety Summit held at Brookings, South Dakota (Agenda).
July 23, 2021 – Grace Dewi wins the 2021 Campden BRI-sponsored IFTSA Graduate Video Competition. Congrats Grace! Video available at https://www.ift.org/community/students/competitions-and-awards/graduate-research-video-competition (3rd Video)
July 22, 2021 – Claire wins one of the graduate certificates of excellence and the prestigious Aviagen Turkeys Communications Award! Congrats, Claire. 
July 19-21, 2021 – Claire, Shijina, and Divek presented our research at the 2021 Virtual Poultry Science Association meeting.
July 19, 2021 – Grace presents her research on essential oils and probiotics at the 2021 IAFP Annual Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona.
July 15, 2021 – Claire presents her research on essential oils against Salmonella at the prestigious John Z. Ordal Graduate oral presentation competition (Food Microbiology Division) as a part of the 2021 Virtual IFT annual meeting. She was one of the six national finalists presenting at the division competition.
2021 IFT Annual Meeting, July 19-21
June 18, 2021 – Dr. Johny with 16 vibrant students at the Midwest Poultry Consortium Center of Excellence Program capstone course – Poultry Enterprise Management, hosted by the Iowa State University. It is a great time to instruct the future leaders of the poultry industry in the Ensminger Room, named after the well-known animal scientist who had connections with the University of Minnesota sometime in his career. We also did a tour of the Iowa Cage-Free facilities. All COE participants will be doing an internship with a poultry company this summer as a part of the program. From the left are Lillie, Brady, Samantha, Madison, Adam, Asha, Emily, Quinn, Melliandra, Abigel, Cole, Lilliana, Jessica, Ashlea, and Alexis. Katelyn has to go out for an interview during the photo session. 
May 8, 2021 – Dr. Johny presents in a session of the international conference on the “Relevance of veterinary profession during COVID-19 pandemic” conducted by the Indian Veterinary Association, Mannuthy, Kerala, India unit and the Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University. 
May 4, 2021 – My team has submitted 4 scientific abstracts to the 2021 Poultry Science Annual meeting scientific sessions this year. Great work, team! It is wonderful that we could all work together safely and responsibly during the pandemic times.
April 26, 2021 – Divek joins Kalsec Inc. Kalamazoo, Michigan as their Lead Scientist – Food Protection. Congrats, Divek! We did a research project for Kalsec Inc. a couple of years ago and Divek was pivotal in the execution of the project. Our team could work together towards getting done with one of the most comprehensive industry-funded projects.
March 29, 2021 – Dr. Johny presented at the MPC Annual Meeting on “COE Faculty Perspective – Teaching the Future.”
March 24, 2021 – We hosted a retirement honor for Jeanine Brannon at the PTRF following COVID19 protocols. She has been a great support for the activities and research and has trained my team for poultry handling and management. Thanks, Jeanine. Your contributions are remembered and honored!
March 12, 2021 – Grace’s paper’s pre-proof published in Poultry Science “Effect of lemongrass essential oil against multidrug-resistant Salmonella Heidelberg and its attachment to chicken skin and meat”
January 19, 2021 – Divek’s paper published in Journal of Applied Poultry Research “Effect of Propionibacterium on Salmonella in finishing turkeys.”
December 3. 2020 – Grace Dewi presents a part of her doctoral research as a 3-minute presentation at the 2020 Virtual Animal Showcase.
November 24, 2020 – Turkey cecal microbiome response to probiotics paper published in Poultry Science. Access the article here!
October 14, 2020 – Dr. Johny presented his research update at the 2020 virtual Minnesota Nutrition Conference. 
August 20, 2020 – Dr. Johny speaks at the 2020 Virtual International seminar on the “Current Scenario of Zoonotic Diseases and their Impact on Human and Animal Health” organized by the Department of Public Health and Epidemiology, Veterinary College and Research Institute, Orathanadu, Tamil Nadu, India. It was 11.30 PM Central Time! Great turnout! Flyer – VPH Webinar Programme schedule
August 13, 2020 – Dr. Johny presents at the 2020 Virtual Midwest Poultry Federation Convention in the processing track. Dr. Deana Jones at the USDA ARS Georgia and Dr. Manpreet Singh of the UGA Poultry Science Department, chaired the session! 
August 3, 2020 – Dr. Johny collaborates extensively on the $10 million SAS Grant Award focusing on the sustainability of antibiotic-restricted broiler production (Lead institution UCONN). He is serving as the PI from the University of Minnesota with Mr. Wayne Martin and Dr. Chery Smith, a consultant nutritionist, joining the team participating in research, consumer and workforce education, and outreach. Dr. Naveen B. M. (National Research Center on Meat, Hyderabad, India) and Dr. Ruben Merino Guzman (National Autonomous University of Mexico) are our international partners in education and workforce development. This will be a great experience for the next few years!
July 21, 2020 – Divek, Shijina and Brigitta present at the 2020 PSA Annual Virtual Meeting! Thanks, folks, for taking time to print your research, and record your talk in this troubled times!
July 14, 2020 – Co-chaired the joint Biotechnology, Food Microbiology, Fruits, and Vegetables Division Zoom Social as a part of the 2020 IFT Annual Meeting today. This event officially marks the end of this governance year and my tenure as the Chair of the section! Great year and experience! Almost 14 years with the IFT! Division Leadership, Awards, and Governance in a nutshell! 
IFT recognition for serving as the Chair this governance year ONLINE BADGE
July 13, 2020 – IFT Food Microbiology Division John Z. Ordal Graduate oral competition judging.
June 26, 2020 – Chaired IFT Food Microbiology Division John Ayres Graduate poster competition judging.
June 18, 2020 – Co-chaired and moderated the IFT Food Microbiology Zoom Symposium (2-4 PM) on “What Have We Learned from Cyclospora Outbreaks? with Dr. Sara Gragg of Kansas State and Dr. Qing Yang of Sealed Air Corporation. Drs. Ynes Ortega (Associate Professor, CFS, UGA), Alexandre DaSilva (Research Microbiologist, FDA/CFSAN), and Gary van Breda (Director of Global Food Safety, McDonald’s) spoke on the topic. https://shift20.iftevent.org/videos/223-what-have-we-learned-from-cyclospora-outbreaks
June 15 – 26, 2020 – The graduation celebration of the the Midwest Poultry Consortium 2020 Center for Excellence (COE) program was today (June 26th). I’ve been teaching the Poultry Enterprise Management course with Ken Kolkebeck of the UIUC for the past two weeks intensely, all in virtual format at the Iowa State University as its visiting faculty! It was unique to teach the COE students microbiology last summer and business planning this summer! Congrats to Michael, Keaton, Kaitlyn, Ashley, Jessica, Madisyn, Jordyn, and Caitlyn for graduating! Michael and Grace, congrats to you both, for winning the Egg Head and the Ducks in a Row Awards this year! Great!
May 12, 2020 – Dean Buhr’s official announcement on my promotion to Associate Professor with tenure in Animal Science! Thanks to all my advisors, mentors, students, friends and family who stood by me in this pursuit and encouraged me to stay on focused and do my job wholeheartedly! Congrats to all my peers in CFANS who are promoted to their respective ranks.
April 27, 2020 – Doctoral students, Claire Peichel and Shijina Manjankattil, win the Minnesota’s Discovery, Research, and InnoVation Economy (MnDRIVE) Global Food Ventures (GFV) Competitive Graduate Fellowships. Congrats, Claire and Shijina!
March 25, 2020 – Shijina defends her MS thesis successfully. Drs. Sally Noll and Tim Johnson served on her Committee. Thanks, everyone who attended the defense seminar! She will continue with Dr. Johny for her doctoral program.Congrats, Shijina.
March 23, 2020 – Shijina Manjankattil wins one of the 2020 Nelson Scholarships. The Nelson scholarship is named in honor of Pete Nelson, who served the University of Minnesota as the Supervisor of the Andrew Boss Laboratory of Meat Science from 2007 to 2013.
February 14, 2020 – From Divek’s farewell lunch at MIMS restaurant on Campus. He is moving to take a postdoc position at Penn State University! Good luck to all his endeavors! Thanks to Jaison, Shiji, Abby, Claire, Jeanine, and Grace, who could make it to the quickly-arranged get-together. Divek will join the new role next Monday!
January 17, 2020 – At the inaugural Reverse College Fair held in association with the 2020 Annual Meeting of the Minnesota Association of Agricultural Educators in St. Cloud Minnesota.
January 10, 2020 – Jia’s sent off. Jia was a part of my team in the past year! We love you Jia and wish you all the best!
October 9, 2019 – FFA CDE contests! Our lab participated in setting the contest materials.
September 18-19, 2019 – Grace and Dr. Johny presented at the Minnesota Nutrition Conference held at the Mankato Civic Center, Minnesota. Johny’s presentation was entitled “UMN Research Update: Essential Oils for Poultry Product Safety.”
August 21, 2019 – Johny group’s research, “Effect of Lemongrass Essential Oil on the Survival of Multidrug-Resistant Salmonella enterica serovar Heidelberg in Contaminated Poultry Drinking Water” published in the Journal of Applied Poultry Research! Read the article here!
August 19, 2019 – Dr. Johny visits the National Research Center on Meat, Hyderabad in India and presents a talk and discussion on multidrug-resistant Salmonella in poultry supply. A long-time friend, Dr. Naveena, a Principal Scientist at NRCM hosted the visit.
August 5, 2019 – Brigitta wins the UROP award from the UMN Office of Undergraduate Research a second time! Great accomplishment! Congrats, Brigitta!
July 29, 2019 – Dr. Johny attends the multistate meeting at the University of Hawaii in Manoa.
July 27, 2019 – My lab group got together at my home for an Indian dinner! My colleague and friend, Dr. Noll, joined as well. To my surprise, my friend and senior from the Vet School in India, Dr. Satheesh, and his family joined us. I was planning this meeting for a long time!
July 18, 2019 – Grace Dewi wins a graduate student Certificate of Excellence in the Microbiology and Food Safety section of the Poultry Science Association Annual Meeting held at Montreal, Canada. Congrats, Grace!
June 28, 2019 – Claire Peichel defends her MS thesis successfully. Congrats, Claire. Thanks to Dr. Kent Reed and Dr. Ryan Cox serving as her committee members. Thanks to all who attended her seminar!
June 18, 2019 – Presented at the 2019 USDA Food Safety Summit today! Great audience. 
June 4, 2019 – Brigitta wins the Jones-Hamilton Undergraduate Travel Award to attend the Poultry Science Association annual meeting in Montreal, Canada. It is a very competitive achievement. Congrats, Brigitta!
June 3, 2019 – The NE-1442 Multistate Research Group is selected for the Award for Excellence in Multistate Research. Glad to be part of this team for a few years now! Served as the Senior Executive for the 2016-17 meeting and Revision Committee member for NE 1942! Great Experience!
June 2, 2019 – In New Orleans at the IFT annual meeting. With the winners of the John Z. Ordal and John Ayres Graduate Oral and Poster competition at the Morial Convention Center after the Phi Tau Sigma Awards ceremony! With some of the members of the FMD leadership.
May 20-21, 2019 – With Midwest Poultry Federation Center of Excellence students in Wisconsin. Great time with them teaching Egg Safety and Microbiology. Thanks to Manpreet Singh and Mark Richards! Remembered Dr. Cameron Faustman, Dr. Daniel Fletcher, Dr. Michael Darre, Dr. Kumar Venkitanarayanan, and Dr. Wolf-Dieter Reiter as they trained me with their life and teaching styles during my graduate and postgraduate days. MPC annualreport 18-19
May 17, 2019 – Grace Dewi wins the best Ph.D. student in DAS! Congrats, Grace! I thank all those in the Graduate Studies Committee who selected her for the Award.
May 10, 2019 – Divek’s (doctoral) graduation ceremony! Congrats, Divek! On the top left: Divek and I with Grace D (Doctoral student) and Shiji (Masters student). Bottom left: With Dean Brian Buhr. Watch the video (time 45:00 to 46:25)
April 19, 2019 – GPC members visits the Jennie-O Faribault turkey processing plant today. It was a great experience for them. Lower row: Abigail Johnson, Grace Dewi, myself, Claire Peichel, Shijina Manjankattil; Upper row: Jason Langlie, Eliza Theis, Emily Smith, and Jia Shiliang. 
April 12, 2019 – Doctoral student, Grace Dewi, won one of Minnesota’s Discovery, Research, and InnoVation Economy (MnDRIVE) Global Food Ventures (GFV) Competitive Graduate Fellowships. Congrats, Grace!
April 9, 2019 – Erin Cortus, Assistant Professor of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering visited with the GPSC group today! Erin demonstrated the use of a newly developed educational tool to teach biosecurity steps to the club members. Very much an engaging exercise!
April 6, 2019 – Eli Braun, the outgoing President of GPSC won the 2019 outstanding member award and Claire Peichel, the Treasurer of GPSC won the 2018-19 outstanding volunteer award during the Block and Bridle Annual Banquet. Dr. Mike Schutz, our Department Chair, distributed the awards! Congrats, Eli and Claire! Grace Dewi, Shijina Manjankattil and Jia Shiliang attended the event as a group. My colleague, Dr. Megan Webb joined us on the table as well!
April 5, 2019 – Dr. Kalie Pettit from HyLine North America presented at GPC annual meeting today. From the left (Maria Huberty, incoming Secretary; Yuan-Tai Hung, incoming Vice President; Kalie Pettit, Hyline North America, Speaker; Eli Braun, Past President; Suzanne Pagel, Past Vice President; Janelle Hueners, incoming President; Claire Peichel, incoming PRO; Grace Dewi, incoming PRO, and Shijina Manjankattil, incoming Treasurer). 
April 3, 2019 – Animal Science Showcase! Lab group met with Dr. Tom Porter (winner of the Golden Alumni Award), and with the CFANS Associate Deans. 
March 16, 2019 – Dr. Johny presented at the 2019 Minnesota Association of Meat Processors meeting held in St. Cloud, Minnesota. His presentation was entitled “Essential Oils as Antimicrobials in Poultry Processing – Opportunities and Challenges.”
March 13, 2019 – Dr. Johny presented at the 2019 Midwest Poultry Federation education program workshop on Organic and Speciality Poultry Production. His presentation was entitled “Essential Oils: Opportunities to Improve Food Safety in Organic Poultry Production and Processing.”
March 12, 2013 – Divek and Johny publish their book chapter, “Salmonella in Poultry Meat Production” in Food Safety in Poultry Meat Production, Springer Publications. 
March 9, 2019 – Updated Lab Group; (Standing from the left, Divek (Postdoc), Johny (PI), Jia (Visiting Scholar), Kerem (Undergraduate Researcher), Sitting from the left, Claire (MS student), Shijina (MS student), Brigitta (Undergraduate Researcher), and Grace (Ph.D. student). Luna and Joo absent! 
2019-2020 Team (from the left – Claire Peichel, Shijina Manjankattil, Grace Dewi, Brigitta Yaputri, Anup Johny, Jia Shiliang, Kerem Deniz, Divek Nair, Luna Akhtar, and Joo Lee)
February 28, 2019 – Johny group’s research, “Effect of Turkey-Derived Beneficial Bacteria Lactobacillus salivarius and Lactobacillus ingluviei on a Multidrug-Resistant Salmonella Heidelberg Strain in Turkey Poults” published in the Journal of Food Protection! Read it here.
January 22, 2019 – Johny group’s research, “Reduction of Multidrug-Resistant Salmonella enterica serovar Heidelberg Using a Dairy-Originated Probiotic Bacterium, Propionibacterium freudenreichii freudenreichii B3523, in Growing Turkeys” published in the Journal of Applied Poultry Research! Congrats, Divek, and team! Read it here.
January 16, 2019 – Shiliang Jia from the China Agricultural University joins the lab as a visiting scholar. He is a third-year doctoral student in food science and engineering in his parent institution. Welcome to the U, Jia!
December 13, 2018 – The lab group wins the “Team Achievement Award 2018” in the Department of Animal Science. Thanks to my team, Dr. Divek Nair, Dr. Luna Akhtar (Postdocs), Grace Dewi (Doctoral student), Claire Peichel, Shijina Manjankattil (MS students), Brigitta Yaputri (UROP Scholar), Joo Lee (Lab Management Intern), Grace Taylor (Lab intern), Jason Langlie (former Lab manager and UROP Scholar), Emma Severns, Brandon Severns (Industry research interns).
October 22, 2018 – Dr. Michelle Kromm, Chief Veterinarian, and Director of Technical Services and Live Production Research, Jennie-O Turkey Store, gave a stunning seminar on “Turkey production in the face of changing consumer demands”. She also interacted with the poultry students from Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine after the seminar! Left (Dr. Kromm) Right (Dr. Kromm interacting with poultry students). I am glad that I could invite and arrange for her seminar in DAS!
October 12, 2018 – Claire and Grace, in front of the GPC club promo painting on the pedestrian walkway on the Washington Ave Bridge. The painting serves as a platform to bring awareness to GPC’s activities and to promote the club to students. The artwork on the panel is designed and painted by the members and officers of the group.
October 11, 2018 – Ms. Grace Dewi, an MS student in the lab successfully defends her thesis and passes the oral examination. Thanks to all who came for her defense seminar, including the Poultry Super Group on campus! Drs. Sally Noll and Tim Johnson served on her Committee. Thanks, everyone! She will continue with Dr. Johny for her doctoral program.
October 11, 2018 – Dr. Johny publishes a review paper on antibiotic-resistant Salmonella in the food supply. Please read it here!
October 10, 2018 – Dr. Johny’s group supports in the preparation for the Future Farmers of America CDE Fall contests. Divek, Shijina, Claire, and Grace joined Dr. Johny and Dr. Noll towards organizing the event successfully! There were close to 150 students across Minnesota participating in the contests.
July 26, 2018 – Johny lab at the 2018 Poultry Science Association Annual Meeting. It’s a great year for the lab members. Dr. Divek Nair (currently a Postdoc in the lab) won the PSA Hatchery (Student Wing of PSA) outstanding student award, and Ms. Grace Dewi, an MS student in the lab, won one of the PSA Graduate Research Travel Awards. Congrats, Divek and Grace! You certainly upheld the excellence of our lab and the name of the University of Minnesota at the meeting! (Divek with the certificate on the left and the Grace with her certificate on the right, sitting in the extreme right of the picture). The entire Minnesota team below!
A surprise meeting with Dr. Solis de Los Santos, the senior author of our first work on Caprylic acid published in 2009. Dr. Santos worked on controlling Campylobacter using Caprylic acid, and we, at Connecticut, worked on controlling Salmonella Enteritidis using the compound. Annie joined us during our get together at the PSA annual meeting! 
July 16, 2018 – A big surprise for me, honored with the IFT Outstanding Service Award – Food Microbiology Division 2018! I can’t believe it! (Below) with Dr. Peyman Fatemi, the VP of Scientific Affairs, The Acheson Group LLC, one of my industry colleagues and the Chair of the Division. Read the CFANS news here!
Some other photos from the IFT annual meeting.
July 16, 2018 – Grace presents at the IFT annual meeting (on the left). With Dr. Venkitanarayanan, the Associate Dean of Research at UCONN and my mentor after winning the award! It was nice to have him witness my accomplishment! Thanks for all his support and mentoring!
July 12, 2018 – Dr. Johny’s research “Characterizing the Antimicrobial Function of a Dairy-Originated Probiotic, Propionibacterium freudenreichii, Against Multidrug-Resistant Salmonella enterica Serovar Heidelberg in Turkey Poults” has been published in Frontiers in Microbiology.
May 23, 2018 – Dr. Johny’s co-authored journal Trans-Cinnamaldehyde and Eugenol Increase Acinetobacter baumannii Sensitivity to Beta-Lactam Antibiotics is published in Frontiers in Microbiology.
May 14, 2018 – Dr. Johny’s co-authored journal Inhibition and Inactivation of Escherichia coli O157: H7 Biofilms by Selenium is published in the Journal of Food Protection.
May 7, 2018 – Grace Dewi wins the outstanding MS student award in Animal Science! Congrats, Grace! Grace with my colleague, Dr. Marshall Stern, an outstanding teaching professor and Director of Graduate Studies!
May 4, 2018 – Jason Langlie presented his UROP project. He did and lead a successful project this spring! Congrats, Jason!
April 7, 2018 – Grace Dewi (Johny’s group) and Elizabeth Theis (Sally’s group) win Gopher Poultry Science Club awards. Grace was awarded the 2017-18 Outstanding Volunteer Award and Eliza the 2018 Outstanding Member Overall Award. Congrats, Grace, and Eliza! 
April 4, 2018 – Animal Science Showcase Updated Lab group 
March 13, 2018 – Divek Nair presented with one of the 2018 Midwest Young Scholar Awards! Congrats, Divek!
March 8, 2018 – Divek joins as a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Department of Animal Science, University of Minnesota!
February 16, 2018 – Dr. Johny presented at the 13th ANECA Poultry Processing Conference in Queretaro, Mexico. His presentation was entitled, “Use of phytochemicals for improving poultry product safety.” 
February 9, 2018 – Divek Nair successfully defends his doctoral thesis. Congrats, Divek! Haecker Hall 365 was full. Thanks to the UMN Poultry Research Team for their heavy presence. Thanks to my peers and graduate/undergraduate students in the Department of Animal Science who came for the talk and supported Divek throughout his doctoral student career!
January 25, 2018 – Emma Severns and Brandon Severns recruited as Industry Research Interns in the lab. They will be working on the management of broiler chickens supplemented with essential oils!
December 22, 2017 – Dr. Johny’s research “Effect of various inoculum levels of multidrug-resistant Salmonella enterica serovar Heidelberg (2011 ground turkey outbreak isolate) on cecal colonization, dissemination to internal organs, and deposition in skeletal muscles in commercial turkeys after experimental oral challenge” has been published in Frontiers in Microbiology.
December 6, 2017 – Dr. Johny has been awarded a recruitment grant from the United States Poultry Foundation (Harold E. Ford Foundation), for enhancing the recruitment and retention of poultry students at the U! Thanks to Dr. Sally Noll, who initiated the efforts last year, Mr. Steve Olson, the Executive Director of MTGA, who encouraged and supported us through the process, and Gold n’ Plump – a Pilgrim’s brand, for their gift in part! We thank the US poultry industry and that in Minnesota for their care!
December 1, 2017 – Gopher Poultry Science Club members visit the Cargill Innovation Center in Elk River, MN. Divek, Grace, and Claire (Johny’s group), Gabi Furo and Eliza Theis (Sally’s group), and Yuan-Tai Hung (Shurson group) visited the center as a part of GPSC. 
November 28, 2017 – Dr. Johny’s research “Food Grade Pimenta Leaf Essential Oil Reduces the Attachment of Salmonella enterica Heidelberg (2011 Ground Turkey Outbreak Isolate) on to Turkey Skin” is published in Frontiers in Microbiology. Below is a confocal image of pimenta reducing S. Heidelberg populations on turkey skin published in the article. 
November 16, 2017 – Jason Langlie awarded a UROP grant. Congrats Jason!
November 10, 2017 – Our national research team recently won a USDA-Organic Research and Education Initiative grant for research on the post-harvest poultry safety of organic chicken and eggs, using phytophenolics. Dr. Johny is the Project Director responsible for the activities at the University of Minnesota (read the news here!). Mr. Wayne Martin at the U Extension will join him in the education and extension activities. 
The national research team is lead by Dr. Annie Donoghue at the USDA ARS – Arkansas and has Univ. Ark, UConn, UMN, NCSU, Appalachian SU, Cal Poly, and U Kentucky, as other partnering institutions.
November 10, 2017 – Dr. Johny presented in a webinar hosted by the eXtension on essential oils, “Essential oils: What are they and why use them with poultry?” Click on the slide below to see the presentation.
September 31 to October 3 – Future Farmers of America CDE Fall contest preparation and event – Johny’s group participated actively in this event!
October 2, 2017 – Dr. Luna Akhtar, Ph.D. joins Dr. Johny’s group as a Research Associate. Welcome to our team, Luna!
September 26, 2017 – Dr. Johny’s research “Gene Expression Response of Salmonella enterica Serotype Enteritidis Phage Type 8 to Subinhibitory Concentrations of the Plant-Derived Compounds Trans-Cinnamaldehyde and Eugenol” is published in Frontiers in Microbiology. Below is the graph published in the manuscript portraying the validation of microarray data on genes significantly down-regulated by trans-cinnamaldehyde by RT-qPCR. 
September 20, 2017 – Divek Nair wins First Place in the 2017 Minnesota Nutrition Conference graduate poster competition. This is his second time winning this competition!! Great achievement. Congrats, Divek!
September 15, 2017 – Grace Taylor joins Johny lab group as the new lab intern! Welcome, Grace!
September 14, 2017 – The Gopher Poultry Science Club kick-off meeting! With the active members. Dr. Johny advises the club. 
September 12, 2017 – CFANS “Picnic on the Plaza! It was hot on the Plaza. Sun was right above us. Grace, Divek, and Brigitta volunteered with other Gopher Poultry Science Club members! Steve Olson from the Minnesota Turkey Growers Association visited our booth! Thanks, Steve!
September 8, 2017 – CFANS Student Activities Fair! Claire, Jason, Grace, and Divek volunteered with other Gopher Poultry Science Club members! It was great fun talking to incoming freshmen and other students about our club activities on campus!
August 24, 2017 – Claire Peichel and Shijina Manjankattil join as MS students to the Johny group. Welcome, Claire and Shijina!
August 2, 2017 – Dr. Johny attended the NE1442 multi-state poultry meeting in Athens, GA (July 31st – August 1st). He served as the Sr. Executive for this year’s meet. (Mike D (U. Connecticut), Janice Swanson (Michigan State U.), Marisa (Purdue U.), Harsha Thippareddi (U. Georgia), Diana (Auburn U.), Roger (U. Wisconsin, Madison), me (U. Minnesota, Tony (U. KY), Ken A. (NCSU), Garret (Deana’s student; USDA ARS, GA), Mike Persia (VT), Casey (USDA-ARS, GA), Kelley Wamsley (Mississippi State U.), John (Mississippi State U.), Ken K (UIUC), Richard (UIUC), Deana Jones (USDA ARS, GA), Jody Pursell (USDA ARS, MS), & Tom Vukina (NCSU). Great meeting! The photos are from the dinner when got together on Monday evening!
July 18, 2017 – Dr. Johny and his graduate students, Divek (doctoral candidate) and Grace (MS student), attended the Poultry Science Association Annual Meeting in Florida. Divek and Grace presented their research in oral and poster sessions. 
July 10, 2017 – Divek successfully completed his preliminary exams. He is now a doctoral candidate.
June 28, 2017 – Dr. Johny presented his talk “Investigating Multiple Alternative Antimicrobial Interventions Against Multidrug-Resistant Salmonella Heidelberg in Poultry” in one of the Food Microbiology sessions entitled “Developing Solutions for Poultry Safety Amidst Antibiotic Regulations.” Dr. Cangliang Shen (West Virginia University), Dr. Jeremy Alder (Ecolab), and Dr. Deana Jones (USDA-ARS) were the other invited speakers in the symposium. 
June 25, 2017 – Dr. Johny has been appointed the Secretary of the Food Microbiology Division for the 2017-2019 governance year.
June 25, 2017 – Divek Nair wins the First Place in the John Ayres Graduate Poster Competition at IFT second time. Congrats, Divek! Divek in front of his winning poster and with Dr. Peyman Fatemi, the Lead Competition Judge for John Ayres.
May 10, 2017 – Jijo Vazhakkattu Thomas, a graduate assistant in the lab, successfully defended his Master’s thesis. Congrats, Jijo!
April 26, 2017 – Divek Nair wins a Feeding Tomorrow Graduate Scholarship from the National IFT. Feeding Tomorrow recognizes scholarship recipients in Food Technology, on FeedingTomorrow.org and during the Feeding Tomorrow Student Celebration at IFT17. Congrats, Divek! (Divek with Wayne Scheck, the Scholarships Chair, MNIFT).
April 10, 2017 – Dr. Johny’s group with Dr. Mary Schmidl, the President of Minnesota Section IFT (Past President of the National IFT) at the Phi Tau Sigma Induction and Student Awards ceremony. Dr. Johny’s student Mr. Divek Nair won a Graduate Student Award and a section Travel Award to attend the national IFT meeting in Las Vegas. Dr. Johny received a service appreciation plaque from the MNIFT President for serving the Executive Board for 2 years (2015 – 2017). 
April 1, 2017 – Dr. Johny spoke at the Classes Without Quizzes (CWQ) program organized by the CFANS Alumni Association on “Chicken Beauties in Our Backyards – Scope, Issues, and Future” where he discussed the current laws and ordinances, scope, diseases, nutrition, care, management, and future of the emerging urban backyard chicken culture in the United States. Please watch a 5-minute video clip here on the talk.
March 31, 2017 – Divek Nair and Grace Dewi got their scientific abstracts accepted at the PSA Annual Meeting that will be held in Orlando, Florida (July 2017).
March 25, 2017 – Divek Nair got his scientific abstract accepted at the IFT Annual Meeting that will be held in Las Vegas, Nevada (June 2017).
March 2017 – Former lab manager, Ms. Jennifer Hagen, accepted an offer from the Royal Veterinary College, London, for the Veterinary Medicine program. She will start in the fall of 2017. We are happy for Jennifer! She has been instrumental in setting up the laboratory since the beginning of 2014 until she left for a full-time job with the Research Animal Resources at the U.
February 16, 2017 – Former lab manager, Ms. Emma Bak, accepted an offer from the College of Veterinary Medicine, the University of Minnesota to the DVM program. She will start in the fall of 2017. We are happy for Emma!
January 31, 2017 – Jason Langlie joins Anup Johny lab as a lab intern. Welcome, Jason!
October 17, 2016 – Book Chapter published entitled, “Preharvest Food Safety – Potential Use of Plant-Derived Compounds in Layer Chickens” in the book “Producing Safe Eggs – Microbial Ecology of Salmonella” edited by Steven Ricke and Richard Gast for Associated Press (Elsevier).
October 14, 2016 – Dr. Johny’s research “Effect of Propionibacterium freudenreichii on Salmonella multiplication, motility, and association with avian epithelial cells” is published in Poultry Science.
September 22, 2016 – Divek Nair, the Ph.D. student in the lab, won the First Place at the Minnesota Nutrition Conference graduate research poster competition. The conference was held in Prior Lake, Minnesota.
July 19, 2016 – A symposium on “Alternative Approaches to Control Foodborne Pathogens,” a session sponsored by the Food Microbiology Division was held in N427D in McCormick Place in Chicago, 1:15 PM – 2:45 PM. We had four presenters, Dr. Venkitanarayanan, Professor of Food Microbiology from the University of Connecticut, Dr. Matthew Taylor, Associate Professor from Texas A&M, Dr. Amalaradjou, Assistant Professor of Food Microbiology from the University of Connecticut, and myself. Dr. Venkitanarayanan spoke on “Efficacy of Lactic Acid Bacteria in Reducing Listeria monocytogenes Biofilm on Abiotic Surfaces and Decreasing Its Persistence on Cantaloupes,” Dr. Taylor spoke on “Biopreservative Strategies for Controlling Non-O157 Shiga Toxin-Producing E. Coli in Fresh Beef,” Dr. Amalaradjou spoke on “Targeting Salmonella Through the Use of Direct Fed Microbials in Poultry Production,” and I spoke on ““Biocontrol of Antibiotic Resistance: Plant-Derived Compounds as Potential Alternatives.”
July 16, 2016 – Divek Nair wins the “John Ayres Graduate Poster Competition” at the Institute of Food Technologists annual meeting in Chicago for his research talk in the Food Microbiology Division. Earlier, he was selected as one of the six national finalists at the meeting (out of a total 138 abstracts submitted to the Division that underwent stringent peer-review process). Congrats Divek!
July 14, 2016 – Claire Peichel wins the “Certificate of Excellence” at the Poultry Science Association annual meeting in New Orleans for her research talk in Food Safety I. She is a UROP scholar at the U. Congrats Claire!
July 13, 2016 – U of M folks at the PSA annual meeting. We got together on Tuesday evening for a little chit and chat! Clockwise – Jim, Kent, Peggy, Anup, Sally, Greg, Tim’s wife, Tim’s kids, Tim, Divek and Claire.
June 26, 2016 – Divek Nair and Claire Peichel win travel awards to attend the Poultry Science Association annual meeting in New Orleans in July. Congratulations to Divek (2nd frame first from the left) and Claire (1st frame first from the left sitting)! http://www.poultryscience.org/awards.asp?autotry=true&ULnotkn=true
May 13, 2016 – Divek Nair wins the “the outstanding Ph.D. student award” in the Department of Animal Science, University of Minnesota. Congrats Divek!
May 13, 2016 – Tatum completes her Honors thesis project. Congrats Tatum! First honors thesis project from my laboratory.
May 9, 2016 – Tatum Odland and Alexandra Bakken are successful in procuring admission to the DVM program at the University of Minnesota. They will start this fall.
April 4, 2016 – Divek Nair and Claire Peichel get their scientific abstracts accepted at the PSA Annual Meeting that will be held in New Orleans (July 2016). Claire is in the Undergraduate student competition section.
January 17, 2016 – Jennifer Hagen got employed as an RAR animal care staff!
My lab group
November 23, 2015 – Lab member, Claire Peichel wins undergraduate research grants from the UROP program.
November 4, 2015 – With Dr. Sally Noll, one of the well-known turkey researchers/educationists in the world, at the Rosemount Turkey Research Farm!
August 26, 2015 – The Jefo Company Nutrition Poultry Tour 2015, Quebec, Canada – Dr. Johny presented here on “Alternative Antimicrobials in Poultry Production – Applied and Mechanistic Perspectives.”
August 16-19, 2015 – NE 1442 Multistate Meeting – With three Ken’s (Drs. Ken Anderson, Ken Koelkebeck and Ken Macklin), Dr. Paul Patterson and others in Indianapolis, IN. 
July 14, 2015 – Near the IFT 2015 Entrance Logo, expo floor. 
July 14, 2015 – Symposium on “Emerging Pathogens and Novel Transmission of Pathogenic Microorganisms in Foods: Fact or Fiction?” Held on Tuesday, 7/14/2015, 10:30 am – 12:00 pm in S405, McCormick Place, South, Chicago. Speakers, from left, Drs. Guojie Cao (Univ. Maryland, College Park & FDA, Maryland), Henk Den Bakker (Texas Tech. Univ.), Mary Anne (UConn), Kumar Venkitanarayanan (UConn), Anup Kollanoor Johny (Univ. Minnesota, Twin Cities; Session Organizer (Chair) and Moderator) and Jim Dickson (Iowa State U. AAM Fellow)! Great turn out.
Divek and myself with Dr. Hassan Gourama (Penn State) in front of our poster at IFT annual meeting.
With my collaborator, Dr. Ranjith Ramanathan from Oklahoma State Univ., in front of our co-authored poster at IFT Annual Meeting yesterday!
With Dr. Mark Richards, Professor (Meat Science – Dept. of Animal Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison) during the Muscle Foods Poster session at the IFT Annual Meeting, Chicago 2015.
IFT Food Microbiology Division Executive Committee! With Drs. Amanda McKeith (far left, Fresno State, CA), followed by Peyman Fatemi, Faith Critzer (Univ. Tennessee), Valentina Trinetta (Ecolabs, MN), Matt Taylor (TAMU), Cangliang Shen (West Virginia Univ.) and Catherine Cutter (Penn State) at the McCormick Place, Chicago.
May 21, 2014 – Multistate Poultry Feeding and Nutrition Conference – Dr. Johny presented here on “Alternative Antimicrobials in Poultry Production'”
April 16, 2014 – Lab members, Alexandra Bakken and Tatum Odland win undergraduate research grants from the UROP program.
March 16, 2014 – Midwest Poultry Federation Convention, Saint Paul, MN – Dr. Johny presented here on “Potential Role of Essential Oils in Organic Poultry Production.” The scientific document that accompanied this talk can be viewed here.
February 1, 2014 – Jennifer Hagen joins me as the first student (lab intern)! With Jennifer and Wayne Martin, the extension educator. 
December 2, 2013 – Dr. Johny joins the University of Minnesota as Assistant Professor – Poultry in the Department of Animal Science. Here cometh I, Minnesota, the Queen of the pristine great white North! Thanks for your welcoming snow!
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