Morgan Marquardt , a graduate student in the Animal Science Department at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL), is from the small town of Holdredge, Nebraska. While her current research focuses on animal behavior and welfare, her journey to this point has been anything but conventional.
Growing up surrounded by animals and actively involved in both FFA and 4-H, Morgan could not imagine a life without being involved with animals. As a child, she was constantly reading books about animals and eventually spent time working with dog trainers] as she got older. With a passion deeply rooted in the field of animal science, her future seemed obvious, yet her initial career plans focused on teaching.
When Morgan first arrived at UNL as an undergraduate student, her plan was to major in education. However, a few days into classes, she switched to animal science as it “felt criminal to be at UNL and not be in Animal Science.” With assistance from Lisa Karr, a professor in the Animal Science Department, she switched her degree path to the Animal Science Program, where she found she could focus on companion animals.
Everything changed again during her junior year of college, when a professor asked her, “So what are you doing for grad school?” Morgan told her professor she had no intentions of attending graduate school, but this planted a seed. During the final semester of her undergraduate career, she took the Fundamentals of Animal Behavior and Welfare class where she was introduced to the study of animal welfare.
The class sparked learning for her that she had not felt since her youth. Through the class she met Ruth Woiwode, an assistant professor specializing in animal welfare. The class led to many discussions about graduate school and what program would be the best fit for Marquardt.
Although Morgan initially dismissed Woiwode’s ideas of working with cattle, her journey and opportunities soon aligned with doing exactly that. She currently works alongside Woiwode, conducting research that focuses on improving human-animal interactions in cattle handling. Her research focuses on developing handling practices that reduce stress in cattle while maintaining adequate animal welfare techniques.
Marquardt has enjoyed being able to design almost every aspect of her research from questions, hands-on experiences, and applying science to beef extension programs. Through this she has been working in the field with cattle by setting up camera systems to record cattle behavior and using software like FarmTek, to measure exit velocity when cattle leave the chute.
“There are moments where I learn something in the morning and I am out using it later that day in the field,” stated Morgan. She believes this has been the best program for her and overall has been extremely rewarding. She continually is learning and gaining skills, while gaining appreciation for working alongside cattle and in UNL feedlots.
Reflecting on her academic journey, Marquardt is grateful for the unexpected turns that brought her here. “I realized there is so much more to animal science,” she said. She expressed thanks to Woiwode for being able to learn from her throughout her time at UNL. She admires Woiwode for her grace in the most stressful situations.
As she prepares to complete her master’s degree, Marquardt intends to continue her academic career at UNL, pursuing a Ph.D. under Woiwode. Her journey from education to companion animals to cattle research demonstrates not only the diversity of the animal science program at UNL, but also the opportunities within the career field.
