Utsumi Selected as New MSU Grazing Ecologist
7/27/09
Contact: Sara Long
517-432-1555, ext. 170
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- The Michigan State University (MSU) Department of Animal Science is pleased to announce that Santiago Utsumi has joined the department as an assistant professor specializing in grazing ecology.
In his new role, Utsumi will capitalize on his experience and interest in animal-plant interactions, grazing behavior of livestock, mechanisms of diet selection and forage intake, grazing systems and ruminant nutrition.
Utsumi is housed at the Kellogg Biological Station (KBS) in Hickory Corners. Here his multiple research projects will use experimental and modeling approaches to help solve animal, pasture and whole farm system issues.
“Santiago brings to MSU an additional perspective on the relationships between plants and animals in grazing systems,” said Karen Plaut, chairperson of the MSU Department of Animal Science. “This will help to enhance and expand the type of research MSU does to support Michigan’s dairy farmers.”
“Research outcomes will be used to support the development of novel cost-effective and environmentally sound grazing and farm management strategies directed at using natural resources more efficiently and optimizing animal performance,” Utsumi said.
Originally from Argentina, Utsumi received his doctoral degree and the Outstanding Ph.D. Graduate award from New Mexico State University in 2008. Prior to this, he received a specialization in plant and soil management from the College of Agriculture at the Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata in Argentina (UNMdP).
Utsumi, who is fluent in English and Spanish, worked as a research assistant at the UNMdP and as a research assistant and a post-doctoral research specialist at New Mexico State University before coming to MSU. He also taught quantitative genetics as an agriculture faculty member at the Universidad Catolica Argentina and as a veterinary faculty member at the Universidad del Salvador in Argentina from 1996 to 1999.
The recipient of numerous scholarships and awards in both his home country and the United States, Utsumi is the author of numerous academic publications. He is affiliated with the professional organizations Argentine Association of Animal Production and the Society for Range Management.
Utsumi will be located at the W.K. Kellogg Biological Station (3700 East Gull Lake Drive, Hickory Corners) and can be reached by calling 269-671-5117 or sending an e-mail to utsumi@msu.edu.
Located between Kalamazoo and Battle Creek, the 4,065-acre KBS is the university’s largest off-campus education complex. KBS is recognized globally for its contributions to ecological science and evolutionary biology. The field station is committed to providing science and ecology education, conserving natural resources, and developing and observing sustainable agriculture research and demonstration projects and practices. KBS is administered through the MSU College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and the College of Natural Science.
As Utsumi takes on his new role, he embraces what he sees as his priorities.
“I see myself establishing strong interactions and actively engaging with students, farmers, managers and different components of the dairy industry in Michigan,” he said.
The MSU Department of Animal Science has a 100-plus-year tradition of educating outstanding students, providing excellence in research and engaging communities through Extension activities. For more information, call 517-355-8383 or visit www.ans.msu.edu.
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