AgriLife Research physiologist Randel receives lectureship honor
- Writer: Adam Russell, 903-8340-6191, [email protected]
- Contact: Dr. Ron Randel, 903-834-6191, [email protected]
OVERTON – The American Society of Animal Science, Southern Section, has announced an annual lectureship named for Dr. Ronald Randel, Texas A&M AgriLife Research physiologist, Overton.
The society’s executive committee established the annual invited lectureship for its Physiology Section. The first of the lectures bearing Randel’s name will be presented during its annual meeting scheduled Feb. 4-7 in Franklin, Tennessee.
“Dr. Randel’s contributions to the field of animal physiology and endocrinology have globally benefitted animal agriculture,” said Dr. Thomas Welsh, AgriLife Research Faculty Fellow, physiology of reproduction, College Station. “Dedicating his research career to investigating the reproductive physiology of beef cattle, especially for tropically adapted breeds, Dr. Randel evaluated the role of nutrition on reproduction, elucidated the fundamental reproductive biology of Brahman cattle, developed strategies to reduce livestock production risks and resolved practical problems in beef cattle production.”
The first series of lectureship speakers includes former Randel students, Dr. Mike Moseley, retired Zoetis director of global research, New York, and Dr. Tod Hansen, director, Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology Laboratory, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado.
Moseley was the first graduate student Randel had in Overton, Randel said. Hansen was the first to be an undergraduate research intern as well as a master’s and doctoral candidate under Randel.
Dr. Charles Long, resident director for AgriLife Research at the Overton center, said the lectureship recognizes the impact Randel has made in animal science research since arriving in 1974, including mentoring many animal physiologists who are making their own mark in the field globally.
“They recognize the work he has done here,” he said. “He has won just about every award there is, but it’s not too often an organization recognizes a scientist in this manner.”
Randel advanced to full professor in 1978 and was named a Faculty Fellow and a Regents Fellow in 1999, a Senior Faculty Fellow in 2005, and an American Society of Animal Science Fellow in 2007. He was designated a distinguished alumnus of both Washington State University and Purdue University.
He received the society’s Physiology and Endocrinology Award in 1996. Randel also was the recipient of the 2012 L.E. Casida Award for excellence in graduate education in physiology and endocrinology.
Randel said the creation of the lecture series in his name ranks higher than any award he has received during his career.
“I am greatly honored that the Southern Section of the American Society of Animal Science will have an internationally known speaker at each meeting to highlight the physiology section,” he said. “Awards are nice, but having my name tied to a physiology lectureship into the foreseeable future represents a legacy.”
