Author Spotlight: Jennifer Van Os on Dairy Cattle Welfare, the Benefits of Peer Review, and the Joy of Cow Antics

Today's trailblazing dairy science innovations are built on the incredible work being done by a diverse, interconnected, global scientific community. Get to know a fellow community member in our ongoing Author Spotlight series.

Caption: Jennifer Van Os, PhD
(Credit: Daphne Holterman)

Jennifer Van Os, PhD, is an assistant professor and extension specialist in the Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Her lab focuses on understanding animal welfare and developing tools to improve physical, behavioral, and social dairy cow welfare.

As JDS Communications launches its special issue dedicated to behavior in dairy animals, we spoke with Jennifer to learn more about her work improving animal care, what she thinks is the dairy dream job, and the joys of solving real-world challenges for cows and their farmers.

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What specific questions or challenges within the field of dairy science are you currently working on?
I do research and extension on dairy cattle welfare. Broadly, I seek to understand, evaluate, and improve animal welfare using both biological and social science methods. I work closely with dairy stakeholders to find practical, low-barrier solutions to improve animal care. Some of the major themes in my lab focus on social housing of preweaned calves, heat stress abatement for cattle of all life stages, and innovative tools to help dairy staff learn and practice appropriate cow handling.

Caption: Jennifer Van Os, PhD, with
former members of the Van Os lab team,
including Kim Reuscher, PhD
(Tennessee State University) and Faith
Reyes, PhD (Form-A-Feed)
(Credit: McKenzie Trinko)

Scientific publishing plays a crucial role in advancing our shared knowledge as well as individual dairy science careers. Do you have any tips or advice for navigating the world of scientific publishing?
I find it really beneficial for graduate students to get involved with peer reviews of manuscripts (with the editor’s permission). This helps them understand what should be reported in a scientific paper and how to think like a reviewer when they are writing their own manuscripts. Experiencing the process from the reviewer’s perspective can also help them learn how to respond appropriately and respectfully to critiques of their own work.

Also, for the student readers: Did you know that some universities have tenure-track faculty positions focused on research and extension outreach rather than research and (classroom) teaching? In my department, we have several faculty members who do research and extension on topics within dairy science, including me, Paul Fricke, Luiz Ferraretto, and Victor Cabrera. It’s a dream job for someone who is interested in helping solve real-world challenges in the dairy industry!

Collaboration and mentorship often shape a scientist’s journey in the profession. Do you have mentors or colleagues who have positively impacted your career? How have they influenced you and your approach to dairy science?
I have been extremely grateful and honored to have had many incredibly dedicated, inspiring, and generous mentors, both formally and informally. They have shaped my views on scientific rigor, research ethics, transparency and research reporting, animal welfare and ethics, as well as how I mentor students and communicate with farmers and other stakeholders. Cassandra Tucker, Nina von Keyserlingk, Dan Weary, Heather White, Kent Weigel, Nigel Cook, and Randy Shaver, just to name a few, but many others have kindly shared their time and wisdom with me. I am now trying to pay it forward and am highly invested in training the next generation of dairy scientists. I am also very fortunate to be in a very collaborative department with so many great researchers in several different disciplines within dairy science. My grant proposals often have five or six co–principal investigators because we get so excited to put our heads together!

Caption: Jennifer Van Os, PhD
(Credit: Benjamin LeCorps, PhD)

In your experience, what aspects of dairy science are the most fascinating or enjoyable? Conversely, are there specific challenges within the field that you run into, or wish there were better solutions available for?
I feel really lucky to work with cows. They are very inquisitive creatures and motivated learners, which I think many laypeople may not realize. In my lab, we still do a lot of behavioral analysis the old-fashioned way by manually annotating video footage. Even with advances in computer vision and machine learning, the gold standard remains comparison against human observation. Watching cattle antics on video can be fun! I think an ongoing challenge in my field is putting science into practice. Dairy farmers face many competing priorities, constraints, and tradeoffs, and dairy farms are diverse nationally and globally. We are continually making scientific progress in understanding animal welfare and identifying potential improvements, but we still have work to do in persuading and supporting farmers in adopting changes.

We know authors have many options for which journals they submit to. What benefits do you see to publishing in a society journal, such as JDS Communications?
When I decide where to submit, I think about both the audience for the work and the peer-review process. I know that many readers—and reviewers and editors—of JDSC and JDS are ADSA members, many of whom I’ve gotten to know through ADSA. These are colleagues who I know also do top-notch scientific research and are professional and supportive—and, therefore, likely to provide constructive, helpful feedback.

Strengthening our shared dairy science community means celebrating more than just our professional selves. Outside of work, what activities or hobbies bring you joy?
I am in a phase of life where I’m mainly focusing on my career and enjoying family life with a toddler. I enjoy reading science fiction and attending Badgers football and hockey games. I look forward to getting back into a consistent power-lifting routine as well as singing in chorales or chamber groups.

Lastly, here is one of my favorite cow jokes: Why did the heifer win an award? (Because she was out-standing in her field!).