2026 Rutgers Junior Animal Science Symposium Session Listing

March 28, 2026

Register here by March 14 @ 11:59pm https://go.rutgers.edu/h8ouhv9b
$15 each youth and adult participant; Cash or Check; Rain or Shine!
Symposium Opens at 8:15 a.m. Light Refreshments 8:30am - 8:50 a.m. Opening Ceremonies 9 a.m.

Session #1 (9:30-10:30 a.m.)

1A: EQUINE - Seeing Through the Horse’s Eyes

By: Dr. Alisa Herbst, Rutgers University

(Red Barn – right side, treadmill side) Join Dr. Alisa Herbst to explore the sounds, smells, and views in which horses experience the world around them. Learn about how horses interact with one another, as well as how they interact within their environment.
This session is appropriate for all grade levels.

1B: LARGE RUMINANT (Cattle) - What Does It Take to Be a Large Ruminant Veterinarian?

By: Dr Mike Pesato, Four State Veterinary Services, Delaware USA

Ever wondered what it’s like to be a vet for cattle? From early mornings in the barn to hands-on animal care, this session dives into the skills, science, and passion it takes to work with large animals. Come explore the challenges, rewards, and real-life stories from the field.
This session is appropriate for all grade levels.

1C: SMALL RUMINANT (Sheep & Goat) - Sheep and Goat Health Checks – From Nose to Tail

By: Dr. Christina Wilson, Veterinarian, Equiheart Veterinary Services

Have you ever wondered what you can take care of on your own and what requires a veterinarian? In this session, Dr. Wilson will answer those questions while showing you how to complete a thorough health check on one of the farm’s sheep and goats – covering everything from nose to tail! Gain confidence in what you can do to determine your animals’ health and assist them.
This session is appropriate for all grade levels sheep.

1D: POULTRY - Poultry Science in Action: Hands-on Learning Stations

By: Lisa de Lambert, Animal Health Technician, New Jersey Department of Agriculture; Sasha Lisowski, Veterinarian, New Jersey Department of Agriculture; Kristofer Smith, Veterinarian, New Jersey Department of Agriculture

Explore the fascinating world of chickens at our interactive poultry stations! We will explore eggs, chicken anatomy, physiology, and diseases through hands-on activities.
This session is appropriate for 4th grade and up.

1E: BEEKEEPING - Introduction to Honeybees and Beekeeping

By: Mike Haberland, Associate Professor/County Agent II. Rutgers Cooperative Extension

Have you ever wanted to know more about honeybees? Have you ever wondered if beekeeping is for you? Would you like to learn about honeybee biology and discover what it takes to become a beekeeper? Join us for a presentation that will provide you with an introduction to the unique biology of the honeybee, how they organize their hive, make their honey and what beekeepers do to maintain a healthy colony.
This session is appropriate for grades 4th and up.

1F: RABBIT - Meet the Bunny Breeds

By: Donna Griebau, Cape May County 4-H Program Associate and Little Critters 4-H Club Leader, and, Josie Griebau, Cape May County 4-H Little Critters Jr. Leader and Teen Ambassador

Join us for this early youth-focused session to meet the furry, the small, the big, the long eared, the short eared, and the colorful variety of rabbit breeds. The youth will meet a Holland lop, a French angora, a mini rex, a lionhead, and a Netherland dwarf while learning about breed-specific characteristics, grooming requirements, temperaments, and how to enrich the life of your bunny. Hands-on, take-home enrichment toys will be created by each youth participant.
This session is appropriate for all, but is catered to youth in grades K-3.

1G: CANINE - Follow That Nose! A Canine Nosework Adventure

By: Paula and Stu Mavros, Search, Rescue, Response, and Recovery of New Jersey

Come learn from professionals about how canine nose work is heavily scientific and how it is used for search, rescue, response, and recovery in New Jersey. A demo with a live canine will take place.
This session is appropriate for youth 7th and up.

1H: CAREERS - Inside Animal Science: Explore Careers, Research, and Teaching

By: Dr. Taylor Ross from Rutgers University

Discover what it’s like to turn a passion for animals and science into a career in higher education! In this session, you will gain insights into life as an Animal Science professor, including teaching, research, and mentoring students. Participants will explore career pathways in animal science and learn how education and research shape the future of agriculture.
This session is appropriate for grades 7th and up!

1I: FARM SAFETY - Barn Fire Safety and Prevention

By Alexander Eristavi, Somerset County Emergency Services Training Academy, NJ DFS Level 2 Fire Instructor and Somerset County 4-H leader

Any fire inside a barn, especially one occupied by animals, will be a fast-moving, devastating event. In this presentation you will learn how a fire rapidly grows inside a barn and creates unsafe conditions for both animals and humans. In addition, various methods to prevent fires in a barn, how to develop a Fire Pre-plan for your barn, and what to do/what not to do in the event of a fire in a barn. Remember firefighters cannot rescue your animals until they rescue you.
This session is appropriate for all grade levels.

Session #2 (10:45-11:45 a.m.)

2A: EQUINE - Perception into Practice

By: Dr. Taylor Ross, Rutgers University

(Red Barn – left side, stall side & outside) After learning about how horses perceive and move through the world, continue your experience with a hands-on activity “seeing” through the horse’s eyes. Then, we will show how our human behavior and movements can be used to control the horse's movement.
This session is appropriate for all grade levels.

2B: SMALL RUMINANT (Sheep & Goat) - What’s on the Menu? Exploring Ruminant Feed Ingredients

By: Dr. Tess Stahl, Rutgers Extension Livestock and Dairy Specialist and Assistant Professor

This interactive presentation introduces the wide variety of feeds used in the diets of sheep, goats, and cattle. Participants will learn how forages like hay and silage, energy sources such as corn meal, protein sources like soybean meal, and unique byproducts (including bakery waste) all play a role in meeting the nutritional needs of ruminant livestock. The session will wrap up with a hands-on “feed scavenger hunt,” where youth will examine real feed ingredients.
This session is appropriate for all grade levels.

2C: POULTRY - Poultry Science in Action: Hands-on Learning Stations

Explore the fascinating world of chickens at our interactive poultry stations! We will explore eggs, chicken anatomy, physiology, and diseases through hands-on activities.
This session is appropriate for 4th grade and up.

2D: BEEKEEPING - The Buzz with Bees: Native and Managed Pollinators

By: Mike Haberland, Associate Professor/County Agent II. Rutgers Cooperative Extension

This program will look at the various pollinators, native and introduced. Most importantly, bees are vital to a healthy environment, and we’re excited to present this event to our community, especially as people start to plan for Spring. We’ll also look at some of the plants that pollinators need to survive and how you can help by planting habitats. Adding native plants in your garden will increase the number of pollinators in your yard and you will enjoy attractive flowers throughout the season at the same time.
This session is appropriate for grades 4th and up.

2E: RABBIT & CAVY (Guinea Pigs) – Showmanship 101

By: Meg Whitehouse, 4-H Leader, with Erin Bate and Austin Stutler, 4-H members

Learn from experienced 4-H members on how to work with a rabbit or cavy in showmanship. Develop your showmanship skills, starting with the football carry-to-table strategy, then complete a full animal health check with explanations. Erin Bates of Somerset County 4-H and Austin Stutler, the PASRBA Duke as well as, a 4-H member, will walk you through the process and give you useful tips and tricks. Animals will be provided!
This session is appropriate for all grades, but is best for 4th grade and up.

2F: MARINE LIFE – Under the New Jersey Sea

By: Paige Radcliffe, Ocean County Extension Environmental Services

Discover marine species that call New Jersey’s coastal waters home and how they fit into our ecosystem. Learn ocean safety practices for enjoying beaches, bays, and marine wildlife. Explore how marine debris impacts ocean life and what we can do to protect and care for our oceans every day with a hands-on activity.
This session is appropriate for all, but it is catered to youth in grades K-3.

2G: CANINE - Follow That Nose! A Canine Nosework Adventure

By: Paula and Stu Mavros, Search, Rescue, Response, and Recovery of New Jersey

Come learn from professionals about how canine nose work is heavily scientific and how it is used for search, rescue, response, and recovery in New Jersey. A demo with a live canine will take place.
This session is appropriate for youth 7th and up.

2H: FARM SAFETY - Hollywood vs. Reality: What TV gets wrong about being inside a barn fire

By Alexander Eristavi, Somerset County Emergency Services Training Academy, NJ DFS Level 2 Fire Instructor

Most current television shows give viewers an unrealistic vision of the conditions inside any building that is on fire. The reality is that smoke will not only obstruct your vision but also contains toxic gases and the fire will produce a large amount of extreme deadly heat. This session will allow participants to experience the low visibility conditions from smoke in a similar manner to entry-level firefighting students. In addition, participants will be able to extinguish a simulated fire using a fire extinguisher training prop.
This session is appropriate for 8th grade and up.
This session is limited to 20 participants.

Session #3 (12:45-1:45 p.m.)

3A: EQUINE - Biosecurity Basics: Stop The Spread - The Front Line of Animal Health

By: Dr. Sandy Strilec, New Jersey Department of Agriculture, Animal Health

(Red Barn – right side, Treadmill side)

Learn how to maintain proper biosecurity on your farm and prevent disease outbreaks. From Biosecurity 101 to quarantining an infected horse or herd, join Dr. Sandy Strilec, a veterinarian from the New Jersey Department of Agriculture’s Division of Animal Health, as she covers all the basics for biosecurity on a horse farm.
This session is appropriate for all grade levels.

3B: SMALL RUMINANT (Sheep & Goat) - Making Felted Soap with Wool, Creativity (and a little patience)

Talented fiber artists will introduce you to the history, science, and types of felting before leading 25 youth (the first 25 to register!) in making their own bar of felted soap through wet felting. Come explore the world of felting, discover how it works, and leave with your own project!
This session is appropriate for all grade levels.

3C: BEEKEEPING - Products from the Hive

By: Alayne Torretta, Professor/ County Agent I. Rutgers Cooperative Extension

Learn how to render beeswax to make a variety of products. In this workshop, we’ll be making lip balm after rendering wax. Participants can keep their lip balm!
This session is appropriate for all grade levels.

3D: RABBIT - Meet the Bunny Breeds

By: Donna Griebau, Cape May County 4-H Program Associate and Little Critters 4-H Club Leader, and, Josie Griebau, Cape May County 4-H Little Critters Jr. Leader and Teen Ambassador

Join us for this early youth-focused session to meet the furry, the small, the big, the long eared, the short eared, and the colorful variety of rabbit breeds. Youth will meet a Holland lop, a French angora, a mini rex, a lionhead, and a Netherland dwarf while learning about breed-specific characteristics, grooming requirements, temperaments, and how to enrich the life of your bunny. Hands-on, take-home enrichment toys will be created by each youth participant.
This session is appropriate for all, but it catered to youth in grades K-3.

3E: CANINE - Sniffin’ For Fun!

By: Kathy Murarik, retired Morris County 4-H Program Associate

Learn about the hottest new dog sport. Nose work is a sport that builds confidence in shy dogs, gives them a job to do, and helps create a wonderful bond between owner and dog. Learn how to get started, what equipment you would need and how to teach basics skills. Dogs have an amazing sense of smell and a natural desire to hunt, any dog can do it. See a demonstration by an AKC master-level dog, Marty the Siberian Husky. It’s fun and enjoyable for you and your dog!
This session is appropriate for all grades.

3F: CAREERS - A Day in the Life of a USDA Consumer Safety Inspector

By: Ashlyn Brown Supervisory Consumer Safety Inspector, United State

Join us for a fun, behind-the-scenes look at food safety with a USDA Supervisory Consumer Safety Inspector from the Office of Field Operations. This interactive session explores day-to-day responsibilities, including an introduction to meat inspection and how the USDA helps keep our food supply safe, based on a presentation shared at Somerset County’s Career Night. Perfect for students interested in agriculture, science, public health, or government careers.
This session is appropriate for grades 7th and up!

3G: FARM SAFETY - Hollywood vs. Reality: What TV gets wrong about being inside a barn fire

By Alexander Eristavi, Somerset County Emergency Services Training Academy, NJ DFS Level 2 Fire Instructor

Most current television shows give viewers an unrealistic vision of the conditions inside any building that is on fire. The reality is that smoke will not only obstruct your vision but also contains toxic gases and the fire will produce a large amount of extreme deadly heat. This session will allow participants to experience the low visibility conditions from smoke in a similar manner to entry-level firefighting students. In addition, participants will be able to extinguish a simulated fire using a fire extinguisher training prop.
This session is appropriate for 8th grade and up.
This session is limited to 20 participants.

Session #4 (2-3 p.m.)

4A: EQUINE - Emergency 101: What To Do After Calling The Vet

By: Dr. Carey Williams, Rutgers University

(Red Barn – right side, Treadmill side)

Do you know what to do after calling the vet in an emergency? From stabilization to blood stop to emergency wrapping, learn about everything that you can do while waiting for your vet to arrive! Find out what is normal, what can wait, and even what makes a situation an “emergency.”
This session is appropriate for all grade levels.

4B: LARGE RUMINANT (Cattle) - From Cow to Carton: The Journey of Milk

By: Dr. Tess Stahl, Rutgers Extension Livestock and Dairy Specialist and Assistant Professor.

This interactive dairy production session walks 4-H students through the journey of milk from the farm to the processing plant and ultimately to the grocery store. Participants will learn how milk is harvested on dairy farms, stored and transported safely, and then processed at the plant through steps such as pasteurization, homogenization, and packaging. Students will learn how raw milk (right from the cow) can be turned into many different dairy foods, such as drinking milk, yogurt, cheese, ice cream, and butter.
The session concludes with a blind milk taste test, where students will sample and rank different types of milk, including whole, skim, lactose-free, grass-fed, creamline, and plant-based options.
This session is appropriate for all grade levels.

4C: BEEKEEPING - The Wonderful Worker Bee

By: Adele Barree, Cornell University Certified Master Beekeeper

You probably know that the worker honeybee is responsible for producing all the honey in the hive, but do you know about the specialized body parts she uses to make wax, gather nectar and pollen, and process honey? In this workshop, you will learn about the honeybees’ wax glands, their two types of eyes, their antennae, legs, and mouthparts. We will conclude our program with a honey tasting!
This session is most appropriate for youth 4th grade and up.

4D: FARM SAFETY - Hay There! Farm Safety Starts With You

By Kate Brown, Somerset County ANR Agent

Farms are exciting places to work and learn but they come with real risks. This interactive session brings farm safety to life with real-world scenarios, visuals, and practical tips to help participants recognize hazards, prevent accidents, and stay safe around animals, equipment, and barns.
This session is appropriate for 8th grade and above.
This session is limited to 20 participants.

4E - 4-H ANIMAL SCIENCE VIDEO CONTEST/FILM FESTIVAL

A selection of youth-created videos from the 4-H Animal Science Video Contest will be screened during the Junior Animal Science Symposium. To see your work featured in this session, youth work individually or as a team to create educational videos about sheep, goats, horses, poultry, rabbits, dairy/beef cattle, swine, or ANY animal project. For more information go to https://nj4h.rutgers.edu/animals/film-festival/. Short videos (3 minutes and 30 seconds or less) are due March 2.

Questions?

Contact Amelia Valente-Minervini (Amelia.Minervini@rutgers.edu) or Melissa Bright (mb2173@njaes.rutgers.edu).