CDCB Internships: Year 6

Written by CDCB

June 23, 2022

CDCB welcomes two outstanding young scientists, Tori Iqbal and Larissa Novo, working in our Bowie, Maryland, office as part of the CDCB intern program that is in its sixth year. 

Each year, CDCB offers internships as a unique opportunity for the next generation to work directly with and learn from the renowned geneticists at CDCB and USDA AGIL (Animal Genomics and Improvement Laboratory).
 
Tori Iqbal is working on a doctorate degree in Animal Science at the University of Maryland. Under the leadership of Dr. Li Ma, Tori has been researching correlations between human traits and cattle traits using Genome Wide Association Statistics. A native of Augusta County, Virginia, Tori completed dual bachelor’s degrees in Dairy Science and Animal and Poultry Sciences, at Virginia Tech.

Larissa Novo is a PhD student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, working with Dr. Francisco Peñagaricano to investigate the genetic basis of novel traits in dairy cattle. She has investigated visceral fat accumulation and its association with metabolic disorders, and she is currently working on (i) postpartum blood calcium concentration and (ii) body temperature as a potential indicator of feed efficiency. Larissa earned master’s and bachelor’s degrees from the Federal University of Mato Grosso in Brazil.
 
Tori’s project at CDCB centers on animal termination codes and reasons for disposal, and Larissa is researching potential development of a trait for resistance to Johne’s disease.
 
Welcome Tori and Larissa! We are excited to host you this summer and support your aspirations.