#38 - Dr. Dawn Koltes: Poultry education: inspiring minds, shaping the future

If students are to be successful, the poultry industry needs education. It provides them with comprehensive understanding of practices, challenges, and opportunities that cover all the critical topics in the field along with allowing them to make informed decisions and apply what they learn in the classroom. In that sense, engagement is a vital aspect of poultry education, one that is achieved through interactive learning methods, practical training, and real-world experiences. In this episode, Dr. Dawn Koltes shares her experiences with teaching poultry classes, engaging students through hands-on activities that foster critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and encouraging their passion for the industry.

What you’ll learn:

• Challenges and opportunities of teaching big-sized classes
• Teaching scholarships in poultry education
• Engagement with online learning: the post-covid scenario
• Avian Physiology classes
• Internship programs
• How to pursue an internship and what it looks like
• Turkey facilities

Meet the guest:

Dr. Dawn Koltes

Experience

• Current: Assistant Professor at Iowa State University
• Past: Research Scientist at the University of Arkansas; Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Iowa State University 

Background

• Ph.D., Genetics (Iowa State University)
• M.Sc., Animal Breeding and Genetics (Iowa State University)
• B.Sc., Animal Sciences (University of Arkansas)

Hobby: cooking (for fun, not necessity).

Favorite book, movie or TV series: David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants, by Malcom Gladwell; Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know, by Adam Grant.

Favorite quote: "When someone offers feedback you don't like, the ideal response isn't to ignore it.  It's to seek more perspectives.  One person's reaction is an opinion. If multiple people make the same point, it's a pattern. The best way to grow is to find the recurring signal in the noise." - Adam Grant

A tip for success: Check your assumptions. Some of our underlying assumptions in research are based on single papers that have been extrapolated and may not fit your research goal.

Connect with our guest on Social Media: LinkedIn