Animal Science Building

Animal Science Building

1675 Observatory Drive

Built in 1972

The Animal Science Building houses the Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences. The building contains offices, laboratories and classrooms. The department provides research, instruction, and outreach on topics of nutrition, genetics, reproduction, lactation, growth, and animal care, as well as the management of dairy and beef cattle, swine, sheep, goats, horses and poultry. Other programs in the building are the CALS Computer Lab, CALS Statistical Consulting, and the Laboratory for Optical and Computational Instrumentation.

Animal Husbandry was established in 1889 as one of the original departments in the College of Agriculture. The Poultry Husbandry Department was created in 1908 and Dairy Husbandry was separated from Animal Husbandry in 1938. The term ‘Husbandry’ was replaced with ‘Science’ for all three departments in 1962. Previously, Meat and Animal Science offices were in the Stock Pavilion, Poultry Science in Hiram Smith Hall Annex, and Dairy Science at 442 Henry Mall. Poultry Science merged with Meat and Animal Science to form the current Animal Sciences Department in 1997.

Bronze plaques at the west and north entrances commemorate advances in understanding immunity and developing reproductive technology. Genetics professor Ray Owens discovered immune tolerance in twin dairy heifers, and this work opened a door that later led to successful organ transplants. Henry Lardy and Paul Phillips in biochemistry developed methods for semen dilution and preservation. Lester Casida in genetics conducted breakthrough studies in biology of reproduction. These findings led not only to improvements in reproductive management in livestock but also to solutions to problems of infertility in humans.

Web site: www.andysci.wisc.edu.