The Purdue Animal Sciences Department recently celebrated the retirements of Marcos Fernandez, PhD, and Allan Schinckel, PhD. Faculty, staff, students and members of the public gathered to honor and congratulate these longtime animal scientists, recognizing their contributions to the department and the field.

Fernandez has been at Purdue for over 13 years. He arrived at Purdue in July 2011 to serve as the associate dean for academic programs in the College of Agriculture. He moved to the animal sciences department in February 2020 after he stepped down from administration.

Fernandez received his bachelor’s degree in animal sciences from Illinois State University in 1980 and his master’s degree in animal sciences from the University of Tennessee in 1983. He also completed his doctoral degree also in animal sciences at North Carolina State University in 1987.

Schinckel has been a faculty member in the Purdue Animal Sciences Department for almost 42 years. He received his bachelor’s degree in animal sciences from Iowa State University in 1978. He also completed his master’s degree in animal sciences in 1980 and his doctoral degree in animal breeding in 1982. He completed his master’s and doctoral degrees at the University of Nebraska.

The event was a fitting tribute to these two scholars, whose work will inspire future generations in animal sciences.

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