Cobb Animal Science Internship Spotlight: Anh Do

Although Fresno is over 1,600 miles away from the Cobb-Vantress world headquarters in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, a host of Fresno State students like Anh Do have taken advantage of internships with the world's oldest pedigree broiler breeding company. 

Do's experience working on campus with the campus Foster Farms Poultry Poultry Education and Research Facility made him a great candidate for the internship, as did his Fresno State undergraduate degree in animal science. 

Find out more about his background and potential career path after he graduates in the spring of 2021 in this recent interview.

 

Q: What company did you work at, and what types of jobs did you do generally?

Do: "This summer I interned at a Cobb-Vantress grandparent hatchery in Siloam Springs, Arkansas. In the past years, I have also interned with the same company in their research and development department. This location, along with multiple other hatcheries, provides parent stock to many major poultry and food-related companies both domestically (such as Tyson) and internationally."

Do: "At the hatchery, I was able to partake and experience all aspects of primary hatchery production, ranging from setting eggs and maintenance to managerial paperwork. With R&D, I was also involved in multiple research projects that examined various traits of economic and welfare importance for the animal in order to improve them."

 

Q: What skills did you gain from the internship that they can apply to your potential career options?

Do: "While my internship with the R&D department in the past has proven invaluable in my current academic career as a graduate student in poultry science (and hopefully in the future as I pursue a research-oriented career in genetics/biotechnology as well), the experience at the hatchery has opened myself up to an aspect of the industry that I had not had the chance to take part in previously, which definitely helped further my prospects in the other parts of the poultry industry."

 

Q: What ag-related clubs are you involved with on campus?

Do: "I am an active member of the Poultry Science Club, which I joined within the first year coming to the school and remained in during the rest of my undergraduate career, which ended in 2018. I became involved with the club again upon the start of my graduate studies in Fall 2019."

Do: "The club is a great way to get your foot in the door in the industry, especially since it often travels to International Poultry and Production Expo (IPPE) in Atlanta, GA. Students and many ag-related companies from all over the world gather to present scientific findings and showcasing what the industries have to offer."

 

Q: Do you directly work with any faculty on campus with research projects, etc.?

Do: "I am currently conducting research projects involving microbiological parameters of the broilers under the tutelage of Dr. Katy Tarrant from the Animal Science department. I am also currently working with Dr. Tricia Van Laar from the biology department."

Q: Do you work at any farm units, and what types of responsibilities and titles have you had?

Do: "I am currently a student employee at the Foster Farms Education and Research Facility here on campus. Together with other student employees, we ensure the integrity of the facility and any important factor that is vital for birds during grow out are upheld to high standards. We also support and assist in research projects that take place in the facility."

Q: What is your background in agriculture before you started at Fresno State?

Do: "Prior to my transfer to Fresno State in 2015, I had almost no prior experience with agriculture whatsoever, as my educational plans were not well-established, and I had not been considering attending the University. Since my immigration to the States in 2009 up until that point, I did not even know California had such a huge agricultural epicenter here in the Central Valley!"

 

Q: After graduation, what's your potential next career step, and how do you plan to use your degree with eventually?

Do: "After graduation, I am currently planning to pursue a PhD degree. Still to decide if I want to remain in academia or go into the workforce, but I hope to be at the same company in the latter case."

 

Q: Are there any other interesting notes about yourself that you would like to include? 

Do: "I make my own art in my free time and love to tinker with electronics!"