Dr. Michael Kjelland, Assistant Professor of Biology at Mayville State University, recently presented a keynote lecture at the VII Congreso Internacional Biológico Agropecuario that was held October 3-5, 2018 in Tuxpan, Veracruz, México. This was Dr. Kjelland’s second presentation at the conference which aims to exchange ideas and recent research experiences with students and others. The international conference is held every two to three years, with this year’s attendance being approximately 600 registered participants, some coming from Colombia, Brazil, Chile, Bolivia, among other countries.
Dr. Kjelland said, “I was honored to give a presentation at la Universidad de Veracruz in 2015, and even more so that Dr. Arturo Serrano Solís, (Director of the Biological and Agricultural Science faculty in Tuxpan) invited me back to give another one at this conference.”
The title of Dr. Kjelland’s presentation was “Biotecnologías Actuales y Las Que Vienen en el Futuro: Clonación y Modificacion Genetica de Ganadería y Fauna Silvestre” or in English, Current Biotechnologies and Those of the Future: Cloning and Genetic Modification of Livestock and Wildlife, which focused on current and prospective biotechnology tools for enhancing livestock production and wildlife conservation.“One of the interesting aspects of this trip was the enthusiasm of both students and professors to form some kind of research and education collaboration,” said Dr. Kjelland. “I told them that I would look into the possibility of making that a reality.”
Dr. Kjelland joined the faculty of Mayville State University in August 2018 as an Assistant Professor of Biology. Prior to his time at Mayville State he worked for the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center and Wayne State College (Wayne, Neb.). His research interests include biology, ecology, natural resources management, animal science, reproductive science, among others.