Prior to his retirement in 2018, Dr. Mark Nelson was a faculty member in the Department of Animal Science at Washington State University for 34 years. Dr. Nelson trained 22 graduate students (MS and PhD), authored or co-authored over 225 publications and presented over 150 talks. Dr. Nelson taught parts of, or all of, 22 different courses ranging from introductory lecture and laboratory courses to a graduate nutrition course and additionally, numerous Extension short courses, workshops and field days emphasizing critical thinking, quantitative reasoning, scientific and information literacy, communication skills and integration of learning. Additionally, Dr. Nelson was active in the WSU Writing Program and in extracurricular activities included advising Block and Bridle, Ceres Women’s Fraternity and Cougar Cattle Feeders and numerous undergraduate research projects. Numerous awards recognized his proficient integration of teaching, research, advising and Extension programs.