Hannah Cunningham is a Wyoming native and earned a B.S. in Biology from St. Olaf College in 2012 and a M.S. in Ruminant Nutrition from the University of Wyoming in 2014.  Hannah is currently a Ph.D. student in Animal Breeding and Genetics at the University of Wyoming and is expected to graduate in May, 2018.   Her dissertation work is focused on determining maternal influences on the establishment and development of the calf rumen microbiome and subsequent calf performance.  During her Ph.D. program, Hannah has also been involved in numerous other research projects, including collaborative work with the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center and AgResearch (New Zealand).  Additionally, Hannah’s Ph.D. program has included substantial teaching responsibilities, including serving as the primary instructor for a senior-level Animal Breeding and Genetics course for two semesters.  She has been an active member of WSASAS, having served as the section’s Graduate Student Director and helping coach the University of Wyoming’s Academic Quadrathlon team.   Hannah has a great passion for animal agriculture, and she aims to be a faculty member in an Animal Science department at a land-grant institution.