Appointments, honors and activities

• Faculty and staff honors:

- Kathryn Walters, senior conference coordinator in Purdue University Conferences, has earned the Collegiate Conference and Events Professional Certification by the Association of Collegiate Conference and Events Directors-International. The Collegiate Conference and Events Professional certification program was established in 1991. Candidates are required to present evidence of substantial professional experience, volunteer service to the profession, and complete a research-based examination. Walters has been in the conference and events profession for 24 years and in her current position for 11 years.

• Student honors:

- A team of 10 Purdue University College of Agriculture seniors earned the top prize at the North American International Livestock Exposition in Louisville, Kentucky, on Nov. 17. The Purdue students competed against 29 other teams for the national collegiate crown. Members of the team evaluated cattle, pigs and sheep and explained their evaluations to a panel of judges. The championship was Purdue's first since 1978, and the prize capped a season of 10 competitions for the team. Team members are Breanna Lawyer of Shirley, Indiana; Mark DeGolyer, Lafayette; Callie Edie, Bedford; Alex Hegg, Veedersburg; Charlie Huelsenbeck, Avilla; Andrew Huffman, Bluffton; Isaak Mersch, Twelve Mile; Brennen North, Wolcottville; Logan Rinehold, Waterloo; and Josh Streitmatter, Rensselaer. Team coach is Matt Claeys, Purdue Extension beef specialist.

- Molly McKneight of Carmel, Indiana, a Purdue University student pursuing a master's degree in plant genetics, was a finalist for a Marshall Scholarship for postgraduate study in the United Kingdom. Marshall Scholars strengthen the relationship between the British and American people, their governments and their institutions. McKneight received a B.S. in food science at Purdue. She is in Purdue's College of Agriculture and the University Honors Program.