Dedicating yourself to a life of service to an industry can make a difference and recently Iowa State University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences recognized two individuals for their work. The honors focused on their efforts beyond their core career areas.

Donald Beitz. Holder of the Charles F. Curtiss distinguished professorship in agriculture and life sciences in ISU's Department of Animal Science, Donald Beitz was honored with the ISU

Alumni Association Service Award. The award recognizes alumni and friends whose self-initiated activities and service consistently support the daily work of the ISU Alumni Association in further connecting alumni, students and friends to the university.

For more than 54 years, Beitz has taught at ISU and has established lifelong ties with his students. He has demonstrated enthusiasm for education and research, and to date has connected with more than 13,000 students.

His commitment to students doesn't end at graduation. He keeps in touch with hundreds of former advisees, celebrating their successes and acting as a mentor. He even serves on college and department committees that continually engage alumni through events and receptions.

Beitz's former students include medical doctors, cancer researchers, nutrition experts, veterinarians, patent lawyers, educators and research scientists.

One nominator wrote: "His commitment to helping students find their true passion and career path has manifested in an incredible assembly of engaged alumni around the globe."

ENTHUSED: Dustin Loy hit the ground running after graduation when he joined the staff at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln after graduating from ISU. He was recently honored with the Outstanding Young Alumni Award. (Courtesy of ISU)

Dustin Loy. Loy was honored with the Outstanding Young Alumni Award from the association. The award recognizes ISU alumni ages 40 and under who have excelled in their professions and provided service to their community.

Loy has a background in production animal medicine and molecular diagnostics for infectious diseases. He is an associate professor of veterinary medicine at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

In his current role, Loy provides leadership and guidance in bacteriology, virology and molecular biology. In addition, he is involved with infectious disease research and diagnostic microbiology, teaching and outreach.

Loy is also the leader of the Nebraska Veterinary Diagnostic Center's microbiology section at UNL. He is co-author of numerous published works and has been recognized with several awards.

In late 2020 and early 2021, Loy assisted in the establishment of a testing laboratory for detection of the coronavirus. This effort contributed to early detection and management of the disease on UNL's campus.

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