John Riesen

Professor (Emeritus)

Research Interests

• The Sertoli Cell and Spermatogenesis: The Sertoli cell plays an important supporting and controlling role in the production of sperm cells. Compensatory hypertrophy/hyperplasia in unilaterally castrated animals has been used as a model system to study spermatogenesis and particularly the role of the Sertoli cell in this process.
• The potential for the use of ultrasound for the early detection of mastitis in dairy cattle :  The use of ultrasound and quantitative analysis is being examined for its potential use in early  non-invasive detection of mastitis in cattle.
• Use of Multimedia Backgrounder Computer Aided Instruction Modules in Improving Teaching: Instructors must deal with the disparity between the level at which they wish to teach and the level of the least-well-prepared students. This is most difficult in introductory courses, to which freshmen come from very different backgrounds. It is further aggravated in animal science where some students come from a farm background or vocational agricultural high schools and know agricultural vocabulary and concepts while others have never been exposed to these terms. Three multimedia computer aided instruction modules where developed in an effort to address this problem. These modules allow less well prepared students to obtain the prerequisite knowledge outside the classroom and allow the class as a whole to function at a more advanced level.