Office of University Communications
Endangered species research gets boost from endowment, professorship
Dr. Dennis Schmitt honored with new Alumni Professorship in Reproductive Biology
Date: February 1, 2007
Contact: Dr. Dennis Schmitt
(417) 836-5091
“The College of Natural and Applied Sciences is honored to be selected to receive this endowed professorship, and we are honored to have Dennis Schmitt be the first faculty member in the college to be honored with an endowed professorship,” said Dr. Tammy Jahnke, CNAS dean. “Dennis is an outstanding teacher and scientist. His research on reproductive physiology has taken him and his students around the world – Europe, India, Sumatra and Kenya.”
Schmitt, who also serves as chair of veterinary care and director of research for Ringling Bros. Barnum and Bailey Circus®, plans to use the endowment to establish a junior research scientist position and increase the efforts of the university’s reproductive biology lab. The reproductive laboratory operates as a service and research laboratory investigating unique methods of monitoring reproductive status in elephants, blue iguanas, North American river otters and several other species.
“I am honored to be selected for the Alumni Professorship in Reproductive Biology,” Schmitt said. “The award will allow our laboratory specializing in reproduction in exotic and endangered species to increase our efforts to participate in research in diverse species.”
During his professional career, Schmitt has consulted with zoos across the country, as well as a few in England and other areas in Europe. He has taught several workshops for veterinarians working with elephants in India. He has been active in helping develop a model elephant camp in Sumatra for captive elephants through the International Elephant Foundation, an organization which he helped found.
This spring, he will be the instructor at the Eleventh Elephant Ultrasound and Veterinary Procedures Workshop at Riddle’s Elephant Sanctuary.
Through his work with Ringling Bros., Schmitt will be assisting the development of a research program in collaboration with a veterinary college in Sri Lanka and Missouri State University.
While at Missouri State, Schmitt has mentored several graduate student research projects and has served as an adviser to as many as 60 undergraduate students. He also serves as the adviser for the university’s Pre-Veterinary Club.