Samantha Howe stood in front of a panel of judges at the 4-H Horse Field Day speech contest held at Oklahoma State University (OSU) in 2010.

She was in seventh grade at the time and had just learned that her speech on the genetics of horse color had won first place. She would go on to compete and earn fourth place at the national level in North Carolina.

“I had researched all the information for that speech and found it so cool,” Howe said six years later. “I couldn’t get enough.”

She continued to read articles about human and animal genetics. And, in high school, she savored her biology teacher’s lessons on the topic. Now she’s studying animal science at OSU with an emphasis in animal biotechnology. “I’ve been interested in going into agriculture as long as I can remember,” said Howe, who grew up on a commercial Black Angus ranch between Sulphur and Dickson, Oklahoma. “It’s always been science that has clicked in my mind, so that’s what I want to pursue.”

She is particularly interested in beef genetics, the study of hereditary traits in cattle.

In the mid-1700s, an English cattle and sheep farmer, Robert Bakewell, became the first to improve his herds through a genetic approach. He strayed from the day’s standard practice by separating male and female livestock. Then he intentionally selected mating pairs based on desirable physical characteristics, such as size and ability to convert grass to muscle. Hundreds of years later, cattlemen and women continue to use his method of selective breeding to enhance desirable traits in their herds. Over time, they’ve developed polled, or hornless, bloodlines within horned breeds of cattle and black-colored bloodlines in historically red-colored breeds (such as Simmental and Limousin). Cattle producers also select for traits beneficial to their animals’ health and well-being as well as to match consumer preference for marbling, leanness and other meat quality traits.

The study of beef genetics also makes cattle producers (particularly those who raise purebred cattle) aware of rare, recessive diseases, such as neuropathic hydrocephalus. With this genetic information, cattle breeders know how to avoid breeding carriers and evade the emotional and economical heartache caused when a calf is born with the recessive disease.

“I’ve seen how those defects affect the cattle and our ability to make a living and produce beef,” Howe said. “It’s interesting to me that it may be just one gene that causes the problem, that one little thing can so significantly affect a whole animal.”

The science-seeker was familiar with Noble Research Institute, which is largely funded by The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, before she decided to pursue a career studying cattle genes and finding ways to help producers improve their herds. Her father has asked questions of the agricultural consultants from time to time, and she visited the facility during middle school field trips. A close family friend who previously received the Sam Noble Scholarship encouraged Howe to apply, which she did in 2015.

“Receiving this scholarship means so much to me,” Howe said. “Because of it, I don’t have to worry about loans, and I can focus on classes and leadership activities.”

She also hopes to focus on work in an animal genetics laboratory as an undergraduate student at OSU soon. “My life goal is to go into animal genetic research,” she said. “Having a prominent agricultural research institution’s support means a great deal to me.”