Diana Sorg

Tell us about yourself (Who are you? Where are you from? What is your educational background?)

My name is Diana Sorg and I am from Langenargen, which is at the beautiful Lake Constance in Southern Germany. After my studies of Agricultural Science with major in Animal Science at ETH Zurich in Switzerland, I went to Technical University Munich to do my PhD in Animal Physiology. Now I work at the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg Germany at the group of Animal Breeding as a postdoctoral scientist.

What is your area of expertise?

My expertise lies mostly within cattle physiology and breeding, with the focus on new functional traits like disease resistance, fertility and methane emission. I also work on a smaller project with dairy goats and I teach courses on food quality and nutrition.

Where does your focus lie within your current project(s)? (related to methane)

In my current project I study the phenotypic and genetic aspects of new methane emission traits of dairy cows. These traits are derived from measurements taken with the portable Laser Methane Detector. I further investigate how the methane emission relates to performance, fertility, health and the fatty acid composition of the milk.

What would be the added value for you of joining an international researchers network? (such as the METHAGENE network)

Currently there are many different competing techniques to study methane emissions in ruminants. It is important to harmonize protocols for measurements, so that we can compare our data. Being part of a network like METHAGENE is also essential for myself. It helps me become acquainted with other researchers in the field, so that I can exchange my knowledge with them, learn from them and get inspired by them.

What and/or who inspired you to make a career in science?

When I was a child, my grandmother used to show me all the plants and animals in her garden and teach me what she knew about them. I guess this raised my interest in nature and biology. Later on, during my studies, I was fascinated by the work that was going on in the laboratories and experimental facilities of my university. While doing my Bachelor’s and Master’s Thesis there, I recognised that this was what I wanted to do.

What do you enjoy most about your work?

I most enjoy the diversity of tasks every day. Some days I spend in the barn working with cows, other days I do complex calculations on my computer, and in between I teach animal breeding, food quality and molecular biology to students. There is also a good amount of traveling to speak at congresses and to visit other scientists. I would not want to miss any one of these aspects of my work.

What is your most stand-out or surprising moment in science so far?

Getting kicked in the chest by a stubborn Highland cow (a beef cow) so hard that I did a backward roll. I was hand-milking her for my mastitis experiments as a PhD student. Fortunately, I was not injured - only very surprised sitting there in the straw and wondering what just happened.