Day, Mike

Mike Day
Department Head/Professor
232A Weber Hall
Manhattan, KS 66506
785-532-7624
mlday@ksu.edu

Education

B.S. , University of Missouri, 1980
M.S. , University of Nebraska, 1982
Ph.D. , University of Nebraska, 1985

Bio Brief

Dr. Mike Day was raised in central Missouri on a farm that included swine, beef and hay production. Growing up, cattle were of greatest interest to him and reproductive management always sparked his curiosity.

A husband and father of two, Day has prioritized his career by focusing on the three things that he enjoys most — animals, science and people. He explains these three interests stemmed from his time growing up on the family farm and through his education and now his career. "I am involved in higher education because this is the place where these three can come together," he explains.

After obtaining his bachelor's degree in animal husbandry from the University of Missouri, Day went on to earn his master's and doctorate from the University of Nebraska in animal science with an emphasis in reproductive physiology.

Post-secondary education is not uncommon in Day's family as his father, Billy Day, was a leading swine reproductive physiologist at the University of Missouri. Upon completion of his doctorate, Day was hired at The Ohio State University (OSU). He was on faculty in the department of animal sciences for 30 years (1985-2015), holding a research and teaching appointment focused on reproductive physiology of beef cattle. His teaching responsibilities stretched from introductory classes, through various reproductive classes and the capstone beef production class for seniors. His research at OSU was a continuation of his graduate work in replacement heifer development and also included research in estrous synchronization and gene expression during early pregnancy in cattle.

While at OSU, he took a sabbatical in New Zealand where he worked on early development of the CIDR (controlled internal drug release) device. He was also able to travel to Brazil, Japan and Australia for research and educational programs during his time at OSU.

For the four years prior to joining KSU ASI, Day served as the University of Wyoming Animal Science department head. At Wyoming he led a department with approximately 15 faculty and 280 undergraduate students. Day joined the KSU ASI department on August 11, 2019.

Through the years he has been recognized for his excellence in teaching and research.
• 1999, Teaching Award, College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, OSU
• 2000, Teaching Award of Merit, Gamma Sigma Delta, The Ohio State University
• 2001, Advising Award, College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, OSU
• 2004, Research Award of Merit, Gamma Sigma Delta, The Ohio State University
• 2004, Honorary Uncle, OSU Saddle and Sirloin Club, The Ohio State University
• 2005, Epsilon Sigma Phi Team Teaching Award for Cow-Calf Schools, OSU
• 2015, ASAS Animal Physiology and Endocrinology Award
• 2018, Meritorious Service Award, OSU College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Alumni Society

Day and his wife, Toni, have two grown children. Their son, Travis, lives on a cattle and hay farm in Mt. Vernon, Ohio, and daughter, Leslie, is pursuing a doctorate in environmental microbiology at the University of Minnesota.