Joseph R. Gryboski
Department of Animal Sciences
Animal Sciences - Nutrition
Floyds Knobs, IN
2023 Distinguished Senior Award Recognition Reception Program (.pdf)
2023 Distinguished Senior Award Recipient Reception Poster (.pdf)
During his tenure as president of CFAES Undergraduate Student Council, Joseph Gryboski left his mark on CFAES. Joe spearheaded a number of initiatives, helping to bring safety and lighting improvements to Midwest campus; orchestrating the Fall Flannel Fest as a way to showcase the work being done at Waterman Agricultural and Natural Resources Laboratory; advocating for diversity, equity, and inclusion training across the college; and working with Dean Kress to increase study opportunities and locations in CFAES environs.
Serving as a Resident Advisor for the CFAES Learning Community in Nosker House offered Joe another opportunity to work toward a greater goal. Leading and guiding the community allowed Joe to develop responsibility, leadership, compassion, patience, and forbearance. The experience also taught Joe to manage his time effectively, a skill that would prove particularly useful come basketball season.
Joe’s most rewarding undergraduate experience came last year, when the OSU Women’s Basketball team he manages were named Big Ten Regular Season Conference Champions. Joe and the team had just boarded their flight back to Columbus from an away game when the outcome of another game finalized conference standings. As Joe recalled, “We screamed and cheered and made such a loud noise that the pilots came on the speaker to ask what was going on.” As the team’s manager, Joe assists with recruiting, operations, logistics, statistical analysis, and more—all while maintaining his commitment to academics, research, and service to the community. For his Honors Undergraduate Research project under advisor Dr. Kelly George, Joe has partnered with the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium to qualitatively measure hair cortisol concentrations (HCC) of giraffe, establishing HCC baselines and evaluating differences in response to seasonal
environmental changes, housing conditions, visitor-animal interactions, and other factors.
As his mentor, Joe chose to acknowledge Dr. Pat Whittington. Joe shares, “He always pushed me to apply for more scholarships and try new things. Dr. Whittington also helps track stats at Women’s Basketball games, where I would come talk to him before tip-off. We share a love of photography, and I joined him on my STEP trip to the Oregon Coast, where he helped me develop my photography skills. I would often ask to schedule appointments with Dr. Whittington just to hang out in his office and talk about sports and life. He has helped me with any issue that I’ve ever had during my time here, and I know that we will be friends for life.”
On track to graduate with honors and research distinction, Joe is excited to start his career as a Project Manager at the Epic Systems headquarters in Madison, WI this summer. Having set his sights on the CFAES Distinguished Senior Award back in his freshman year, Joe considers this award to be his greatest undergraduate achievement. He reflected, “This accomplishment is the culmination of four years of very hard work, and I am so immensely proud to have received it.”
Service, involvement, and accolades: CFAES Undergraduate Student Council, president | OSU Women’s Basketball Team, manager | STEP Program