Van Os is an assistant professor of animal and dairy sciences and extension specialist at UW–Madison. Her research focuses on understanding, evaluating, and improving the welfare of dairy animals from biological- and social-science perspectives.
Van Os’s project will install a permanent, whole-barn video-camera system at the UW Emmons Blaine Dairy in Arlington, WI. This would provide several novel capabilities to support the rigorous recording of animal-behavior measurements for research studies and to improve general facility management and employee management and training. Video recordings provide data that currently serve as the gold standard in research quantifying behavioral outcomes.