On May 6, Kaysie Allen successfully defended a master’s thesis, becoming the first person in the program to do so in the new MSABD building. Her research looked at the effect CO2 stunning has on sheep and swine meat. The use of the program’s CO2 stun pit, a quite unique feature in a university meat science facility, exemplifies MSABD already taking advantage of the novel capabilities of the new building. Kaysie, under the guidance of Dr. Jim Claus, detected a correlation between CO2 use and meat pH levels, with potential repercussions in regards to PSE. Still, the findings were promising, with the pH affect manageable. With the skills and knowledge that come from demonstrated research experience on a meat industry “hot topic”, Kaysie was poised for success: she started her career less than 72 hours after officially learning she had passed.