OUR ACTIVITIES
Courses delivered by the Department under the Bachelor’s study programme in Animal Husbandry Technology:
Animal Breeding as the study of the origin, evolution, ontogeny and phylogeny of animals, the creation and structure of breeds.
Elective courses: Basics of Research and Innovation (analysis of research data, types of statistical methods, selection of statistical methods, etc.); Animal Safety and Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (modern concepts of animal and social sciences, professional ethics, issues of housing and care of animals, etc.); Information Technologies in Biomedical Studies (concept of information society, information literacy, search for information resources for studies in virtual environments, etc.).
Courses delivered by the Department under the Master’s study programme in Animal Husbandry Technology:
Research methodology (research methodology and methods, empirical and theoretical methods, relationship between cognitive methods, principles, aims and objectives of scientific research).
Elective courses: Establishment and Organisation of Animal Safety (ethical treatment of animals, analysing relevant issues in animal housing and care, analysing foreign experiences in combating animal cruelty, etc.).
Courses delivered by the Department under the Bachelor’s study programme in Animal Science:
Mandatory courses: Animal Breeding (the study of the origin and evolution, ontogeny and phylogeny, and the creation and structure of breeds); Biostatistics (the design and organisation of a statistical research programme, taking into account the specifics of animal science); Research Methodology (the design and organisation of a scientific research programme, taking into account the specifics of animal science).
Elective courses: Animal Genetic Resources (monitoring, characterisation, sustainable use and conservation of animal genetic resources); Horse Breeding Technologies (application and use of advanced technologies in horse reproduction, horse breeding associations and their activities, horse breeding information system).
Courses delivered by the Department under the Master’s study programme in Animal Resource Management:
Mandatory courses: Management of Animal Genetic Resources and Genomic Selection (the importance of animal origin, evolution, domestication for the conservation and development of genetic resources, genealogical breed structures, principles of classification).
Courses delivered by the Department under the integrated study programme in Veterinary Medicine:
Mandatory courses: Biomathematics and Statistics (the science of designing a statistical research programme, taking into account the specificities of veterinary science); Animal Breeding and Husbandry (the science of the origin, evolution, ontogeny and phylogeny, breed development and structure, animal husbandry and production).
Elective courses: Information Technologies in Biomedical Studies (introduction to the content of modern learning through the application of information technologies in biomedical studies: principles, styles, motivation, modern methods of learning content development); Statistical Analysis in Veterinary Medicine; Breeding of Small Ruminants and Camelids (breeding of small ruminants (sheep and goats) and camelids (llamas and alpacas), aims, objectives, etc.).
Courses delivered by the Department under the Bachelor’s study programme in Veterinary Food Safety:
Mandatory courses: Bioinformatics and Biostatistics (selection of the most appropriate modern information technology for the analysis of phenomena or processes, development of a statistical research programme, preparation of reports, taking into account the specifics of the science, statistical evaluation of quantitative and qualitative attributes).
Elective courses: Information Technologies in Biomedical Studies (introduction to the content of modern learning through the application of information technologies in biomedical studies: principles of learning content design, styles, motivation, modern methods).
Courses delivered by the Department under the Master’s study programme in Veterinary Food Safety:
Mandatory courses: Scientific Research and Methods of Statistical Analysis (research methodology, methods, empirical and theoretical methods, relationship between cognitive methods, principles of scientific research, aims, objectives, etc.).
The staff at the Department of Animal Breeding have comprehensive background in research and project activities. Each year they apply for new project activities aimed at innovation in modern farms and dissemination of good practice.
The Department has one research laboratory:
The Laboratory of Research and Selection of Breeding Value of Animals investigates the structure of the country’s animal populations, the interrelationships and heritability of economically beneficial traits, the interaction between environment and heredity, and the determination of the breeding value of Lithuania’s animal populations using modern biostatistical methods. The Laboratory participates in the development and implementation of breeding programmes for Lithuanian black-and-white cattle, and in the development of the genealogical structure of the Lithuanian black-and-white cattle and the Lithuanian red cattle. The Laboratory organises international conferences and seminars. Within the framework of the APIIS project, the potgreSql database for the national pig breeding information system and the methodology for genetic evaluation by BLUP method were developed. The Laboratory has produced 14 doctoral theses and one habilitation procedure.
The researchers at the Department collaborate with Lithuanian and foreign research and higher education institutions: the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Lithuania, the Chamber of Agriculture of the Republic of Lithuania, the Lithuanian Agricultural Advisory Service, agricultural companies, farmers, and associations of breed improvers; the Agricultural University of Ukraine, Latvian University of Agriculture, etc.