NDSU Distinguished Professor receives prestigious award

Larry Reynolds, University Distinguished Professor of Animal Sciences at NDSU, has been named the 2026 recipient of the Beacon Award by the Frontiers in Reproduction Advanced Research Training course at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.

The honor, presented by the course’s Board of Scientific Counselors, is considered the program’s top distinction and recognizes an individual who has significantly guided the international reproductive sciences community. The award highlights those who have advanced the careers of young scholars and served as a source of “illumination and guidance” in reproductive research.

Reynolds, a longtime faculty leader in NDSU’s Center for Nutrition and Pregnancy, is being recognized for his 20 years of involvement with the Frontiers in Reproduction program, including 11 years as a faculty consultant and five years as co-director. From 2012 to 2016, he led the course’s final two-week section, Implantation, Development of the Reproductive Tract and Transgenesis.

“Each session brings together 15 to 20 of the world’s experts in their fields,” Reynolds said. “Graduates of Frontiers in Reproduction are consistently more successful in their careers because they’re immersed in cutting-edge research and training at one of the best laboratories in the world.”

Now in its 27th year, Frontiers in Reproduction is a six-week intensive program that trains 20 participants annually, ranging from senior doctoral students to junior faculty. Students from across the globe spend long days in research and discussion, often 12 to 15 hours a day, six days a week, at the Marine Biological Laboratory, which is widely regarded as one of the premier biological research centers in the world.

The MBL’s Advanced Summer Course Program began in the 1890s and has trained many of the field’s leading scientists. More than 60 Nobel laureates in chemistry, physiology or medicine have been affiliated with the MBL as students, faculty or visiting scientists.

Several NDSU faculty and alumni have also contributed to the Frontiers in Reproduction program. A pair of retired professors from the NDSU animal sciences department served as instructors and a former doctoral student participated as a trainee. Pawel Borowicz, director of NDSU’s Advanced Imaging and Microscopy Laboratory, is both a graduate of the program and a former instructor.

Reynolds’ recognition continues NDSU’s strong national and international reputation for research in animal science, reproductive biology and human health. His work exemplifies NDSU’s mission as a land-grant, top-level research university advancing innovation through global collaboration.