2009 PSA Awards

Wei Jia

Wei Jia received her BS and MS degrees in 2000 and 2003 in animal nutrition from China Agricultural University, Beijing. She is currently in the final stage of completing her PhD program in poultry nutrition in the Department of Animal Science, University of Manitoba, Canada, under the guidance of Bogdan A. Slominski. Her thesis research has investigated the multicarbohydrase enzyme supplements as growth promoters and modulators of the intestinal microflora of the chicken with emphasis on the prebiotic effect of enzyme hydrolysis products. In addition to her thesis research, she has been involved in chemical and nutritive characterization of new feed ingredients for poultry and swine, including yellow-seeded and low-fiber canola and flax. She has also coauthored three additional scientific publications, and her graduate work has resulted in three abstracts and two full papers in conference proceedings. Jia is a member of both PSA and the Canada branch of the World’s Poultry Science Association.

Todd J. Applegate

Todd Applegate was born and raised on a small family farm in Iowa. He graduated from Iowa State University in 1992 with a BS in animal science. He stayed at Iowa State University to work toward an MSc degree in poultry nutrition, which he completed in 1995. Applegate then began his doctoral program at The Ohio State University and completed his degree in 1999. Afterward, Applegate worked as a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Maryland, College Park.

In 2000, Applegate began his appointment as assistant professor and poultry extension specialist at Purdue University. His translational research program and effective communication with all segments of the poultry industry have provided the poultry industry with critical information and the tools needed to minimize environmental effects by reducing nutrient excretions and air pollutant emissions and to sustain the competitiveness of the poultry industry in the United States and abroad through economic nutrient utilization. Specific focuses of his research include evaluation and refinement of phosphorus and amino acid requirements for poultry, quantification of the synergy between different feed additives on phosphorus utilization, determination of phosphorus form and eutrophication potential of manure after different feeding strategies, quantification of nitrogenous emissions and dietary approaches for their reduction, and development and implementation of dietary formulation utilizing the amino acid digestibility of ingredients. Concurrently, his recent research has examined the nutrient cost and physiological response of the intestine to subclinical stress. His extension and research program has been complemented through collaborative projects with scientists in multiple states and countries.

To help convey this timely information, Applegate has been a prolific writer (56 journal articles, 3 book chapters, 50 conference proceedings, and 90 published abstracts). Despite only having been a faculty member at Purdue University for 9 years, Applegate has been asked to give numerous invited talks within the state (23) and country (36), as well as abroad (26).

Susan J. Lamont

Susan J. Lamont received her BA from Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, Illinois. She earned her PhD in 1980 from the University of Illinois Medical Center, with research focusing on cellular immunity in chickens. She was a postdoctoral research associate under the guidance of J. Robert Smyth, Jr., at the University of Massachusetts. Lamont has been on the faculty in the Department of Animal Science at Iowa State University since 1983, advancing through the ranks to her present position of C. F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor.

Lamont’s research program applies contemporary genetic technologies to answer important biological questions using unique populations of poultry, including commercial elite breeding stock and university experimental lines. The outputs of her research include an increase in fundamental scientific knowledge about poultry biology, as well as molecular tools that can be applied by the poultry breeding industry to improve welfare, production efficiency, and food safety. Her research program is novel in making outstanding scientific contributions in two distinct areas of fundamental science, genetics and immunology, and effectively melding these research disciplines to address complex scientific topics. Areas of emphasis include the structure and function of the chicken major histocompatibility complex, genetics and functional genomics of resistance to bacterial pathogens, and identification of quantitative trait loci for economic traits of poultry.

Lamont has documented her laboratory’s discoveries in nearly 200 peer-reviewed papers, invited symposium proceedings papers, and invited book chapters. She recently served as a guest editor for Poultry Science, organizing the contribution of four outstanding and highly cited review papers on poultry genetics and genomics by invited teams of international experts, including coauthorship on two of the papers. She has served on numerous national and international research grant panels and on editorial boards for scientific journals.

Through the careful mentorship of graduate students, postdocs, and visiting scholars in basic research studies in poultry, Lamont is preparing the next generations of poultry scientists to make continued contributions to fundamental poultry research. Many of her research projects are jointly conducted with scientists from other institutions and countries.

Her accomplishments have been recognized by many honors, including the Merck Award for Achievement in Poultry Science, 2007; Midwest Poultry Consortium, Outstanding Service Award, 2005; Helene Cecil Leadership Award, 2003; Iowa Board of Regents Faculty Excellence Award, 2001; and Iowa State University Foundation Award for Outstanding Achievement in Research, 1999.

Sandra G. Velleman

Sandra G. Velleman, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC), The Ohio State University, is the 2009 recipient of the Evonik Degussa Award for Achievement in Poultry Science. The Evonik Degussa Award is an annual award given for distinctive contributions to poultry science advancement, covering a period of not more than seven years preceding the annual award.

Velleman obtained her training in a basic biology and medical background but has done almost all of her research with poultry, specializing in muscle development. She obtained her BA degree with distinction in biology from Boston University and her PhD from the University of Connecticut. Upon graduation, she spent nine years at the Connective Tissue Research Institute, University of Pennsylvania Medical School, and University of Connecticut. At Connecticut, she conducted research on several mutations affecting muscle and limb development in chickens. In 1995, she moved to OARDC at The Ohio State University as an assistant professor and was promoted to professor in 2005. Her research at OARDC has focused on the molecular and cellular mechanisms regulating muscle growth in chickens and turkeys, with an emphasis on extracellular gene expression.

Velleman has made major research contributions in three areas: 1) maternal inheritance of breast muscle morphology, 2) heparan sulfate proteoglycan regulation of muscle growth in turkeys, and 3) regulation of transforming growth factor beta family signal transduction by the extracellular matrix. She was the first to establish that muscle cells from a line (F) of turkeys selected long-term for increased 16-week body weight have increased proliferation and differentiation rates compared with muscle cells from a randombred control, which served as the base population for the F line and is not intentionally selected for any trait. Maternal inheritance of breast muscle morphology has been shown to occur from 12 through 18 weeks of age, and this finding could greatly impact matings to produce commercial turkeys. Through her research on myogenic satellite cells, Velleman was the first to demonstrate that satellite cells produce extracellular matrix proteoglycans regulating satellite cell proliferation and differentiation. This regulation of satellite cell activity will affect muscle mass and the morphological structure of the muscle, which will impact meat quality.

Velleman is a very productive scientist (96 full-length publications in 23 highly respected journals, 2 invited book chapters, 1 patent, 14 published gene sequences, 8 conference proceedings, 39 abstracts, 7 technical bulletins, and 25 invited presentations) who is the leader in the study of extracellular matrix in poultry and in muscle development. She has received the Poultry Science Association Research Award (1998), the National Turkey Federation Research Award (2006), the Embrex Fundamental Science Award (2008), and the Ohio Poultry Association Meritorious Service Award (2009). She is a well-deserving recipient of the 2009 Evonik Degussa Award for Achievement in Poultry Science.

Billy M. Hargis

Billy M. Hargis is a Tennessee native and received his undergraduate education at the University of Minnesota (BS, 1980), his MS at the University of Georgia (poultry science, 1983), and his DVM and PhD training at the University of Minnesota (PhD, 1987). From 1987 to 2000, Hargis was a faculty member in the Departments of Veterinary Pathobiology and Poultry Science, Texas A&M University, where he was promoted through the ranks from assistant professor to professor. In 2006, Hargis was named the Sustainable Poultry Health Chair, an endowed position funded by the Tyson Family with a match from the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation. Hargis joined the Center of Excellence in Poultry Science on September 1, 2000, as professor and director of the Poultry Health Research Laboratory. Hargis, a diplomate of the American College of Poultry Veterinarians, teaches in the undergraduate and graduate poultry science program. He has an active research program in the area of poultry health and ante mortem food safety intervention with interests in poultry immunology and endocrinology.

Hargis has advised or co-advised more than 50 MS and PhD students and has published numerous manuscripts and book chapters relating to food safety, poultry health, and poultry physiology. His laboratory has been recognized by several awards including the Carrington Laboratories Research Award (1991), the Poultry Science Association Research Award (1993), USDA Certificate of Merit for Scientific Leadership (1994), the Texas Veterinary Medical Association Faculty Research Award (1994), the National Broiler Council Research Award (1998), the Texas A&M University Vice Chancellor’s Award in Excellence for Research (2000), and the Poultry Science Association Award for Achievement in Poultry Science (2001).

HY-LINE INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH AWARD

Alejandro Corzo

Alex Corzo was born in Bogota, Colombia, in 1972. He completed his bachelor’s degree in animal science from Universidad de La Salle in Bogota, Colombia. He then enrolled in a master’s program at Oklahoma State University, where he performed research on mycotoxins and phase-feeding for broilers. Upon completion of his degree in 2000, he then joined Ed Moran’s group at Auburn University, where he obtained his doctoral degree in 2003 on research based on amino acid responses of heavy broilers. He then enrolled with the Department of Poultry Science at Mississippi State University, where he has performed both basic and applied research and has collaborated with faculty from all over the world. In his short career, he has been an invited speaker for 12 major nutrition conferences in 8 different countries, coauthored a book chapter, been first author of 28 peer-reviewed manuscripts and coauthor of 31 others, and taught undergraduate- and graduate-level courses at Mississippi State University.

Zhou has published 41 full-length papers and 57 abstracts and conference proceedings. He has served on the USDA and NSF review panels and has reviewed research grants for national and international funding agencies. He is an associate editor of Poultry Science, is on the editorial board of Journal of Animal Science and Technology, and has reviewed scientific papers for more than 20 highly respected journals.

Todd Applegate

Todd Applegate was born and raised on a small family farm in Iowa. He graduated from Iowa State University in 1992 with a BS in animal science. He stayed at Iowa State University to work toward an MSc degree in poultry nutrition, which he completed in 1995. Applegate then began his doctoral program at The Ohio State University and completed his degree in 1999. Afterward, Applegate worked as a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Maryland, College Park.

In 2000, Applegate began his appointment as assistant professor and poultry extension specialist at Purdue University. His translational research program and effective communication with all segments of the poultry industry have provided the poultry industry with critical information and the tools needed to minimize environmental effects by reducing nutrient excretions and air pollutant emissions and to sustain the competitiveness of the poultry industry in the United States and abroad through economic nutrient utilization. Specific focuses of his research include evaluation and refinement of phosphorus and amino acid requirements for poultry, quantification of the synergy between different feed additives on phosphorus utilization, determination of phosphorus form and eutrophication potential of manure after different feeding strategies, quantification of nitrogenous emissions and dietary approaches for their reduction, and development and implementation of dietary formulation utilizing the amino acid digestibility of ingredients. Concurrently, his recent research has examined the nutrient cost and physiological response of the intestine to subclinical stress. His extension and research program has been complemented through collaborative projects with scientists in multiple states and countries.

To help convey this timely information, Applegate has been a prolific writer (56 journal articles, 3 book chapters, 50 conference proceedings, and 90 published abstracts). Despite only having been a faculty member at Purdue University for 9 years, Applegate has been asked to give numerous invited talks within the state (23) and country (36), as well as abroad (26).

George B. Watts

George Watts is President of the National Chicken Council, the national trade association representing companies that produce, process, and market approximately 95 percent of the meat-type chicken in the United States. Prior to joining the National Chicken Council (formerly National Broiler Council) in 1972, Watts served as administrative and legislative assistant for two members of Congress, both of whom served on the House Committee on Agriculture. He received his degree from the University of Georgia, where he majored in journalism and minored in political science.

He is a past president of the Georgia State Society, a former member of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Food and Agriculture Committee, a former president and director of the Commodity Club of Washington, former chairman of the Food Group, former out-of-state vice president and director of the University of Georgia Alumni Society, and a member of the American Society of Association Executives. Watts currently serves on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics Advisory Board, where he chairs the Poultry Work Group.

Watts currently serves on the board of directors for the International Poultry Development Program joint-venture broiler project in Russia (Elinar Broiler). He received the Poultry Industry Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Poultry and Food Distributors Association in January 2002. Washingtonian magazine has listed him among the top 50 trade association executives in Washington.

He is married with three children and currently resides in Alexandria, Virginia.

R. Jeff Buhr

Jeff Buhr earned a BS in animal science from California State Polytechnic University at Pomona in 1979, an MS in avian sciences (1982), and a PhD in veterinary anatomy (1987) from the University of California at Davis. He joined the faculty of the Department of Poultry Science at the University of Georgia after graduation and in 1997, moved to the Poultry Processing and Meat Quality Research Unit at the USDA/ARS Russell Research Center in Athens, Georgia.

The incubation, production, and processing of poultry have been his major research areas. The sampling methodologies and procedures that he has developed have been adopted frequently for use in industry and in research. In the past five years, Buhr’s research has demonstrated that following electrical stunning, severing of the spinal cord does not influence carcass defeathering or carcass microbiology and ensures a rapid bleed-out and death. Subsequently, post-stun decapitation has been implemented in many commercial poultry processing plants to eliminate animal welfare concerns during exsanguination.

Buhr evaluated the role of empty feather follicles as potential reservoirs for pathogenic bacteria on processed broiler carcasses by establishing a line of featherless broiler chickens from outcrosses of mutant scaleless genetic stock and modern broilers. His results dispelled the widely believed and frequently cited assumption that empty feather follicles play a significant role in level of bacteria (including the human pathogens Salmonella and Campylobacter) on broiler carcasses during processing.

A poster with color photographs of carcass bruises as they aged from 0 to 24 hours before processing was developed by Buhr and Julie K. Northcutt. The poster was published as a popular article in Broiler Industry. The poster has been used frequently by supervisors and the Food Safety and Inspection Service to train personnel in processing plants nationwide and has enabled the implementation of animal welfare “quality bonus” programs for catching crews.

Buhr demonstrated that intermittently stepping on drag swabs while sampling broiler house litter improves Salmonella detection by 25% (fewer false negative houses). This refinement in litter sampling methodology was requested by the industry and has improved the ability to detect Salmonella in broiler litter at no additional cost.

Buhr has served as subject editor for the Journal of Applied Poultry Research (Meat Bird Processing and Products) for two terms and as an associate editor of Poultry Science for four terms. He currently serves as the chair of the Russell Center Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee and as a committee member, implemented SOPs for the renovated pilot processing plant including protocols for animal handling and euthanasia. Buhr is the past-chair of the S-1027 Multistate Regional Research Project, which conducts poultry processing, food safety, and meat quality research. During his chairmanship, the project plan was rewritten and approved for the subsequent five years. In 2006 he coordinated the second joint European/US Symposium on Meat and Egg Safety and Quality held in conjunction with the 17th European Poultry Conference in Verona, Italy.

Buhr’s research has resulted in 332 scientific publications (125 peer-reviewed manuscripts, 217 presented abstracts, and 24 proceedings papers). Thirty-five of the journal manuscripts were first authored by undergraduate, MS, PhD, or postdoctoral students and were for many their first manuscript. Buhr has enjoyed a role in mentoring students in many disciplines.

Adam J. Davis

Adam Davis is an associate professor in the Department of Poultry Science at the University of Georgia. He is a native of upstate New York where his family operated a dairy farm and a small laying hen farm. He earned his BS in animal science at Cornell University in 1990 and his PhD in nutritional biochemistry at Cornell in 1995. He started his career at Cornell University in 1995 as a postdoctoral associate in molecular reproductive endocrinology. In 1997, he went on to become a research associate at Cornell University until 1998. Davis came to the University of Georgia as an assistant professor in 1998 and was promoted to associate professor in 2004.

At the University of Georgia, he has utilized his training in nutrition and reproduction by building a research program that includes both disciplines. Davis and his laboratory focus primarily on how nutrition effects reproduction. In particular, they are interested in how nutrient intake influences follicular selection and development in female broiler breeder hens. In 2002, he was awarded the Milton L. Sunde Award from the American Society for Nutritional Sciences for outstanding experimental, applied, or fundamental research in nutrition that uses avian species. The same year he also received the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Outstanding Academic Advisor Award and the University of Georgia Outstanding Undergraduate Academic Advisor/Mentor Award. The following year, 2003, he won a Certificate of Merit award for Outstanding Faculty Academic Advising from the National Academic Advising Association. In 2004, he was selected to be the recipient of the Department of Poultry Science Henry Marks Teaching Award, and in 2007, he was presented with the D. W. Brooks Award for Excellence in Teaching by the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at the University of Georgia.

Davis was instrumental in developing the avian biology major within the Department of Poultry Science. He has developed and teaches two courses that help support that program. The first course, Birds in Our Lives, is used to attract non-poultry science majors to the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and the Poultry Science Department by providing an introductory course on avian biology, exotic chickens, pigeons, game birds, parrots, raptors, and other birds of commercial interest. About 1,000 students have already taken this course. The second course that he developed and teaches to support the avian biology major is Field Studies in Avian Biology. This course is taught in Costa Rica during the summer and provides students the unique opportunity to gain study-abroad experience in a country that is home to over 800 species of birds. Davis also teaches the undergraduate/graduate level course Physiology of Avian Reproduction, which is cross-listed with the Biology Department and focuses primarily on reproductive endocrinology in the bird. He also has been instrumental in increasing student participation in research and internship learning experiences. Davis has served as a member, secretary, and chair of the College Curriculum Committee. He is recognized as one of the authorities on curricula matters in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

 

Patricia A. Curtis

Patricia (Pat) A. Curtis received a BS in home economics education from Texas Woman’s University and an MS and PhD in food science and technology from Texas A&M University. Curtis joined the Department of Poultry Science at Auburn University in 2002 as professor and the director of the Poultry Products Safety and Quality Peaks of Excellence Program. In 2008, she was named the Interim Director of the National Egg Processing Center (a partnership between eight institutions and the industry). Before coming to Auburn, she was a faculty member in the Department of Food Science at North Carolina State University and the Department of Animal and Food Science at the University of Wisconsin at River Falls.

Curtis’s research and extension/outreach programs on poultry and egg safety and quality have generated numerous invited presentations in regional, national, and international meetings. Multiple book chapters, journal articles, abstracts, trade magazines articles, extension publications, and three patents provide insight into her scientific productivity and the various areas of her efforts and time. Her areas of research expertise include applied research on poultry and egg products relating to microbial safety, processing technology, quality control, waste water, and water reuse. She has also served as chair of the S-1027 Multi-State Research Project, associate editor for Poultry Science, and the 2008–2009 chair of the National Alliance for Food Safety and Security. Other areas of interest include food laws and regulations, plant-employee safety, and consumer perceptions of food safety and acceptance of new technologies. She has taught courses both in traditional classrooms and in online distance education format.

Curtis’s academic work has been recognized, including the Poultry Products Research Award (2005), American Egg Board Research Award (2003), PSA Helene Cecil Leadership Award (2002), American Distance Education Council’s Excellence in Distance Education Award (2000), North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service Leadership Award (1997), and Wisconsin Teaching Fellow (1987). She has been active in PSA since 1982 and has served on a number of PSA committees including Early Achievement Award Committee (chair 2007–2008), Meat Science and Muscle Biology Symposium Planning Committee for PSA/ADSA/ASAS 2007 Annual Meeting, Texture Technologies Corp. Technical Support Personnel Award Committee (2003–2005), Helene Cecil Leadership Award Committee (2004–2006), Extension Workshop Planning Committee (1992–1994, 2007–2008), Professional Development Committee (1992–1993, chair 1994–1995), National Poultry Waste Management Workshop (1993–1994, 1999–2000), Triennial Regional Extension Poultry Specialists Workshop (1994, 2001), Special Task Force—Declining Numbers of University Poultry Departments (1995–1997), Associate Editor (1997–2005), Continental Grain Company Poultry Products Award Committee (1997–2003), Food Safety Committee (1998–2001), Electronic Publishing Committee (1999–2002), Annual Meeting Products Section Program Chair (2001), Food Safety Symposium Planning Committee for PSA/ADSA/ASAS Annual Meeting (2001), Foods of Animal Origin Symposium Planning Committee for PSA/ADSA/ASAS Annual Meeting (2001), and Poultry Products Award (2001–2003, chair 2002–2003).

 

 

Morgan B. Farnell

Morgan Farnell is an assistant professor and extension poultry specialist in the Department of Poultry Science at Texas A&M University. Farnell grew up on a cattle operation in northeast Texas and southwest Arkansas. He graduated from Southern Arkansas University with a BS degree in ag-business in 1996. Upon completing his degree, he worked for Tyson Foods as a processing plant debone supervisor at the Broken Bow/Grannis Complex. He then went on to pursue an MS degree in poultry science at Texas A&M under the direction of David Caldwell. His MS research concentrated on mechanisms to reduce Salmonella colonization of poultry. He graduated with an MS in 1999 and continued his graduate education with the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and USDA’s Agricultural Research Service under the supervision of Michael Kogut. His PhD research focused on signaling pathways associated with Toll-like receptor–mediated oxidative burst in chicken heterophils. Upon the completion of his PhD in 2003, Farnell accepted a research scientist position at the Institute for Animal Health in Compton, England, under the direction of Pete Kaiser to determine means to immunopotentiate the avian immune system. He later accepted a second postdoctoral fellowship at the USDA-ARS unit in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and worked with Ann Donoghue to develop novel ways of reducing food-borne pathogens in poultry. Upon completion of the Arkansas position, Farnell accepted his current position with the Texas AgriLife Extension Service, part of the Texas A&M System.

He has been an extension specialist and assistant professor at Texas A&M for 3.5 years. To date, Farnell has authored or coauthored 34 peer-reviewed publications and over a 100 presentations. Examples of his current research projects include disinfectant efficacy, egg quality, euthanasia, emergency management and planning, antibiotic alternatives, necrotic enteritis, and litter treatments. He is actively involved with the department’s youth development program including poultry shows, poultry judging contests, 4-H meetings, program support, eggs in the classroom, adult mentor workshops, the Poultry Institute for Youth and Jr. Market Poultry Workshop. These activities reach approximately 2,000 students per year. Farnell also teaches a poultry behavior class to 60 students per year. He serves on many committees and review panels within academia, industry, charities, and government.

 

 

 

 

Nancy S. Joseph

Nancy Joseph was born and raised in Alberta, Canada. She completed her BS in animal science at the University of Alberta and an MS at the same institution under the supervision of Frank Robinson. In 2001, Joseph moved to Auburn, Alabama, to commence a doctoral program with Ed Moran. After completing her PhD, Joseph moved to Ontario, Canada, and began working for Stratford Chick Hatchery Ltd. Her role as breeder technical services manager took her straight out of the lab and into the field. She integrated all of the breeder farm and flock information and created a data-collection system to track performance. In 2007, Joseph developed HACCP Pre-Requisite Programs and a Quality Assurance program in the hatchery including traceability and bacterial monitoring. Joseph lives in Kitchener, Ontario, with her fiancé Michael Leslie. 

 

 

 

 

Joseph P. Garner

Joseph Garner is an assistant professor of animal behavior and well-being in the Animal Sciences Department at Purdue University. He received his degree in zoology from Oxford University, UK, and went on to study for his doctorate in the Animal Behaviour Research Group at Oxford, in Georgia Mason’s lab. He moved to Joy Mench’s lab at the University of California at Davis for his postdoctoral research before taking up his current position in 2004.

Throughout his career, Garner has worked in parallel with rodent species in the laboratory and avian species in production settings. In avian species in general, Garner has worked on well-being and husbandry issues in poultry, songbirds, gamebirds, and parrots. In poultry, Garner has worked on a variety of issues including lameness, bill trimming, caging, and husbandry design in broilers, ducks, layers, and turkeys. Garner serves as a council member for the International Society for Applied Ethology, as an editor for Applied Animal Behavior Science, as a special topics section editor for the Journal of Animal Science, on the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care board of trustees, and on the Scientific Advisory Board of the Trichotillomania Learning Center. Garner recently won the prestigious Universities Federation for Animal Welfare Professor William Russell Research Fellowship for his work in rodent well-being.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jason T. Lee

Jason Lee is a native of San Antonio, Texas. He received a Bachelor’s of Science degree in poultry science at Texas A&M University in 2001. On completion of his BS, he immediately enrolled in graduate school under the direction of A. Lee Cartwright in the Poultry Science Department at Texas A&M University and graduated with a Master’s of Science degree in nutrition in 2002. He continued at Texas A&M University toward the completion of his PhD under the direction of David Caldwell. During this period, he served as a lecturer and academic advisor in the Poultry Science Department until completion of his doctorate in 2006.

He joined the faculty in the Poultry Science Department at Texas A&M University in 2007 as an assistant professor with both a teaching and research appointment. He currently teaches Introductory to Poultry Science, Introductory to Poultry Science Laboratory, and Poultry Judging each semester and delivers guest lectures in several animal science courses. Lee has also developed an online version of the Introductory to Poultry Science course, which is now available to students across the country with an annual enrollment of approximately 70 students. From the Poultry Judging course he has fielded and coached five National Championship teams and five High Individual participants at the US Poultry and Egg Association and National Collegiate Poultry Judging contests. Currently he serves as an academic advisor for undergraduate students and three Master’s candidates. He serves as chair for the departmental curriculum and undergraduate assessment committees and is a member of the scholarship committee. His research program focuses on improvement of performance and enhancement of nutrient utilization in poultry. He has been a member of the Poultry Science Association since 2001.v

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Michael J. Ford

Michael J. Ford, University of Kentucky, is the 2009 recipient of the Tyson Foods Inc. Support Personnel Award. This award and $500 honorarium is to acknowledge the long-term (5+ years) contributions of support personnel and to recognize their work as being critical to the ability of faculty to receive the awards for which they are eligible to compete.

Ford was raised in rural Indiana and received his formal education from Purdue University (BS in 1981) and Oklahoma State University (MS in 1984). He came to the University of Kentucky in 1985 as a research specialist. His assignment with poultry began in 1991.

His duties include “anything that has anything to do with the poultry farm,” as his supervisors Austin Cantor and Anthony Pescatore have directed. Ford has been able to help the University of Kentucky become an outstanding center of poultry research through his hard work and attention to detail. All experiments concerning poultry are conducted under his direction, which includes facility preparation, feed mixing, animal procurement, data collection, data management, and tissue sampling. Ford adheres to strict experimental protocol and Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee guidelines and is a certified National Poultry Improvement Plan bleeder and tester. He also assists with teaching students in Introductory Animal Science, Poultry Production and Artificial Insemination. Every year Ford helps with local community elementary schools by providing eggs for classroom incubation projects and providing in-class education to students and teachers about poultry’s myths and facts in current day production. Agriculture extension agents statewide call on Ford to provide fertile eggs for their county’s incubation projects. He also is involved in conducting the state and national 4-H poultry judging, barbeque and egg recipe contests, and the national FFA Poultry Career Development Event. Ford has helped several MS and PhD graduate students with their research projects by teaching them animal management techniques. His hard work ethic has set an example for the many undergraduate students whom he recruited to work at the farm where they have gained valuable experience with poultry.

Improvements to the poultry facility have been numerous during Ford’s tenure. He has been able to complete over $125,000 of enhancements including the acquisition of a 105 KW generator with automatic transfer, remodeling and upgrading the overall look of the facility, insulating and upgrading research rooms, and maintaining a positive image of poultry and the facility on behalf of the University of Kentucky.

Ford has been able to help Cantor and Pescatore in presenting and representing the University of Kentucky abroad. Data generated from the university’s program have been presented by Ford on or at Alltech’s Latin American Tour; World Poultry Show (WPS) meetings in Montreal, Canada; WPS meetings in Istanbul, Turkey; WPS meetings in Brisbane, Australia; and Regional Project S-321 Water Quality representation touring New Zealand.

Ford is a member of PSA, WPSA-USA Branch, and the Kentucky Poultry Federation. He is a regular attendee of PSA annual meetings, the International Poultry Expo in Atlanta, Kentucky Poultry Federation annual meetings, and the Alltech Symposium annual meeting. His oversight of poultry farm operations for the Alltech/University of Kentucky Nutritional Alliance on Coldstream is considered superb. In 2006, Ford was honored in Kentucky by being inducted into the Kentucky Poultry Hall of Fame.

Rachel L. Dennis

Rachel L. Dennis, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, was the recipient of the Alltech Manuscript Award for her manuscript titled “Serotonergic Mediation of Aggression in High and Low Aggressive Chicken Strains.” The paper was coauthored by Z. Q. Chen and H. W. Cheng.

Dennis was born in Thousand Oaks, California, and raised in Warrenton, Virginia. She received her BS in biology with a minor in chemistry from George Mason University and her MS in animal and avian sciences from the University of Maryland under the direction of Inma Estevez. As a master’s student, she conducted her thesis research on the effects of marks on aggression in broilers and received several awards including the Outstanding Master’s Student award.

She recently received her PhD from Purdue University as part of the PUN Interdisciplinary Neurosciences program under the direction of her major advisor Heng-wei Cheng of the Livestock Behavior Research Unit of the USDA. The main topic of her research is the neural plasticity of aggression in laying hens, specifically the involvement of the serotonergic and dopaminergic systems in regulating aggressive behaviors. Her research is aimed at identifying neural indicators that can be used in selecting for low aggressive individuals in poultry breeding programs. She also received a competitive research grant from the Animal Welfare Institute to fund research on the effects of different identification systems on the aggression and stress of laying hens. She received the Early Graduate Career Award from Purdue’s Animal Science Department, the Graduate Student Excellence award from the Graduate Student Government, has published several peer-reviewed journal articles, has served as a graduate chair of the Animal Science Graduate Student Association, and is a member of the Poultry Science Association.

 

 

Lindsay M. Stevenson

Lindsay Stevenson grew up on a small grain farm in northwest Ohio. She attended The Ohio State University, majoring in animal sciences. She received her BS in 2004. She attended Auburn University for graduate school, working under Wallace Berry and studying the reproductive effects of soybean phytoestrogens. Stevenson received her MS in 2007 and is continuing at Auburn University with Berry to work on her PhD in the same area. She plans to graduate in August 2010.

 

 

 

Jerry A. Cherry is a native of Dayton, Texas. He received his BS degree from Sam Houston State University and his PhD from the University of Missouri. He joined the faculty in the Department of Poultry Science at Virginia Tech in 1972. There he distinguished himself as an outstanding extension specialist, teacher, and researcher, and he rose through the academic ranks, being promoted to associate and full professor. His research in the areas of growth, nutrient utilization, lipid metabolism, body composition, and nutrition/genetic interactions in poultry was respected internationally and was supported by federal funding agencies including the National Institutes of Health. Cherry received numerous teaching awards while on the faculty at Virginia Tech, and students named a scholarship in his honor when he left his position there. In 1986, he joined the University of Georgia (UGA) as Head of the Department of Poultry Science, serving in that capacity until 1995. He was named Associate Dean for Research for the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) at UGA in 1996 and held that position until his retirement in 2008. At UGA, his leadership was recognized as being instrumental in continuing to build on the reputation the Department of Poultry Science enjoyed as one of the most productive departments in the country. During his tenure as Associate Dean for Research, the UGA CAES became a national leader in competitive grant funding, refereed journal publications, and research citations. As a Department Head and Associate Dean, he demanded and rewarded excellence while maintaining a low-key, often humorous, management style. He served on the board of directors of the Poultry Science Association from 1987 to 1989 and as president of the association from 1993 to 1994. Cherry has been a champion for the discipline of poultry science throughout a long, productive, and nationally recognized career. He has been a stellar scientist, teacher, and administrator, but those who know him best would state his greatest contribution has been as a friend, colleague, mentor, and counselor to countless graduate students, young faculty, and colleagues.

 

 

 

Patricia (Scotti) Y. Hester, professor of animal sciences, has been a member of the Purdue University faculty since December 1976. Her BS in poultry science and PhD in poultry physiology are from North Carolina State University under the mentorship of J. Paul Thaxton. As a recipient of a Nicholas Fellowship sponsored by Cuddy Farms, she spent a six-month sabbatical in Strathroy, Ontario, in 1987. She has been a member of the Poultry Science Association since 1977, serving as secretary-treasurer from 1991 to 1994, director from 1994 to 1996, and president in 2005. She was the PSA representative to the Federation of Animal Science Societies (FASS) board of directors from 2006 to 2008. Additional professional memberships include the USA branch of the World’s Poultry Science Association (past director on the board), CAST, Gamma Sigma Delta, and Phi Kappa Phi. She served on two National Research Initiative Review Panels in 2006 and 2008 and was a team member of USDA-CSREES Program Reviews for two departments in 2002 and 2005. Hester is a member of the scientific advisory committee for the United Egg Producers and Humane Farm Animal Care. She led a team of esteemed poultry scientists from a wide array of universities and industry to update welfare guidelines for the care and use of poultry in university research and education (the poultry chapter of the FASS “Ag Guide.”). Her research centers on skeletal abnormalities, including osteoporosis. Hester has published 97 refereed journal articles, 7 proceeding papers, 1 book chapter, and 120 abstracts. She has received grant and gift monies totaling $2.85 million. She currently teaches a graduate level course in avian physiology and also assists with the Avian Physiology course taught at the Midwest Poultry Consortium at the University of Wisconsin. In addition, she teaches an undergraduate capstone class to seniors titled Commercial Poultry Management.

 

Susan J. Lamont grew up in Illinois and received her BA from Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, Illinois, with a biology major and a chemistry minor. It was there that she experienced her first taste of experimental biology and realized that if she could make a career in scientific research, then working would feel like playing. Her observation proved to be accurate. She earned her PhD in 1980 from the University of Illinois Medical Center with research on cellular immunity in chickens. Her first strong mentorship from the poultry science community, however, occurred when she was a postdoctoral research associate under the guidance of J. Robert Smyth, Jr., at the University of Massachusetts. Lamont has been on the faculty in the Department of Animal Science at Iowa State University since 1983, advancing through the ranks to her present position of C. F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor. She also served as the department head from 2001 to 2003. Lamont has devoted her professional career to the advancement of excellence in poultry science research and education. She holds the rare distinction of being recognized as an expert in two distinct fields—poultry genetics and poultry immunology—and for her ability to effectively merge these disciplines in an integrative fashion to address issues of relevance to the poultry industry. She has documented her laboratory’s discoveries by publication of nearly 200 peer-reviewed papers, invited symposium proceedings papers, and book chapters. Lamont is a frequent invited speaker at national and international poultry science conferences, including symposia at the Poultry Science Association annual meeting and international venues in Brazil, Canada, Cyprus, China, France, Germany, Japan, Scotland, and Turkey. Lamont also generously contributes her time and expertise to the profession, especially in the area of evaluation of quality, such as research grant review panels and journal review boards. She served twice on the Scientific Organizing Committee of the World’s Poultry Congress and currently serves on the review boards for four scientific journals: Poultry Science, Avian Biology Research, Journal of Heredity, and Animal Biotechnology. She has also served the Poultry Science Association in such functions as Ancillary Scientist Symposium organizer, evaluator of student presentations, and member or chair of several committees. Lamont’s achievements in poultry research, teaching and advising, and service to the university and her profession have been recognized by receipt of many prestigious awards. Among these awards are the Rossmann-Mannatt Faculty Development Award, 2007; Midwest Poultry Consortium, Outstanding Service Award, 2005; Gamma Sigma Delta, Mission Award for Research, 2004; Iowa Board of Regents Faculty Excellence Award, 2001; and Iowa State University Foundation Award for Outstanding Achievement in Research, 1999. The Poultry Science Association has recognized Lamont by awarding her the Merck Award for Achievement in Poultry Science in 2007 and the Helene Cecil Leadership Award in 2003. She views these honors as reflective of the high quality and productivity of her many outstanding students, staff, and professional colleagues with whom she has had the pleasure to work.

 

Edwin T. Moran, Jr., originated in Wall Township in central New Jersey. His poultry interests began with vocational agriculture at Manaquan High School. This interest was furthered when he attended the College of Agriculture at Rutgers University, where he obtained an undergraduate degree. Further schooling at the University of California at Davis and Washington State University at Pullman led to graduate degrees that accentuated his focus on poultry science. Moran joined the Department of Poultry Science at the Ontario Agricultural College in 1964, which evolved to become part of the University of Guelph. While in Canada, studies on broiler nutrition were developed and extended beyond live performance to carcass and meat. At the time, body fat was a consumer issue, and experimentation employing nutrition to manipulate whole carcass grade as well as improve parts yield for fast-food purposes dominated studies. In 1986, Moran joined the Poultry Science Department at Auburn University in Alabama. A program was developed that continued nutrition of broilers, only the emphasis changed to further processing, meat yield, and quality issues that dominated broiler production. Concurrently, effort at understanding the contribution of breeder and incubation to eventual meat yield was initiated to foster developmental nutrition. Moran’s formal teaching was largely devoted to graduate students, where an examination of feedstuff use by the gastrointestinal system complemented ongoing research. He was fortunate to have many exceptional MS and PhD students who greatly enhanced his program. Moran’s primary professional interests have been the Poultry Science Association, World’s Poultry Science, and the International Poultry Scientific forum. His activity in the Poultry Science Association has been particularly extensive since joining in 1960 and has involved a full range of participation. His broad and avid interest in poultry science continues.

 

 

David A. Roland, Sr., Auburn University, received his BS in agriculture in 1966 and his PhD in 1970 from the University of Georgia. Following his PhD, he was employed as an assistant professor at the University of Florida. In 1976 he joined the Department of Poultry Science at Auburn University, where he taught undergraduate and graduate nutrition and conducted basic and applied research. He supervised 20 master’s and PhD students, most of whom won regional or national awards (16) based on their research. Roland has received 42 honors or awards for excellence and service to the poultry industry including the Robert E. Saffle award, Poultry Science Association research award, American Egg Board Egg Science award, Auburn University Directors Research award , the Alumni Foundation Distinguished Professor award, the Distinguished Graduate Faculty Lecturer award, the Distinguished Service award by the Alabama Poultry and Egg Association, and the American Feed Industry Association Nutrition Research award. In 1992, he was awarded a Distinguished University Professorship, the highest position a professor can obtain at Auburn University, with less than 1% of the faculty eligible to receive the award. In 2008, he was selected as one of the top four graduates of the Poultry Department at the University of Georgia. Roland has an outstanding record of service to professional and scientific organizations, serving on numerous committees in the course of his career. He has been a reviewer for at least seven scientific journals. Roland’s early research efforts centered on calcium, vitamin D, eggshell quality, and phytase. More recent efforts have centered on amino acids and energy. Based on his data, he developed a new method of feeding that for the first time allowed the integration of econometrics and environmental control into nutritional programs. Roland believes research is of little use unless it is made available to be used by the industry. To increase the odds of his research being useful, he has worked closely with the egg industry, allied industry, and primary breeders. He has presented, authored, or coauthored 1,631 papers including 199 referred journal articles, 188 popular or technical articles, 241 proceeding or conference articles, 209 abstracts, and 17 books or book chapters. He has presented (mostly invited) 777 papers at various conferences, including 130 in foreign countries. More than 248 grants have been obtained to support his work. He has served as a technical consultant to companies or firms in most poultry states, many foreign countries, and all primary commercial egg breeders and is a member of numerous professional and honor societies.

 

 

 

Guoyao Wu

Guoyao Wu is recognized internationally for discovery of pathways for amino acid metabolism and nutrition in animals. His major discoveries include a functional urea cycle in the small intestine for ammonia detoxification; glutamine and proline as major substrates for citrulline and arginine synthesis in the small intestine; proline as a major substrate for polyamine production in the gut and placenta; arginine deficiency in milk as a factor limiting maximal growth of neonatal pigs; an unusual abundance of arginine or citrulline in allantoic fluid and recognition of arginine as an essential amino acid for placental and fetal development; elucidation of the arginine paradox for nitric oxide synthesis in endothelial cells; a regulatory role for arginine in reducing fat accretion and increasing muscle mass; dietary supplementation with glutamine and arginine to enhance postweaning growth performance of piglets and litter size of gilts, respectively; and supplementing arginine to liquid milk or metabolic activation of arginine synthesis increased muscle protein synthesis and weight gain in piglets. These pioneering and innovative findings advance fundamental knowledge of protein nutrition and offer important strategies for solving significant problems in animal agriculture and society related to survival, growth, development, and health of fetuses and neonates.