2010 PSA Awards

Kurt Lawrence

Kurt Lawrence is currently a research leader in the Quality and Safety Assessment Research Unit with USDA, ARS, at the Russell Research Center in Athens, Georgia. He attended the University of Georgia where he received BS (1985) and MS (1987) degrees in agricultural engineering and a PhD (1997) in biological and agricultural engineering. He has been with USDA ARS for 25 years and has spent the last 13 years developing systems to enhance food safety and quality in the poultry industry. Lawrence has co-developed and patented an imaging system to detect fecal and ingesta contaminants on poultry carcasses in processing plants. He has also developed and patented (pending) an imaging system to detect cracks in shell eggs (the subject of the award paper). Lawrence has authored or co-authored more than 70 peer-reviewed journal articles, more than 100 proceeding articles, and 1 book chapter and has been an organizer or moderator are more than 20 sessions at international meetings.

While completing her degree, she was employed by Tyson Foods Inc. as quality assurance superintendent at the Obion County Complex in Tennessee. Caudill received her MS in 2007 and currently works as a researcher for Marel Stork Poultry Processing in Gainesville, Georgia. She is also currently pursuing a master of public health through the University of Florida.

L. Lee Southern

Lee Southern was born in Mt. Airy, North Carolina, and raised on a small farm. He received his BS (1977) and MS (1979) degrees from North Carolina State University and his PhD (1983) from the University of Illinois. He started at Louisiana State University (LSU) in October 1982 and is currently Doyle Chambers Professor of Animal Science in the LSU Agricultural Center. He has directed 13 PhD and 21 MS students. He has been awarded 2 patents for his research with poultry and swine. He is the recipient of the American Feed Industry Nonruminant Nutrition Award, the LSU Phi Kappa Phi Award for Outstanding Research by Non-tenured Faculty, the First Mississippi Corporation Award of Excellence for Outstanding Work in the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station, the Gamma Sigma Delta Research Award of Merit, the Tipton Team Research Award in Recognition of Excellence in Research, and the Doyle Chambers Research Award in Recognition of Excellence in Research. Southern also has been recognized for his teaching by being named to the Gamma Sigma Delta Teaching Merit Honor Role in1995, 1997, 1998, and 1999. Southern serves as section editor for Poultry Science and he is on the editorial boards for the Journal of Animal Science and The Professional Animal Scientist. Previously, he served on the editorial board, as section and division editor for the Journal of Animal Science. He served as a member of the Committee on Animal Nutrition of the National Research Council Board on Agriculture and is currently Chair of the NRC Committee to revise the Nutrition Requirements of Swine. Southern has published more than 160 refereed publications.

Nickolas G. Zimmermann

Nickolas Zimmermann is an associate professor in the Department of Animal and Avian Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park. He earned BS and MS degrees in poultry science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and was awarded a joint PhD in poultry science and veterinary science from the same institution in 1981. His appointment is 70% extension and 30% teaching. His current research interests include drinking water quality, nutrient management, and environmental lighting. Zimmermann provides leadership for the Mid-Atlantic Nutrition Conference and is the treasurer of the Maryland Feed Industry Council that supports this educational program. He teaches Commercial Poultry Production, Avian Physiology, and Animal Food Safety and Processing. He is active in many Delmarva Poultry Industry activities including the annual Chicken Festival and the Delmarva Poultry Conference. Zimmermann serves as the Superintendent of the Maryland 4-H Poultry Judging Contest and is active on a Small Flock Owner Educational Program. He has been active in regional activities including the Mid-Atlantic Cooperative Extension Program on Practical Biosecurity and on Western- and Southern Multi-State USDA Projects focused on poultry water quality issues. His library contains all published volumes of Poultry Science (PS), World's Poultry Science Journal, British Poultry Science, and the Journal of Applied Poultry Science (JAPR). Zimmermann has been a PSA member since 1973 and has published 54 manuscripts and abstracts in PS or JAPR. He is past secretary/treasurer of PSA and has been active on many PSA committees including: Departmental Status, Professional Development, Animal Care and Poultry Welfare, and Environmental Quality (twice). Zimmermann is past PSA liaison to CAST and served on the FASS Committee on Environment, Waste Management, and Ecosystems. He has served as an Associate Editor for PSA and is currently on the Editorial Review Board for JAPR. . Zimmermann is past president of the American Poultry Historical Society and remains active as Chair of the Poultry Hall of Fame Award committee.

 

Wayne J. Kuenzel

Wayne Kuenzel received his BS and MS degrees from Bucknell University and his PhD from the University of Georgia. He served 2 years in the military in the US Army Medical Service Corps at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. He received a National Institutes of Health postdoctoral fellowship and studied with Ari van Tienhoven at Cornell University for 2 years and was a research associate for a third year. Kuenzel then became a faculty member in the Department of Poultry Science, University of Maryland, where he rose in rank from assistant professor to professor. He received 2 Fulbright Senior Fellowships for sabbatical years in the Roslin Institute in Edinburgh, Scotland, and Justus Liebig Medical School in Giessen, Germany. In the Roslin Institute he studied with Ian Duncan and Peter Sharp, and in Giessen, Germany, he joined the laboratory of Sabine Blähser. A third sabbatical year was spent in the Institute for Animal Science and Behavior in Celle, Germany, in the laboratory of Roland Grossmann. His main research program at the University of Maryland was investigating the neural regulation of food intake in poultry and neural regulation of early sexual maturation. He taught courses in avian physiology, genetics, and ornithology.

In 2000 Kuenzel joined the faculty in the Poultry Science Center, University of Arkansas, where he has developed a research program addressing the neuroendocrine regulation of reproduction and stress in poultry. He has received funding from the Arkansas Agriculture Experiment Station, Arkansas Science and Technology Authority (ASTA), Cobb-Vantress, National Science Foundation, and USDA/NRI Competitive Grants Program. He teaches a course, Brain and Behavior, and an Undergraduate seminar course.

Kuenzel is a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Ornithologist's Union, Poultry Science Association, Sigma Xi, and the Society for Neuroscience. On a personal note, he is married to Kimberley Kuenzel and has two daughters (Lauren and Carolyn) and a son (Jonathan).

Olayiwola Adeola

Olayiwola (Layi) Adeola is a professor of animal sciences at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. He received a Bachelor of Agriculture degree in animal science with first class honors from the University of Ife, Nigeria, in 1982. He earned both MS and PhD degrees with distinction from the University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada, in 1986 and 1989, respectively. Adeola accepted a faculty position as an assistant professor in the Department of Animal Sciences at Purdue University in 1991 and was promoted to associate professor in 1996 and to professor in 2001. He served as nonruminant nutrition section editor for the Journal of Animal Science from 2001 to 2005, is an associate editor of Poultry Science, an associate editor for the Canadian Journal of Animal Sciences, and was appointed to serve on the National Research Council Committee on Nutrient Requirements of Swine in 2010.

The research from Adeola's lab has contributed to the development of cost-effective diet formulation strategies for broiler chickens and pigs that improve the retention of energy, nitrogen, and phosphorus, the 3 most expensive components in the diets. Adeola has developed an internationally recognized research program in energy and nutrient utilization of nonruminant animals for improving the efficiency of lean meat production and minimizing the flow of nutrients through animal waste into the environment. His research in metabolizable energy, ileal digestibility of amino acids, and digestible phosphorus in feed ingredients are often cited. From 2004 through 2009, he authored or co-authored 60 refereed papers (including 40 broiler/duck nutrition-related refereed papers), 49 abstracts (including 29 broiler/duck nutrition-related abstracts), and 12 conference proceedings articles (including 8 broiler/duck nutrition-related conference proceedings articles). Adeola received the American Feed Industry Association Poultry Nutrition Research award in 2005, the Maple Leaf Duck Research Award in 2007, and the American Feed Industry Association Nonruminant Nutrition Research award in 2007.

Adeola and his wife, Mopelola, a registered nurse on faculty at Purdue University School of Nursing, are blessed with one son, Oluwatola.

Charles L. Hofacre

Charles L. Hofacre was born and raised in Wooster, Ohio, a small farming community in northeastern Ohio. He holds a BS in agriculture, MS in poultry science, and PhD in veterinary medicine from The Ohio State University and a Master of Avian Medicine and PhD in veterinary medical microbiology from The University of Georgia. His past professional positions include director of veterinary medicine for Cuddy Farms, Marshville, North Carolina, a turkey production company; vice president and board of directors member for Ross Breeders Inc. (now Aviagen), Huntsville, Alabama, a broiler breeder genetics company; and technical service manager for the Bayer Animal Health USA Poultry Business Unit. Currently, Hofacre is a professor and director of clinical services (Poultry Diagnostic and Research Center) at the University of Georgia's Department of Population Health in the College of Veterinary Medicine, Athens. In addition, he serves as executive director for the American Association of Avian Pathologists (AAAP), a professional organization for poultry veterinarians in the Americas.

Hofacre has been the recipient of the American Association of Avian Pathologists Distinguished Avian Graduate Researcher Reed Rumsey Award (1987), University of Georgia Inventors Award (1999), University of Georgia Charles N. Dobbins Award for Excellence in Service (2008), and the American Association of Avian Pathologists Special Service Award (2008).

Hofacre's research focus surrounds practical health and food safety issues for the poultry industry. For example, research to determine the impact of antibiotic use in chickens and potential transfer of this resistance to humans via food-borne bacteria, such as Salmonella. He has published and presented his research findings surrounding use of competitive exclusion, water disinfection, other interventions for Salmonella reduction on farms, and studied understanding the epidemiology of salmonella from primary breeders to broilers. The international impact of his research is clearly evidenced by service on 2 FAO-WHO expert panels (antibiotic resistance; control of salmonella and campylobacter in chickens), and the U.S. Poultry and Egg Association sponsored International Committee on Zero Tolerance for Salmonella in Poultry.

Dr. Hofacre's current focus is completion of an online master of avian medicine program. This program, a collaborative effort between the University of Georgia and the University of Melbourne, will allow international poultry veterinarians to obtain graduate education in avian medicine. The overarching goal of this program is to increase the accessibility of knowledge to global levels and subsequently increase poultry health and decrease the incidence of food-borne illnesses worldwide.

Huaijun Zhou

Huaijun Zhou received BS and MS degrees from Yangzhou University in China. He earned a PhD in molecular genetics and immunogenetics in 2002 and an MS in bioinformatics and computational biology in 2003 from Iowa State University. Upon graduation, he became a postdoctoral research associate under the guidance of Susan Lamont at Iowa State University and then a research fellow at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. In 2006, Zhou moved to Texas A&M University, Department of Poultry Science, as an assistant professor. Zhou has focused on the molecular and cellular mechanisms of host-pathogen interaction in chickens using functional genomics approach. The bacteria his group studies, including Campylobacter jejuni, Salmonella enteritidis, and Clostridium perferingens, are food-borne pathogens that cause serious public health problems. His research group has developed a whole-genome chicken microarray to identify genes and signal pathways associated with genetic resistance to bacterial infection in chickens. Zhou has also used an advanced next-generation sequencer to identify microRNAs associated with avian influenza virus infection in chickens and has discovered many novel microRNAs that have not been identified in other species.

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.

James H. Denton

James H. Denton served as head of the Department of Poultry Science and director of the Center of Excellence for Poultry Science at the University of Arkansas from July 1992 until January 2002. During his time as director of the Center of Excellence and department head he provided oversight of the research, teaching, and extension education programs of 26 faculty members and 6 USDA scientists as well as 180 support staff. He provided oversight for over $30 million in new facility construction, primarily the 112,000 ft² Tyson Building, Pilot Processing Plant, Poultry Health Lab, Poultry Feed Mill, Applied Broiler Research Unit, and Broiler Breeder Research Unit. He also served as the secretariat and administrative advisor for the National Alliance for Food Safety and Security (NAFSS, 2005-2008), a partnership of 20 land-grant universities. He served on the NAFSS Board of Directors and Operations Committee from its inception in 1998 until he accepted his new role in 2005. He also served as president of the Poultry Science Association Foundation. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Harold E. Ford Foundation of the US Poultry and Egg Association.

Denton served as acting head of the poultry science department and as the associate department head-extension program leader in the Department of Poultry Science at Texas A&M University. During his appointment as poultry marketing specialist, Denton was involved in quality assurance and microbiological control systems for poultry processing firms and consumer education and training programs. He holds membership in the Poultry Science Association, Institute of Food Technologists, International Association for Food Protection, and World's Poultry Science Association. He also serves as president of the Poultry Science Association.

Denton has received several awards and honors, including American Poultry Historical Society Hall of Fame inductee (2007), Fellow of the Poultry Science Association (2003), The Poultry Federation Man of the Year (Arkansas; 2001), Texas Poultry Federation Devoted Service Award (1992), Texas Egg Council Appreciation Award (1987), and American Egg Board Research Award (1979).

Amy B. Batal

Amy Batal grew up in southern California and graduated from California Polytechnic State University in 1996 with a BS in animal science. Amy then moved to Ames, Iowa, where she completed a MS degree in poultry nutrition from Iowa State University in 1998. Batal then began her doctoral program in animal nutrition from the University of Illinois and completed her degree in 2001.

In 2002, Amy Batal began her appointment as an assistant professor at the University of Georgia. She was quick to establish effective communication with the poultry industry and provide the industry with critical information about feed ingredients. Specifically her results on the nutritional and feeding value of co-products from the biofuels industry helped the poultry industry in the United States and abroad stay competitive when feed prices were reaching record levels. Batal's research focuses on evaluating the nutritional and feeding value of by-products from the biofuels industry for poultry diets, changes in nutrient digestibility and gastrointestinal development with age, evaluating different methods to measure energy in growing and adult birds, and evaluating amino acid digestibility of feed ingredients. Batal's laboratory is one of the few in the United States capable of evaluating amino acid digestibility in feed ingredients via the precision-fed cecectomzied rooster assay. Her research and teaching program is complemented by a strong connection to the poultry industry and collaboration with industry nutritionists worldwide. She is frequently called upon to answer questions about ingredients as well as co-products from the biofuels industry. She has established an internationally recognized research program evaluating feed ingredients.

Batal has been invited to give numerous invited talks within the United States (21) and abroad (24), even though she has been a faculty member at the University of Georgia for only 8 years. Batal has published numerous papers (27 journal articles, 1 book chapter, 45 conference proceedings, 67 abstracts, and 23 popular press articles). She is also active in teaching and undergraduate recruitment.

Markus Rodehutscord

Markus Rodehutscord is professor of animal nutrition in the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Hohenheim, Germany, with duties in teaching, research, and administration. He grew up on a dairy farm and earned his diploma in agricultural sciences from the University of Bonn, Germany, in 1989. He was awarded the doctoral degree from the same university in 1992. Until 1999 Rodehutscord was a lecturer at the Institute of Animal Nutrition at Bonn University and was a guest researcher at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation in Perth, Western Australia, from 1996 to 1997. In 1999 he was appointed professor of animal nutrition at the University of Halle-Wittenberg, where he worked until his move to the University of Hohenheim in 2008.

Rodehutscord’s main research interests are the metabolism of amino acids and phosphorus in farm animals and related aspects of feed evaluation. He started his career with ruminant and rainbow trout projects. About 10 years ago he became involved in the poultry sector and since then he made poultry nutrition research a major field for his group. Together with his colleagues at Halle University, he conducted extensive studies with a focus on optimizing the feeding of modern-breed White Pekin ducks and reducing environmental burden with nitrogen and phosphorus from duck enterprises.

Rodehutscord is a PSA member and is active in both the German branch of World’s Poultry Science Association (WSPA) and the Working Group 2 (Nutrition) of the European Federation of WPSA. He is the president of the Society of Nutrition Physiology in Germany and member of the Committee for Requirement Standards. He is current chair of the Review Board for Agriculture, Forestry, Horticulture and Veterinary Medicine of the German Research Foundation. Since 2010, he has served as a section editor for Poultry Science (Metabolism and Nutrition).

Rodehutscord and his wife Adelheid are lucky parents of one daughter and three sons.

Geraldine R. Huff

Geraldine R. Huff (formerly Bayyari) returned to school after her youngest child entered first grade and finished her PhD in poultry science when she was 40! This delayed start was a definite advantage, because she was enabled to succeed by technologies that were not available earlier: photocopiers, calculators, and most importantly computers! She finished her PhD under the late Kirk Skeeles at the University of Arkansas, and her program focused on isolating and studying the pathogenicity of an Arkansas variant strain of infectious bursal disease virus. Her dissertation was awarded the Aubrey E. Harvey Graduate Research Award by the University of Arkansas Chapter of the Society of Sigma Xi in 1992. There did not seem to be much chance of getting a job at the University of Arkansas after graduation, but luckily the USDA/ARS opened its first new poultry lab in many years right there in Fayetteville. While Huff thought of herself as a virologist, the position she applied for was to determine the etiology of turkey osteomyelitis complex (TOC), presumably a bacterial disease. She took the position anyway!

Huff's research program has been focused on the study of stress-related susceptibility to bacterial infections in turkeys, especially Escherichia coli infections. Skeeles had always said in his classes that E. coli was the number one bacterial disease problem in poultry and the number two disease problem, next to coccidiosis. Huff discovered that TOC is caused by the effects of production-related stressors on fast-growing male turkeys and leads to immunosupression. This research has emphasized the effects of genetic selection for fast growth on immunity as well as the importance of reducing production stressors, particularly transport stress. An experimental model using dexamethasone and E. coli to cause TOC was developed to confirm that stress affects turkey immune response and can result in respiratory infection with bacteria from the litter, which cause the muscle, joint, and bone infections characteristic of TOC. This research suggests that reducing production stressors or modulating the response to those stressors will improve turkey health and production, turkey welfare, and the safety of turkey products. The development of this model was honored with the USDA, Southern Plains Area Early Career Research Scientist Award in 1998. Huff has also contributed to determining the etiology and impact of proventriculitis in broiler chickens, is involved in team projects studying the efficacy of bacteriophage therapy for treatment and prevention of disease in chickens and turkeys, and studies bone physiology and the acute phase response in chickens and turkeys. Her work is currently focused on strategies for modulating the turkey stress response to improve immunity to bacterial food borne pathogens and developing an experimental model for turkey gangrenous dermatitis.

 

 

Dennis R. Ingram

Dennis Ingram is a native of Arkansas and received a BS in animal science and MS in poultry science from the University of Arkansas. He received a PhD from the University of Florida in poultry science. Ingram has been at Louisiana State University for 28 years, and during this time has taught numerous classes. He currently teaches Intro to Poultry Science, Poultry Judging, Poultry Biology, Poultry Management, Introduction to Life Sciences I, and Introduction to Life Sciences II. Other responsibilities that he holds include curriculum coordinator for animal, dairy, and poultry sciences and honors advisor for the College of Agriculture. He has directed 20 honors theses for undergraduates and 18 graduate students in the MS program. His research interests include poultry incubation, broiler breeder management, and nutrition.

 

R. Michael Hulet

R. Michael Hulet is an associate professor and extension poultry scientist in the Department of Poultry Science at The Pennsylvania State University. Hulet is a native of Utah. He received his BS and MS degrees in animal science from Brigham Young University and his PhD in poultry science from Texas A&M University. He has been a poultry specialist for meat birds for the past 17 years at Penn State. Previously, he was a turkey extension specialist at Virginia Tech for 12 years. His primary focus has been the development of educational and applied research programs with emphasis on incubation and hatchability as well as poultry production management and environmental issues. Working collaboratively with others in the Department of Poultry Science, he has been instrumental in conducting successful educational programs for hatchery workshops and meetings, regional game bird breeders and shooting preserve conferences, and poultry industry symposiums. He has also developed and supervised a poultry production and management undergraduate course for the past five years and co-advised a recent student poultry tour to the Netherlands. Hulet has also helped plan the biannual National Poultry Waste Management Seminar since 1988 and served as the chair in 2004.

In the past five years, Hulet has spoken at more than 30 professional meetings nationally and internationally. His work has included the applied research areas of incubation management, turkey growth performance, improvement of carcass quality, turkey nipple drinker evaluations, dust and ammonia mitigation by use of vegetative buffers, and mass depopulation techniques. Other recent educational publications such as 8 "YouTube" clips for Thanksgiving distribution and short radio informational spots were widely viewed and informational for the general public. Hulet has authored or co-authored 8 peer-reviewed publications and 25 abstracts in the past 5 years. He has served on several PSA committees (Extension Affairs, Environment, Nominations, Hyline International Award; Production, Environment, and Management Section Meeting Chair; and associate editor of Poultry Science) and on the Board of Directors and Treasurer for PAACO. He currently serves as the Secretary-Treasurer of PSA.

 

 

Patricia Y. Hester

Patricia (Scotti) 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 6-month sabbatical in Strathroy, Ontario, Canada in 1987. She has been a member of the Poultry Science Association (PSA) since 1977, serving as president in 2005. Hester is a member of the scientific advisory committee for the United Egg Producers and Humane Farm Animal Care. Hester 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 102 refereed journal articles, 7 proceeding papers, 1 book chapter, and 122 abstracts. She has received grant and gift monies totaling $2.8 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."

 

 

 

Darrin M. Karcher

Darrin Karcher was born and raised in Ohio. He graduated from the Ohio State University in 2001 with a BS in agricultural education. He then traveled to the University of Wisconsin and earned an MS in animal science in 2003. Next, Karcher began a PhD program at Purdue University and completed his degree in 2007. Thereafter, he began his career at Michigan State University as the poultry extension specialist.

At Michigan State, Karcher has been charged with developing a strong poultry extension program. His focus revolves around youth, hobby flocks, and commercial industry. He has created numerous opportunities for youth including the one-day Bi-State Poultry Clinic with Ohio State University. He has obtained several internal grants to develop these youth opportunities with additional programming starting in 2011. Karcher has participated in and developed numerous adult education classes including an animal handlers' clinic for emergency first responders and small flock workshops, covering the basics of poultry production and management for the backyard enthusiast. He strives to educate the general public through numerous TV, radio, and newspaper interviews as well as by developing public service announcements broadcast around Michigan on local TV stations.

Karcher's interactions with the industry involve organizing educational programs every winter for producers and working with the Michigan Department of Agriculture to hold depopulation exercises as a hands-on approach for volunteers who may be recruited to assist in an emergency. He continues to seek grant funding to establish a competitive applied research program to address producer concerns about turkey skeletal issues and laying hen nutrition. Karcher works across state lines with other industry producers and other extension personnel from the Midwest by serving on the Multi-State Poultry Health and Management School, Multi-State Poultry Nutrition Conference, and Midwest Poultry Federation education committees.

 

 

 

 

Benjamin Wood

Ben Wood graduated from the University of Queensland in 1996 with a BVS (DVM) and went on to work in mixed large animal veterinary practice in Australia and the United Kingdom for the next 4 years. He returned to Australia and the University of New England to complete a PhD in quantitative genetics in beef cattle production graduating in 2005. During the 5 years since graduation Wood has been employed as a geneticist by Hybrid Turkeys, a primary turkey breeding company located in Ontario, Canada.

Wood is responsible for breeding program research and development within Hybrid Turkeys as well as with external partners, such as the USDA, University of Guelph, University of Alberta, and Iowa State University. Research over the previous 5 years has led to several peer-reviewed journal articles (5), proceedings (6), abstracts (9), and industry technical papers (9). These publications have been on aspects of poultry science in the veterinary and genetics fields, including Mycoplasma in turkeys together with economic and quantitative trait modeling.

Since 2005 Wood has been an invited lecturer at the University of Guelph, where he teaches undergraduates turkey and layer genetics. He is currently an adjunct with the Department of Animal and Poultry Science and actively serves as a supervisor for graduate students at the University of Guelph and University of Sydney. Wood has also successfully written grants for research projects in the past 3 years to fund graduate and postdoctoral turkey research.

 

 

 

 

 

Rami A. Dalloul

Rami A. Dalloul's journey with poultry began as a little boy on the family farm in Lebanon where he grew up. He attended the American University of Beirut and received a bachelor's in animal sciences and a master's degree in poultry science. Dalloul attended the University of Maryland (College Park) to earn a doctoral degree under John Doerr. While at Maryland, he studied gut immunity in the context of probiotic feeding and coccidiosis, a disease that was the focus of his postdoctoral research.

Dalloul and family moved to Virginia Tech in Blacksburg and quickly found themselves at home as part of the Hokie Nation. Since joining the faculty of the Department of Animal and Poultry Sciences in 2007, Dalloul established the Avian Immunobiology Laboratory focusing his research on host-pathogen interaction and poultry immunology in addition to serving as a leading member for the turkey genome sequencing project. With a heavy research appointment, he has attracted more than $1 million in external funding, has published and submitted 10 manuscripts, and is currently mentoring 3 graduate (2 PhD and 1 MS) and 2 undergraduate students. Additionally, he acts as an advisor for 9 undergraduates and co-advisor to the Poultry Club. Dalloul also developed and is teaching the Poultry Lab course, Contemporary Issues in Animal Sciences, and advanced topics in immunology and molecular biology.

Dalloul owes his early success to the highly collegial and supportive environment within his department, college and university overall, to his colleagues and students, and most of all to his family for providing unconditional love and support.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert B. Beckstead

Robert B. Beckstead, a native of Idaho, received a BS degree from Brigham Young University; a PhD from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas; and performed postdoctoral work at the University of Utah. He joined the faculty of the Department of Poultry Science at the University of Georgia (UGA) in 2007. He currently teaches Molecular Diagnostic and Research Tools in Avian Biology, Freshman Seminar—Chickenology: Everything You Need to Know About Chickens, and Methods in Biotechnology Lab. Beckstead has trained more than 12 undergraduate students in his lab under the Special Problems in Poultry Science Course and 2 high school students under the College of Agriculture and Environmental Science Young Scholars Program. He serves as the academic advisor of approximately 20 undergraduates.

Beckstead is a member of the Department of Poultry Science, Applied Biotechnology, and University of Georgia Premed Curriculum Committees. He is a UGA Lilly Teaching Fellow and member of a Faculty Learning Community aimed at globalizing the undergraduate curriculum in the College of Agriculture and Environmental Science. He is also a member of PSA's Alltech Student Research Manuscript Award Committee and The Hatchery Committee. His commitment to poultry science education is shown through the effort he has made in establishing new curriculum and the enthusiasm he passes on to all students in the field of poultry science and the use of molecular biology in this field.

In addition to his role in undergraduate education, Beckstead is focused on improving graduate education. He is the advisor for the Graduate Student Poultry Science Club and teaches the Graduate Poultry Science Seminar Course. He is currently the major professor of 3 graduate students and on the thesis committees for 3 other students. His current research is focused on the areas of transgenesis in chickens and molecular characterization of histomoniasis in poultry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jesse J. Lyons

Jesse J. Lyons was raised in rural Missouri and active with a broiler chicken project in FFA while in high school. He received his college education from the University of Missouri (BS in forestry, 1973) and (MS in poultry management, 1982). He worked on the university's poultry farm as an undergraduate and became a full-time employee in 1972. He was later promoted to research specialist and worked with Joe Vandepopuliere. More recently he has carried an IT responsibility within the animal sciences division and has served as poultry resource contact for Missouri extension. Lyons is author or coauthor for more than scientific 50 articles and oral presentations, most of which have been published in Poultry Science and The Journal of Applied Poultry Research.

Lyons is a member of PSA, WPSA-USA Branch, American Poultry Historical Society (APHS), and Xi Sigma Pi Honorary Fraternity. He is a regular attendee of PSA annual meetings, International Poultry Expo in Atlanta, and Midwest Poultry Federation Meeting in Minnesota. He serves as secretary of the APHS, has served on the board of APHS, and served as chair of the PSA Membership Committee and the PSA-APHS Historical Award Committee. Lyons is a reviewer for The Journal of Applied Poultry Research. He teaches a section of the AnSci1065 lab practicum course, which introduces approximately 200 students each year to poultry science. He has been superintendent of the Missouri State FFA Poultry Career Development Event (1992 to present), assists with 5 of the 6 district events, and is on the National FFA Poultry Committee (1998 to present). He has conducted the Missouri 4-H Poultry Judging Contest since 1992 and has expanded this program into the Missouri 4-H Poultry Day each summer that is now drawing 4-H youth and leaders from neighboring states. He also is on the Specialist Committee of the National 4-H Chicken and Egg Conference and is superintendent for the Missouri and the National Chicken and Turkey Barbecue Contests. He is a master exhibitor of White Leghorns and personally keeps flocks of old line New Hampshire and of Dark Cornish for demonstrating older meat breed characteristics.

Lyons is frequently called upon to judge youth poultry and market poultry shows and uses these opportunities to meet with youth interested in poultry. According to Rose Foster of the Missouri Poultry Health and Improvement Program of the Missouri Department of Agriculture, "Jesse's university course instruction and involvement with 4-H and FFA participants impacts future poultry producers and consumers. These young people are better informed and educated about food safety, biosecurity, and poultry health concerns." She continued, "Jesse brings a high degree of professionalism, dedication, and enthusiasm that are ideals for us all."

Lyons has received the Honorary Missouri FFA degree, Honorary National FFA degree, State Subject Matter Specialist-Meritorious Service Award from the MAE4-HYW Association, and most recently the Outstanding Staff Award in the College of Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources at the University of Missouri.

Benjamin Dorshorst

Ben Dorshorst was born in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin, and grew up on his family's dairy farm in Junction City. He is a graduate of Lincoln High School and received a BS in poultry science and dairy science from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. As an undergraduate, he received the Cargill/N.J. Benevenga Award for Undergraduate Research and Scholarship while working with Bernie and Alice Wentworth to investigate genetic mechanisms of skin hyperpigmentation in the Silkie chicken. Dorshorst completed a PhD in functional genomics at North Carolina State University in 2009, where he continued work on the genetics of skin pigmentation and on antibody response QTL mapping. Dorshorst has taught lab courses on genome mapping, gene expression microarrays, and real-time PCR in addition to mentoring several undergraduate research projects during his PhD studies. In the fall of 2010 he will be joining Leif Andersson's research group at Uppsala University in Sweden to characterize functional aspects of mutations contributing to pigmentation, morphological variation, and domestication loci in the chicken.

 PhD.

 

 

Byoungyun Jung

Byoungyun Jung is the recipient of the 2010 Maurice Stein Fellowship Award. Jung received BS and MS degrees in Department of Animal Science and Technology, Chung-Ang University, South Korea. During his MS program in a monogastric animal nutrition laboratory, Jung's study and research were mainly focused on nutrition and management of animals, with emphasis on broilers, layers, broiler breeders, and pigs. Under the direction of Inkee Paik, Jung completed his MS with a thesis title of "A study on evaluation of new supplementations (Glutinicus, Chitosan product, Aspergillus oryzae) to diets" (2005). In 2006, Jung worked at the Foreign Animal Disease Division, Department of Animal Disease Control, National Veterinary Research and Quarantine Service, South Korea, as an assistant researcher. To learn more, Jung started a PhD program in the poultry nutrition laboratory, Department of Poultry Science, University of Georgia, under the direction of Amy Batal. His research focuses primarily on the effects of dietary nucleotides on performance, intestinal morphology, and the immune system under a variety of stress conditions, such as experimentally induced coccidiosis, high stocking density, and dirty litter with broilers. Jung has also studied alternative poultry feed ingredients such as high-protein distillers dried grain, distillers dried grain with solubles, canola meal, and glycerin in broiler and layer feeds. In 2008 Jung received the Distillers Grain Technology Council Research Award, and he has presented his research from the University of Georgia at the Distillers Grain Technology Council Symposium (2008), Poultry Science Association annual meeting (2008), and the International Poultry Scientific Forum (2008, 2009, 2010). Jung is a member of the Poultry Science Association and World's Poultry Science Association.

 

 

 

Murray R. Bakst has systematically studied poultry reproduction and breeding technologies within ARS USDA for 33 years. His work spans from fundamental avian biology to applied poultry science and is covered in more than 130 professional publications. He has been invited to more than 90 national and international meetings organized by the poultry industry and academia, including nonavian, comparative biology societies. Bakst has received the National Turkey Federation Research Award (1994) and was the organizer of an international symposium that resulted in a proceedings and a manual. These publications address all aspects of artificial insemination technology, including poultry breeder management, semen collection, storage, evaluation, and fertility evaluation techniques (the manual is currently available in its second edition). The proceedings and manual continue to be extensively cited by scientists working with domestic and nondomestic birds. His current research interests include the use of testicular stem cells as the basis for producing transgenic poultry and the cellular and molecular basis for embryo mortality following egg storage.

Beyond his research, Bakst has served on the PSA Board of Directors (1998-2003), on the FASS Executive Committee, and on the FASS Board of Directors (2003-2006). During his years as a PSA member, Bakst has served on numerous committees and as an ad hoc reviewer for both of PSA's journals. Bakst was instrumental in the establishment of the Helene Cecil Leadership Award, was program chair for the 1999 PSA meeting, and overall program chair for the 2007 joint meeting with ADSA and ASAS. In 2007, he was awarded the FASS-sponsored AAAS Congressional Science Fellowship and subsequently served as a legislative assistant in the House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Currently, Bakst is PSA's CAST representative and is a member of the Maurice Stein Fellowship Award Committee.

 

 

 

Henry M. Engster received his undergraduate training in biology at St. Lawrence University and MS and PhD degrees from the University of Vermont. After completion of a PhD, he spent a year as a postdoctoral fellow at the Hormel Institute of the University of Minnesota before joining Ralston Purina/Purina Mills Inc. in St. Louis, Missouri, as a nutritionist in 1978. He remained with Purina Mills until 1990 and during this period took on ever-increasing technical and leadership responsibilities, including positions as senior nutritionist, research manager, and marketing and technical manager. In 1990 he joined Perdue Farms Inc. as director of turkey nutrition and research and later was promoted to director of nutrition; in 1998 he was promoted to his current position as vice president of technical services. He currently manages a staff of 34 professionals and is responsible for the nutrition, feed, and ingredient quality assurance and analytical laboratory services, genetics, and ingredient purchasing for all birds grown for Perdue. He also serves as the chair of the Perdue Poultry Welfare Council.

He has served the Poultry Science Association (PSA) as chair of the annual meeting (1990), director (1992-1994), second vice president (1995), first vice president (1996), and president (1997). In addition, Engster has been a member of numerous committees for PSA and has played an important role in plotting the future of this organization as a member of the Long-Range Planning Committee (1998-2000) and Foundation Board of Trustees (2005-2008). He has served as PSA's representative on the Federation of Animal Science Societies (FASS) Board of Directors (1997-1998). His involvement in science has resulted in 1 patent, 44 published articles, and numerous abstracts. Based on his extensive industry involvement and interest in poultry science, he has taken a lead responsibility in extending science to the companies that have employed him as well as the poultry industry in general. He has delivered many lectures for poultry industries and allied industries around the world.

Engster has also served as a member of the American Registry of Professional Animal Science Board of Directors (1988-1989), president of Maryland Feed Industry Council (1995), chair of US Poultry and Egg Research Advisory Council (1999), member of the NCC Technical and Regulatory Committee (2008-present), various roles with Delmarva Poultry Industry Inc. (DPI), including chair of the Research Advisory Board (1993), chair of the Nutrition Feed Manufacturing Committee (1995-1997), second vice president (2000), first vice president (2001), and president (2002) and continuing member of the Board of Directors.

Engster was also recognized in 2003 when he received the Outstanding Alumni Award from the University of Vermont and most recently in 2009 when he received the DPI J. Frank Gordy Sr. Delmarva Distinguished Citizen Award.

 

Andrew F. Giesen III has been an active member of PSA since 1977, when, as an Auburn University graduate student, he was conscripted to help host the annual meeting. Since then he has served on various committees, as an associate editor of Poultry Science and The Journal of Applied Poultry Research, on the Board of Directors and as president in 2006-2007. He has represented PSA on the Federation of Animal Science Societies (FASS) Board of Directors since 2007 and is currently president of FASS. Other professional service has included terms as director and vice president of the World's Poultry Science Association-USA Branch and president of the Southern Poultry Science Society. He is also a member of ARPAS-ACAN, Sigma Xi-Scientific Research Society, and the Academy of Science of St Louis.

A Louisiana native, Giesen was raised in the Florida Panhandle and in 1975 earned a BS in animal and dairy science from Auburn University. It was here that an elective course in poultry husbandry enlightened Drew to the advantages of avian species as a reproductive research model. He earned a MS in poultry science in 1979 and PhD in reproductive physiology in 1982, both at Auburn. A USDA appointment at the Beltsville Avian Physiology Laboratory allowed Giesen the opportunity to participate in the transfer of semen extension technology developed in the laboratory to commercial turkey operations. Giesen joined the Nutrition Chemicals Division of Monsanto Company and is now employed by its successor; Novus International Inc. Drew has enjoyed challenging assignments in research, product development, technical service, and sales and marketing, working globally across a of range species—terrestrial and aquatic, domestic and exotic.

Giesen is married to Linda J. Peterson, CFA, with whom he has two children, Joe and Carrie. He is active in his church, dabbles in politics, enjoys the out of doors, is proud of his successes in wildlife habitat restoration, and is an active participant in cancer research. Above all Drew values his family, friends, and memories.

 

Muquarrab A. Qureshi received DVM and MS degrees in microbiology from the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan. After serving for 6 years at the Faculty of Veterinary Science, Qureshi immigrated to the United States in 1981. He joined Rodney R. Dietert's avian immunogenetics research team at Cornell University on a project examining the geno- and immunotoxic effects of aflatoxin on the embryonic and posthatch chicken immune systems. In the fall of 1982 Qureshi started PhD studies under the mentorship of Dietert. After receiving a PhD in 1986 and serving a brief postdoc at Guthrie Medical Center in Sayre, Pennsylvania, Qureshi started his academic career at North Carolina State University (NCSU), Raleigh, as an assistant professor of poultry science and immunology in 1987. He was promoted as a tenured associate professor in 1993 and became a full professor in 1995. Qureshi developed and taught graduate-level courses in avian immunology and immunogenetics. In recognition of his excellence in teaching Qureshi was awarded the Outstanding Graduate Instructor Award by NCSU in 1998 and later the PSA's Purina Mills Teaching Award (2003). Qureshi also served as the director of the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program of Physiology (1994–1997); director of the Graduate Program of Poultry Science (1999–2003), and associate dean of the Graduate School of NCSU.

Qureshi's research program at NCSU focused on the role of avian macrophages in health and disease. He developed protocols for quantification of several macrophage effector functions that are modulated by nutrition, genetics, environment, and disease challenges. He developed a transformed chicken macrophage cell line from a splenic macrophage. This cell line, MQ-NCSU, when reported in 1990, was only the second such cell line available in the world. It continues to be used as a unique biological material by laboratories all around the world that study macrophage biology and function. During his active research career, Qureshi was considered an authority on chicken macrophage biology and effector functions. He published 116 peer-reviewed papers, 138 abstracts, 3 book chapters, 42 conference proceedings, and 2 patents/disclosures. He trained 9 PhD and 12 MS students and gave more than 100 invited scientific presentations in the US and around the world. His other selected honors include a Fulbright Scholar for Saudi Arabia and Jordan and UN delegate for Pakistan and Bangladesh; World Poultry Science Association invited speaker at PSA's meeting in Delaware (2002); Bruckner Memorial Award, Cornell University, for excellence in PhD research (1986); and Life-Time Accomplishments Award, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan (2001). Qureshi has been a member of PSA since 1982. His salient services to the association include section editor of Poultry Science as well as the chair of the overall scientific program of the PSA Centennial meeting at Niagara Falls, Canada, in 2008.

In 2003 Qureshi joined USDA's Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service as a National Program Leader of Animal Genetics. He is currently the director of the Animal Systems of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), an extramural agency of USDA that works primarily with the land-grant universities across the country. He also manages the National Animal Genome Research Program, which focuses on sequencing the genomes as well as translating the genomics information into positive gains for livestock, poultry, and aquaculture species.

 

 

Paul L. Ruszler was raised on an Indiana dairy farm with responsibility for the family chicken flock. Active in 4-H since age 8, he completed 76 4-H and FFA projects. He earned his BS in poultry science (1955) and MS in poultry management (1967) from Purdue and his PhD in poultry production, management, and environmental physiology (1970) from Texas A&M.

Ruszler worked for Quaker Oats Research Farms, Arbor Acres-Midwest, and then Shaver Poultry Breeding Farms, Cullman, Alabama. In 1972 he joined the University of Georgia, where he developed extension programs for commercial eggs, broiler breeders, and youth. He published the first extension bulletin on molting procedures (1973) and later adopted declawing after hatch to control hysteria in caged pullets. After Ruszler joined Virginia Tech (1976), he published a molting manual adopted by producers worldwide because of its humane aspects. In 1994, he pioneered full-fed molting techniques adapted for commercial use. He initiated a computer program for producers in 1980 and developed a total light control system for the Virginia broiler breeder and egg industries. He led a task force in 1984 to bring the avian flu epidemic in Virginia under control within 4 months. He initiated an integrated pest management program, adopted worldwide, to control houseflies with the Ophyra fly predator. And his manure management system initiated in 1988 became the basis for state-wide programs in Virginia.

Ruszler is a member of PSA (since 1968), WPSA, American Poultry Historical Society, and other poultry organizations. He has served twice on the PSA Nominating Committee and chaired a third term; chaired the Maurice Stein Award twice, and served on the Pfizer Extension Award Committee. He has served on the Professional Development Committee and has been PSA's voting delegate at the IFT Food Safety Workshop. He has been an associate editor of Poultry Science and has served on the review board of The Journal of Applied Poultry Research since its inception. He conceived and co-directed the Mid-Atlantic Layer Management Workshop for 10 years and served as instructor and section leader at the National Shell Egg Quality School for 20 years, twice receiving the Best Instructor Award. Ruszler was cofounder of the National Poultry Waste Management Program in 1988 and received the USDA Certificate of Appreciation and was appointed by the Governor to Virginia's Humane Animal Transportation Task Force, Egg Quality Assurance Program, and Egg Board. Ruszler has been described as the prototype Extension person, moving research to the farm and showing how research contributes to the welfare of man and birds. His work has included valuable contributions to molting, lighting, pullet rearing, beak trimming and declawing, waste management, zoning, animal welfare, and fly control.

Ruszler's awards include the Virginia Egg Council's Outstanding Industry Service Award, Certificates of Appreciation from DeKalb Ag Research Inc. and Virginia Poultry Federation, Rohm and Haas Public Information Award, Virginia Golden Egg Award, Eddie Mason Youth Award, and Rockingham Poultry Serviceman's Organization Award.

He developed and taught poultry production for 28 years and advanced poultry management for 5 years until retirement and chaired or served on 6 PhD and 9 MS committees with 1 student earning the PSA Certificate of Excellence Award. His students credit practical, hands-on experiences in the classroom and the field for their skills. Ruszler has served 20 years as Poultry Science Club Advisor at Virginia.

Although Ruszler did not have a research appointment, he has completed 20 extensive trials, authored 8 and co-authored 10 refereed journal articles, 56 abstracts, and more than 200 extension bulletins and reviewed more than 20 USDA Small Business Innovation Research Cooperative Education Grants.

 

 

 

Leland E. Tollett

Leland E. Tollett has been part of Tyson Foods for more than 50 years, serving in a variety of management positions, and continues to work as an executive for the company. Tollett joined Tyson in 1959 as director of research and nutrition and subsequently held executive management positions in the company’s broiler and production divisions before being named Tyson’s chief operating officer in 1981. Tollett became president and chief executive officer (CEO) in 1991 and served as chairman and CEO from 1995 to 1998, when he retired.

Tollett returned to lead Tyson Foods in January 2009, when he was named interim president and CEO. He held the position until November 2009 when Donnie Smith was selected as the company’s new president and CEO. Tollett served on Tyson’s board of directors from 1984 until early 2008. He has been a member of PSA and the Arkansas Poultry Federation and has served as president of the Arkansas Feed Manufacturers Association and as chairman of the National Broiler Council (now known as the National Chicken Council).

A native of Nashville, Arkansas, Tollett attended Southern State College (now known as Southern Arkansas University) and holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. He has also participated in seminars at the Harvest Business School.

STUDENT RESEARCH PAPER CERTIFICATE OF EXCELLENCE

 

 

Gary Hartnell

Gary Hartnell is a Senior Fellow at Monsanto Company where he has served since 1983. A native of Wisconsin, he earned a BS in chemistry from The University of Wisconsin-Parkside, and MS and PhD degrees in dairy science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Gary is the leading animal nutritionist for evaluating biotech crops. His efforts in the design and conduct of animal studies to evaluate crops derived from biotechnology, his collaborative efforts to improve study designs, and his outreach to scientific, industry, farm, and consumer groups have contributed to the rapid and widespread adoption of this technology. Gary was one of the first scientists to evaluate the nutritional quality and efficacy of biotech feeds when fed to animals such as dairy and beef cattle, swine, poultry, shrimp, and fish. Dr. Hartnell has collaborated on studies in approximately 18 countries and co-chaired an ILSI Task Force that developed two publications on procedures to accurately and comprehensively evaluate these biotech feeds. His contributions in this area alone include more than 30 peer-reviewed research publications, 52 abstracts, and six book chapters, and he has made numerous presentations in 25 countries. His research and educational efforts on biotech feeds has had a tremendous global impact on the nutrition of animals.

Hartnell has served as president of ADSA and of FASS. He is a member of ADSA, ASAS, PSA, ARPAS, and WAS. He is serving on the NAS NRC Board of Agriculture and Natural Resources.