2012 PSA Awards

For nearly 35 years, Vern L. Christensen has been a faculty member at North Carolina State University (NCSU). His areas of interest include fertility and hatchability of turkeys and broilers. In his career he published approximately 150 refereed papers in scientific journals, addressing primarily the physiology of turkey embryos. He has also presented more than 200 papers at scientific and industry meetings. These presentations were included in many international forums. In his career he was assisted greatly by colleagues in his department. He was very fortunate to work with many outstanding faculty members and graduate students who were also attracted to the Department of Poultry Science, NCSU. He directed the work of 10 MS and 7 PhD students. Christensen had a keen interest in birds from his earliest days. He was born and reared on a poultry farm in Utah. In his younger years his family raised chickens for the production of eggs but later his father changed directions for the poultry farm and began raising turkeys. Christensen’s interest in birds lay dormant for several years during his college undergraduate days as he obtained a BS degree in mathematics from Utah State University in 1972. After his graduation he entered the US Army, and during his service obtained the rank of captain in the US Infantry. During his tenure in the army, his dormant interest in the biology of birds was awakened. After his honorable discharge, he followed his heart to begin studying birds as he entered graduate school in the Department of Animal Science, Brigham Young University (BYU). He completed an MS degree in 1975 under the direction of N. Paul Johnston. He was the recipient of several scholarships while at BYU. His thesis was chosen as the outstanding thesis at the university for that year by the Sigma Xi chapter on that campus. His interest in the biology of birds was now waxing stronger as Johnston convinced Christensen that he should pursue further research. He was accepted into the physiology program at the University of Missouri under the direction of Harold V. Biellier and was the recipient of a Pacific Egg and Poultry Association Scholarship. During his time at Missouri, he was fortunate to become acquainted with Earnest B. Funk and James Forward who along with Dr. Biellier stirred in him an interest in the embryology of the turkey. At that time very little was known about the physiology of the turkey embryo so it proved to be a very fruitful area of research. He was awarded a PhD degree in physiology from the University of Missouri in 1978. After graduation from Missouri, he was persuaded to continue his interest in turkey embryo physiology by Robert E. Cook and joined the faculty at NCSU. This decision proved to be one of the most important that he made in his career as Cook and the other senior faculty members at NCSU mentored him. He worked as an assistant and associate professor of physiology and poultry science until 1987 when he was promoted to full professor. In 1983 he was awarded the Poultry Science Research Award and in 1994 he received the National Turkey Federation Research award from the Poultry Science Association. He received a supplemental Faculty Support Award from NCSU for teaching in 1985 for the development of a visual aid of egg formation done by laparoscopy. One of his proudest moments in his career was when his students nominated him to become a member of the Academy of Outstanding Teachers at North Carolina State University. He served as president of the Southern Poultry Science Society in 2004–05. Christensen has served the Poultry Science Association on numerous committees and twice as chair of the committee for the selection of the National Turkey Federation Research Award. He served as section editor of the education and production section of Poultry Science and served as an associate editor for the physiology section for nearly 20 years. He has also served on the editorial boards of The Journal of Applied Poultry Research, Biology of Reproduction, and British Poultry Science as well as an ad hoc reviewer for many other journals.
Christensen retired from NCSU in 2007 and has worked since that time as a statistical production analyst for a commercial turkey production company in Utah. He is currently serving as the president of the Western Poultry Disease Conference. He is very grateful to those who nominated and supported him as well as his colleagues at NCSU for this award.

Wayne J. Kuenzel received his PhD degree in 1969 from the University of Georgia under the direction of Carl Helms. He then served in the military for two years in the Medical Service Corps, US Army, Fort Sam Houston, Texas, where he was an instructor of human anatomy and physiology and chief of the Basic Sciences Branch. He received a National Institutes of Health Postdoctoral Fellowship (1971–73) and studied neuroendocrinology with Ari van Tienhoven at Cornell University. Kuenzel then spent a third year at Cornell as a research associate in poultry nutrition working with Malden Nesheim. Kuenzel’s academic career began at the University of Maryland (UM) in 1974 as an assistant professor of avian physiology in the Poultry Science Department. He later attained the ranks of associate professor and professor in 1978 and 1984, respectively. He spent three sabbatical years in Europe, the first at the Roslin Institute in Edinburgh, Scotland (1981–82), Justus Liebig University Medical School in Giessen, Germany (1988–89), and the Institute of Animal Science and Behavior in Celle, Germany (1996–97). Two of the sabbatical leaves were supported by Fulbright Senior Research Fellowships. In 2000 he joined the Department of Poultry Science at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville as a professor of physiology and neuroscience. Kuenzel teaches a course in brain and behavior and is currently investigating the neuroendocrine regulation of stress and sexual maturation in poultry. He is an Arkansas representative to the USDA Multistate Project, NC1170, Advanced Technologies for the Genetic Improvement of Poultry and member on the editorial board of Domestic Animal Endocrinology. He received a UM Alumni Assoc. Award in Research (1983), the PSA Purina Teaching Award (1988), PSA Merck Research Award (1998), UM Chapter Gamma Sigma Delta Research Award (1999), UM Sigma Xi Research Award (2000), the UAF Sigma Xi Imhoff Research Award (2009), John W. White Research Award, Division of Agriculture, UAF (2010), and PSA Embrex Fundamental Science Award (2010). Kuenzel has been a member of PSA since 1972 and has served as follows: Poultry Science editorial board (1978–85), organized two symposia held at annual PSA meetings (1984, 1988), Poultry Science Research Award Committee (member, 1978–80; chair, 1980–81), served as judge of graduate student papers and posters at several PSA meetings, section chair for physiology at annual PSA meeting, Purina Award Committee (member, 1988–91; chair, 1991–92), Animal Care and Use Committee (1997–2000), Merck Award Committee (member, 1999–2002; chair, 2002–03) and PSA Board of Directors (2000–02). Kuenzel has written one book, A Stereotaxic Atlas of the Brain of the Chick, Gallus domesticus, published by Johns Hopkins University Press and over 100 publications in journals and book chapters. His research program has been supported by local university experiment station grants, state and company grants, and federal grants from the National Institutes of Health, USDA, and the National Science Foundation. On the weekends Kuenzel, aka “Wayne-Bob”, spends time with his tractor and chainsaw mowing fields of grass and cutting up tree trunks and limbs for firewood used in the two woodstoves of his home. His wife Kimberley and three grown children, Lauren, Carolyn and Jonathan, attest that he is out-standing in his field. He regards his wife and children as those who have made his life worthwhile.

Lawrence M. Potter was born December 28, 1924, in Webster (now Sabattus), Maine, the son of Arthur and Ethel Potter. He grew up on a small poultry market­garden farm where about 800 chickens were purchased and two to three acres of various vegetables were raised each year. Male chickens were sold as roosters, and the females were used for egg production. The produce was sold retail in the nearby city. In February 1945, Potter was inducted in the US Army, received infantry training for three months at Camp Gordon, Georgia, and was assigned for overseas duty. On VJ-Day his troop ship was anchored in Pearl Harbor and at the time of the Japanese surrender in Manila Bay. For the next 15 months, he was stationed in the Philippines, and was discharged as a staff sergeant in December 1946. From 1947 to 1951, Potter attended the University of Maine and graduated with a BS degree in poultry science. From 1951 to 1953 he held a graduate assistantship at the University of New Hampshire and received an MS in poultry science. For the next five years (1953 – 1958), he was a full-time research assistant in the Poultry Science Department, University of Connecticut, where he also completed graduate classes and his dissertation for a PhD in animal science in 1958. During the following two years, he held a postgraduate fellowship with L. D. Matterson and E. P. Singsen, researching the dietary effects of Vitamin E and other antioxidants on encepalomalacia in chickens and determining the metabolizable energy content of dietary feed ingredients for chickens. He also developed the use of linear programming in poultry feed formulation. In October 1960, Potter joined the Poultry Science Department faculty as an associate professor at VPI (now VPISU or Virginia Tech) and was promoted to professor in 1971. He introduced to the feed industry the commercial use of linear programming in diet formulation for poultry and the use of higher levels of added fat to turkey diets within his first few months at Virginia Tech. In research he specialized in the application of factorial designs and bioassays to nutrition experiments to determine the requirements of various amino acids and minerals for turkeys and the bioefficiency of various sources of phosphorus and methionine in turkey diets. Potter was the advisor for 8 MS and 7 PhD students. He was author or co-author of more than 90 manuscripts published in Poultry Science and other scientific journals. He was a frequent speaker at poultry and animal nutrition conferences in United States and Europe, and he prepared many reports for feed magazines and newspapers. He served on the subcommittee for the eighth revision of the Nutrient Requirements of Poultry by the National Research Council in 1985. From 1988 to 1990, he was section editor of the Metabolism and Nutrition section of Poultry Science. He was the recipient of the National Turkey Federation Research Award in 1980 and the American Feed Industry Association Award in 1982. He retired from Virginia Tech in December 1988 and was employed by Carroll Foods, Warsaw, North Carolina, from 1991 to 1994. 

Darin C. Bennett
University of British Columbia

Darin C. Bennett (pictured left with Fred Silversides, PSA Board Liaison) completed his BS degree in zoology at the University of Guelph. He attended graduate school at the University of British Columbia, where he received an MS degree in avian nutrition with L. E. Hart and a PhD in avian physiology with M. R. Hughes. He was awarded a postdoctoral scholarship to study avian nutrition with Y. Karasawa at Shinshu University in Japan. He then returned to the University of British Columbia to work as a research associate with K. M. Cheng in the Avian Research Centre. He is currently an assistant professor in the Faculty of Land and Food Systems, University of British Columbia. His research focuses on basic and applied research in sustainable poultry production. Bennett is a member of the Poultry Science Association and the Canada branch of the World’s Poultry Science Association.

William A. Dozier, III
Auburn University

William A. Dozier III currently serves as an associate professor at Auburn University in the Department of Poultry Science. He received a BS in animal and dairy science from Auburn University, an MS in animal science from the University of Kentucky, and a PhD in poultry science from Auburn University. He has been recognized internationally for his research determining dietary amino acid requirements of broilers. Dozier has evaluated apparent metabolizable energy needs of heavy broilers. Moreover, Dozier and colleagues were the first in the US to determine the energy value of crude glycerin from biodiesel plants for broilers, layers, and swine and to develop prediction equations to estimate apparent metabolizable energy of corn co-products for broilers. During his career, Dozier’s publications include 45 senior-authored and 49 co-authored peer-reviewed manuscripts. He has also published 133 other written materials in the form of industry proceedings, popular press articles, and newsletters. Dozier has given 124 invited presentations at international, national, regional, and state levels. His research program has garnered approximately $1.7 million in extramural funding. Dozier served as co-chair of the nutrition section of the 2005 and 2012 Poultry Science Association’s Annual Meetings and currently is an associate editor for Poultry Science and reviewer for The Journal of Applied Poultry Research.

Greg F. Mathis
Southern Poultry Research, Inc.

Greg F. Mathis graduated with a BS from North Georgia College. He then worked for the United States Department of Agriculture. He later enrolled at the University of Georgia and earned his MS and PhD in the Department of Poultry Science. His PhD work centered on control of coccidiosis, specializing in epidemiology, anticoccidial drugs, and genetics. After receiving his PhD he started Southern Poultry Research Inc., a private contract poultry research company. Southern Poultry Research Inc. has now been in business more than 25 years and serves the pharmaceutical and poultry industries working on nutritional, coccidiosis vaccination, necrotic enteritis, Salmonella, and replacements for antibiotic growth promoters. During Mathis’ career he has written numerous manuscripts and trade articles. He has made many scientific presentations and lectures and has taught numerous poultry pathology courses both nationally and internationally. He is also an international judge for retriever dog trials.

Tom E. Porter
University of Maryland

Tom E. Porter received his BS in biology from the University of Minnesota, Duluth, in 1983. In 1988, he earned his PhD in animal physiology from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, under the direction of Mohamed El Halawani. He conducted research as a postdoctoral fellow with L. Stephen Frawley in the Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy at the Medical University of South Carolina. In 1993, he joined the Department of Poultry Science at Texas A&M University as an assistant professor, and in 1997 he moved to the Department of Animal and Avian Sciences at the University of Maryland, where he was promoted to associate professor in 1999 and professor in 2004. He is currently serving as chair of the Department of Animal and Avian Sciences at the University of Maryland. Porter also serves as editor-in-chief of the journal Poultry Science (2010–present). Porter’s research interests center on molecular and cellular endocrinology in chickens. While still a graduate student, he was first to demonstrate that the production of steroid hormones in the ovaries of birds requires three different cell types, a situation which is different from that of mammals. One major focus of his research over the past 20 years has been the mechanisms controlling cellular differentiation within the anterior pituitary gland during chick embryonic development. The overall goal of this research is to improve growth characteristics in broiler chickens through an increased understanding of the regulation of the bird’s own growth hormone production during late embryonic development. Cell and molecular biology approaches are used in Porter’s laboratory to assess gene expression and hormone secretion from individual pituitary cells. From their findings, Porter’s group has developed a working model for the regulation of growth hormone cell differentiation that involves hormones from other endocrine glands as well as nuclear transcription factors and signal transduction cascades. A second major focus in Porter’s lab is genome-wide analysis of gene expression in the neuroendocrine system. The long-term goal of this research is to establish global patterns of gene expression in the hypothalamus and pituitary gland and to identify the genes and gene networks controlling growth rate, body composition, and feed intake in broiler chickens. Porter’s research has been funded continuously for more than 17 years by competitive grants from the USDA. Porter is the author of 76 refereed scientific papers, 20 book chapters or reviews, and 123 abstracts. His publications have been cited more than 1,250 times. He is the author of 35,452 nucleotide sequence submissions to GenBank and five cDNA microarray platform submissions to GEO (Gene Expression Omnibus). Porter is the recipient of more than $4.8M in funding from competitive federal grant support. He has served as the research mentor to 5 postdoctoral fellows, 17 graduate students, and 42 undergraduate students. Porter’s research and teaching accomplishments have been honored with the Poultry Science Association Research Award and the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources Junior Faculty Excellence Award, Alumni Excellence in Instruction Award, and Dean Gordon Cairns Award for Distinguished Creative Work and Teaching in Agriculture.

Hans H. Cheng
USDA-ARS, East Lansing, MI

Hans H. Cheng is a supervisory research geneticist at the US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Avian Disease and Oncology Laboratory in East Lansing, Michigan, where he serves as the lead scientist for the Genomics and Immunogenetics CRIS Project. The focus of this group is to identify and characterize genes of importance to the US poultry industry, especially those involved in immunological and genetic resistance to Marek's disease and avian leucosis virus. Highlights of Cheng’s research include the development of the East Lansing genetic map; novel integration of quantitative trait loci scans, allele-specific expression profiling, and virus–host protein interactions screens that have identified quantitative trait loci and specific genes conferring resistance to Marek’s disease; and the generation of the first infectious and fully virulent Marek’s disease virus bacterial artificial chromosome clone. Cheng received his BS from the Department of Microbiology, Michigan State University, and his PhD from the Department of Molecular Biology, University of California at Berkeley. Prior to joining ARS in 1992, Cheng spent 2 years as a National Science Foundation-funded postdoctoral fellow at the University of California at Davis and as head of molecular biology for Petoseed, a vegetable seed company in Woodland, California. Cheng is an active member in the scientific community. He is the US Poultry co-coordinator and a member of the US National Animal Genome Preservation committee and serves on the editorial boards of multiple journals. He is also an adjunct faculty member of the Genetics Program and Comparative Medicine and Integrative Biology, Michigan State University.

R. Jeff Buhr
USDA-ARS, Athens, GA

R. Jeff Buhr earned a BS in animal science from the California State Polytechnic University-Pomona in 1979 and an MS in avian sciences (1982) and a PhD in veterinary anatomy (1987) from the University of California-Davis. In 1987 he joined the Department of Poultry Science at the University of Georgia and in 1997 the USDA/ARS Russell Research Center in Athens, GA. Buhr has served as a research physiologist (animal), in the Poultry Processing and Meat Quality Unit (1997–2004) and is presently in the Poultry Microbiological Safety Research Unit. Buhr’s duties include chair of the Russell Center Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee and operations manager for the pilot processing plant since 2009. Buhr has conducted research in poultry food safety, specifically on Salmonella and Campylobacter detection, recovery, and decontamination in breeders, broilers, and during processing. Buhr’s research evaluating processing mechanical factors (electrical stunning voltage, electrocution, decapitation, application of electrical stimulation, and extended feed withdrawal of up to 12 hours) on crop removal and intestinal strength has demonstrated that the crop and intestines rupture because of greater adhesion not because of weakness. Buhr’s research on the recovery of Campylobacter from commercial caged laying hens, broiler breeder hens and roosters, and broilers post-feed withdrawal revealed the systemic presence far beyond the digestive tract. The presence of Campylobacter on a poultry carcass no longer can be solely attributed to fecal contamination during processing but is potentially from several additional systemic reservoirs. Buhr served 2 terms as subject editor for The Journal of Applied Poultry Research (meat bird processing and products) and as an associate editor for Poultry Science for 4 terms. Buhr’s research collaborations has resulted in 142 peer-reviewed manuscripts, 251 abstracts, and 35 proceedings papers. Thirty-nine of the journal manuscripts were first-authored by undergraduate, MS, PhD, or postdoctoral students, and for many were their first published research manuscript. Buhr has valued the experience of mentoring students in many disciplines.

Ramesh Selvaraj
The Ohio State University

Ramesh Selvaraj was born in India and received DVM and MS degrees from Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, a second MS degree from Oregon State University, and a PhD degree from University of California–Davis in immunology. After a postdoctoral research associateship at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, he joined The Ohio State University as an assistant professor in 2007. Selvaraj’s laboratory is the first ever to identify and characterize chicken T regulatory cells. T regulatory cells are a subset of T cells specializing in immune suppression and are involved in microbial defense, pathogen persistence, impaired vaccine responses, and compromised anti-tumor responses. A comprehensive understanding of T regulatory cells is critical not only for understanding host-pathogen interactions during infections but also for vaccine design and development. Chicken T regulatory cells were isolated based on CD25 marker. Because anti-chicken CD25 is not available commercially, Selvaraj’s laboratory made a monoclonal anti-chicken CD25. Selvaraj has published approximately 25 refereed papers. He teaches nutritional immunology in animal systems to graduates and undergraduates at The Ohio State University. A PSA member since 2001, he has regularly served as section program chair and judge of student presentations at the annual meetings. He is also serving as an associate editor of Poultry Science (immunology, health, and disease section) and frequently reviews manuscripts for other journals in his specialty area.

Henry M. Engster
Perdue Farms, Inc.

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 his PhD, he spent a year as a postdoctoral fellow at the Hormel Institute of the University of Minnesota before joining Ralston Purina/Purina Mills in St. Louis, Missouri, as a nutritionist in 1978, where he remained until 1990. In 1990 he joined Perdue Farms Inc. as director of turkey nutrition and research, was later promoted to director of nutrition, and in 1998 was promoted to vice president of technical services. He has managed a staff of 34 professionals and was responsible for the nutrition, feed and ingredient quality assurance, and analytical laboratory services, genetics, and ingredient purchasing for all birds grown for Perdue Farms Inc. He also served as the chair of the Perdue Poultry Welfare Council. Engster has served the Poultry Science Association (PSA) as chair annual meeting (1990), director (1992–94), second vice president (1995), first vice president (1996), and president (1997). In addition, he has been a member of numerous committees for the association and has played an important role in planning the future of this organization as a member of the Long-Range Planning Committee (1998–2000) and Foundation Board of Trustees (2005–08). He was PSA’s representative on the Federation of Animal Science Societies (FASS) board of directors (1997–98). 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 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 (1988–89), 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 (2008–11), and various roles with Delmarva Poultry Industry (DPI), including chair of the Research Advisory Board (1993), chair of the Nutrition Feed Manufacturing Committee (1995–97), second vice president (2000), first vice president (2001), president (2002), and a member of the board of directors. Engster was 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 for his involvement in the local poultry industry and his involvement in local church activities and community service as president of the Salisbury Rotary Club. Engster has recently retired from Perdue Farms and has set up his own consulting business. He is currently doing nutritional consulting in the poultry business in many countries around the world.

Olayiwola Adeola
Purdue University

Olayiwola (Layi) Adeola received a bachelor’s of agriculture in animal science with first class honors from the University of Ife, Nigeria, in 1982. He earned MS and PhD degrees with distinction from the University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada in 1986 and 1989, respectively. He has been on faculty position in the Department of Animal Sciences at Purdue University since 1991 where he is a professor. He served as nonruminant nutrition section editor for the Journal of Animal Science from 2001 to 2005, is a member of the editorial board of Poultry Science, is 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. 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. The research from Adeola’s lab has contributed to the development of cost-effective diet formulation strategies for broiler chickens that improve the retention of phosphorus, energy, and nitrogen, the 3 most expensive components in the diets of broilers. The pioneering research efforts in Adeola’s lab led to the commercial availability of phytase preparations that are currently used on a routine basis in broiler feeds. His more recent research efforts have focused on ascribing metabolizable energy value to feed ingredients and the adoption of digestible amino acid formulation by the poultry industry. He authored or co-authored more than 140 refereed papers and 130 abstracts, and several other publications. Adeola received the American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) Poultry Nutrition Research award in 2005, the Maple Leaf Duck Research Award in 2007, the AFIA Non-ruminant Nutrition Research award in 2007, and the Evonik-Degussa Poultry Research Award in 2010.

Kent M. Reed
University of Minnesota

Kent M. Reed is a professor in the Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences in the College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota. Reed was born in Nebraska and received a BS from the Department of Biological Sciences, University of Minnesota, an MS from the Department of Biology, Fort Hays State University, and a PhD from the Department of Biology, Texas A&M University. Prior to joining the faculty at the University of Minnesota, Reed was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Rochester and a USDA-funded postdoctoral fellow at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Reed is an active member in the scientific community; he teaches in the professional veterinary curriculum, mentors graduate and undergraduate student research, participates in several national poultry projects, and serves on the editorial boards of multiple journals. Reed is also an adjunct faculty member of the Department of Animal Science at the University of Minnesota. The focus of his research group since 1999 has been the application of genomic resources for functional genomic investigations in the turkey. Collaborative projects in his laboratory examine the impact of genetic variation on immune system genes, tissues and cell populations, the genome response to environmental toxins, and the genetics of muscle biology. His research comprises more than 100 peer-reviewed scientific works. Highlights of Reed’s poultry research include the construction of the turkey genetic linkage map, participation in development of the turkey genome sequence, and investigations of the turkey major histocompatibility complex.

Christopher M. McDaniel
Mississippi State University

A native of Kosciusko, Mississippi, Christopher D. McDaniel earned his BS in poultry science from Mississippi State University in 1990, MS in animal science from Purdue University in 1992, and PhD in poultry science from the University of Georgia in 1995. He has been a faculty member of the Mississippi State University (MSU) Poultry Science Department for the past 17 years, where he currently serves as a professor. McDaniel has taught the avian reproduction, management of broiler breeders, management of commercial layers, avian anatomy, and avian physiology classes at MSU and has served as an undergraduate advisor in the department. In graduate education, he has served as the major professor for 7 MS students and 5 PhD students as well as a committee member for an additional 14 graduate students. McDaniel is also the graduate coordinator for the Poultry Science Department at MSU. He has served on various departmental and university committees evaluating curriculums, scholarships, grade appeals, and promotion and tenure. McDaniel has conducted research in avian fertility and reproduction for the past 22 years, generating more than 60 peer-reviewed publications, 66 abstracts, and 58 invited presentations. His specific research interests revolve around semen quality analysis, sperm-egg interactions, and early embryonic development. He served 6 years as the breeding and hatcheries subject editor for The Journal of Applied Poultry Research, and he has also been an associate editor for Poultry Science.

 

Morgan B. Farnell
Texas A&M University

Morgan B. Farnell is an associate professor and extension poultry specialist with the Texas AgriLife Extension Service, an agency of the Texas A&M University system. He was raised on a cattle operation in the Ark-La-Tex region and received a BS in agri-business from Southern Arkansas University. After graduation, he worked for Tyson Foods as a processing plant supervisor in Broken Bow, Oklahoma. Farnell received an MS in poultry science and PhD in veterinary microbiology from Texas A&M University. He completed postdoctoral fellowships with the Institute for Animal Health (Compton, England) and the USDA-Agricultural Research Service (Fayetteville, Arkansas). Farnell’s range of poultry research includes avian immunology, preharvest food safety, gut health (prebiotics, probiotics, drugs, and vaccines), alternative feedstuffs, emergency depopulation, and cleaning and disinfection of poultry facilities. He teaches 2 poultry meat production classes that cover all aspects of poultry production, from the primary breeder to the consumer’s dining room table. He serves as an advisor to the Texas Poultry Federation and the Texas Veterinary Medical Association’s Animal Welfare Task Force. In addition to giving numerous presentations, he has actively participated in many PSA meetings as a moderator, presentation judge, student mentor, and workshop planner. Farnell was the recipient of the Poultry Science Association’s Early Achievement Award in Poultry Extension Work in 2009 and has served as a member of the PSA 2010 Strategic Planning Initiative.

 

 

Kenneth E. Anderson
North Carolina State University

Kenneth E. Anderson, professor and extension specialist, Department of Poultry Science, North Carolina State University, has been on the faculty since 1990. Anderson was raised on a poultry layer farm near Morris, Illinois. He attended Southern Illinois University–Carbondale graduating with his BS in animal and agricultural industries in 1980. After graduation he worked until 1983 as general manager of State Line Egg Producers Cooperative, a poultry cooperative in Kansas. He then accepted the position of superintendent at the T.B. Avery Poultry Research Unit and instructor in the Department of Animal Science at Kansas State University. He completed his MS in 1987 and PhD in 1990 in poultry management under the supervision of Albert Adams. While at Kansas State University, he had the opportunity to work with J. V. Craig on several animal behavior research projects and co-authored several papers with Craig. Part of Anderson’s current responsibilities includes serving as the director of the North Carolina Layer Performance and Management Test. He has guided the development of research programs at the facility to include range, cage-free, and cage production and has maintained the test as 1 of only 3 in the world and the only one of its size and scope. Anderson’s research has focused on the influence of management on commercial layer strains in a wide range of production systems. He has also worked on the development of layer behavior profiles in cages when subjected to differing molt programs and investigated shell egg processing methods. He continues to assess production densities, which now include cage, floor, and paddocks. During the past 22 years, Anderson has authored or co-authored 66 peer-reviewed journal publications, 129 abstracts, 20 extension articles, 43 NC layer management test reports, and several other miscellaneous publications. He has also co-authored 7 book chapters and has been invited nationally and internationally to approximately 100 conference presentations with proceedings and 77 extension-type presentations at industry meetings. In 2003 Anderson was the recipient of the Poultry Science Extension Award and has been elected to Sigma Xi (scientific research society), Phi Tau Sigma (honor society for food science), and Epsilon Sigma Phi (national honorary extension fraternity). Anderson has served NCSU as IACUC member and chaired the committee for 4 years. In addition, he has served on the Animal Care Committee of the Poultry Science Association and as a representative on the AAALAC Board of Trustees for 14 years. Currently Anderson is an ad hoc consultant for AAALAC Council. He is a member of the UEP Food Safety Scientific Advisory Council and sits on the boards of the National Egg Products School and National Egg Quality School. He is also a member of the Animal Welfare Scientific Advisory Committee for Humane Farm Animal Care.

 

 

 

Brigid A. McCrea
Delaware State University

Brigid A. McCrea is a native of California. She was introduced to farming through her local 4-H club and began her lifelong love of chickens by participating in poultry shows. She entered the avian sciences program at the University of California–Davis where she earned a BS degree. Her interest in poultry science and cooperative extension was furthered by MS work done with Joan Schrader, where her research examined Salmonella and Campylobacter recovery from chickens marketed as free-range or sold at Asian live fowl markets and correlated the prevalence to management practices of the producers. McCrea received her PhD in poultry science at Auburn University, under the advisement of Sacit Bilgili. Her research focused on Salmonella, Campylobacter, and Escherichia coli recovery from broilers from the day of hatch through processing. After completion of her graduate program, McCrea served as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California–Davis under Francine Bradley. She gained valuable extension experience by participating in the execution of the Game Fowl Health Assurance Program as well as the Poultry Health Inspection program. She now holds a position at Delaware State University in Dover where she is assistant professor and extension poultry specialist. McCrea has a primarily extension appointment, and her efforts are aimed at meeting the needs of small flock and niche market poultry producers. Her areas of research and interest include niche market poultry management, including organic, pastured, and heritage breed poultry production. She is currently constructing Delaware’s first biosecure, indoor, pastured poultry production unit where she will examine poultry production characteristics while eliminating the confounding effects of wild bird and insect vectors. McCrea also dedicates time teaching a 4-H afterschool program about poultry production and participates in the annual National 4-H Poultry and Egg Conference. She also coordinates the Delaware 4-H Poultry Judging Contest as well as the Delaware and New Jersey FFA Poultry Judging Contest. She assists with the Maryland 4-H Avian Bowl state qualifying event. McCrea is also very dedicated to the transfer and application of biosecurity information to small and backyard flock owners through the coordination of events such as the Small Flock Education Series and COOPTASTIC!

 

 

 

 

Hilary O. Pavlidis
Cobb Vantress, Inc.

Hilary O. Pavlidis is a native of Virginia Beach, Virginia, and completed her BS in animal and poultry sciences at Virginia Tech. As an undergraduate at Virginia Tech her interest in poultry breeding and genetics was cultivated through multiple research projects with Paul B. Siegel, one of which was published in The Journal of Applied Poultry Research. Upon completion of her BS degree she moved to the University of Arkansas where she completed MS and PhD degrees in poultry breeding and genetics under the direction of Nicholas B. Anthony. Her graduate studies combined quantitative and molecular genetics as tools to investigate the relationships between commercial broiler traits and ascites. She also started broiler lines that were divergently selected for muscle color as a way to investigate the genetic architecture of pale-soft-exudative–type poultry meat. Upon completion of her PhD, Pavlidis started working as a program geneticist for Aviagen Turkeys in Lewisburg, West Virginia. In this job she was responsible for the day-to-day operation of the Nicholas Turkey research and development program as well as implementing new techniques and selection methodologies for feed conversion, breast yield, and leg health. She also had a role in selection of lines in the British United Turkey research and development program as well as US customer based technical support. In this role she was the first female turkey geneticist responsible for managing a turkey research and development breeding program. In 2010 Pavlidis moved to Cobb-Vantress where she works on a team of pedigree geneticists responsible for the selection and management of lines responsible for the various Cobb commercial broiler products. In 2010, Pavlidis served as president of the National Poultry Breeders of America and was responsible for organizing the program for that year’s annual meeting in St. Louis. She has also served as an associate editor in the breeding and genetics section of Poultry Science since 2007. She has managed three research and development interns during her time at Cobb-Vantress and Aviagen Turkeys. She has also given back to the University of Arkansas through guest lecturing in graduate- and undergraduate-level genetics classes in the Department of Poultry Science as well as working with graduate students on various research projects.

 

 

 

 

 

Kristen J. Navara
University of Georgia

Kristen J. Navara grew up in the suburbs of New Jersey and, in 2000, received a BS degree in biology with a minor in English from Pennsylvania State University. She then received a PhD in biology from Auburn University in 2005 and worked as a postdoctoral fellow in the Departments of Psychology and Neuroscience in the program of psychoneuroimmunology at The Ohio State University. She joined the faculty at the University of Georgia in 2007 and teaches courses in avian behavior and scientific writing. Navara’s research program has focused primarily on hormonal mechanisms of offspring programming in birds, particularly on use of hormones to adjust avian sex ratios prior to ovulation. She has received more than $600K in funding from US Poultry and Egg and Pfizer Animal Health, and her work has received significant media attention. Navara has published 30 peer-reviewed research articles and has given 31 presentations at national and international meetings. She has reviewed research grants for international funding agencies, is an associate editor of Poultry Science, and has reviewed scientific papers for more than 25 scientific journals.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jacquelyn B. Golden
North Carolina State University

Jacquelyn B. Golden, a native of Atlanta, Georgia, joined the North Carolina State University (NCSU) Department of Poultry Science as an assistant professor in July 2008. She holds an 85% academic program and 15% research appointment. Prior to joining NCSU, she received a BSA (2002) in biological sciences and a PhD (2006) in poultry reproductive physiology under the direction of Adam Davis at the University of Georgia. She served as a National Science Foundation Scholar at the University of Georgia. After the completion of her PhD, she spent two years (2006-2008) at Emory University in Atlanta, GA as an NIH fellow and HHMI curriculum development postdoctoral fellow. Golden currently leads a significant portion of the NCSU poultry science department’s undergraduate teaching program, serves as the departmental undergraduate teaching coordinator, performs the majority of the department’s undergraduate academic advising, and fosters the department’s student recruitment efforts in addition to conducting research on avian reproductive physiology. She is currently teaching the introductory poultry science and production course and avian physiology course and laboratory. Since her arrival at NCSU, Golden has also been working on a number of exciting avenues to potentially increase the numbers of poultry science and agriculture-focused students at NCSU’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. She developed and launched the ASPIRE (ACT Supplemental Preparation In Rural Education) initiative to provide ACT prep to high school students interested in pursuing higher education and future careers in agriculture a means of bridging deficits in their college entrance examination scores and increasing student admissions rates. This statewide program trains cooperative extension agents to teach Princeton Review ACT prep classes to rural high school students. Golden has recently been awarded a USDA Multicultural Scholars grant to fund 5 undergraduate multicultural scholars’ studies in the Department of Poultry Science at NCSU. With regard to research, Golden has a strong background in physiology, endocrinology, biotechnology, and avian reproductive biology. She is very interested in stress-induced ovarian dysfunction and has directed her research towards gaining a better understanding of the direct effects of stress on ovarian physiology.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dale T. Hyatt
Texas A&M University

Dale T. Hyatt has been a staff member in the Department of Poultry Science at Texas A&M since September of 1985. Dale grew up in Dickinson, Texas, a small town located midway between Houston and Galveston. He received his BS in poultry science from Texas A&M University in 1979. Immediately following graduation, he was hired to serve as division manager for Earl B. Olsen Farms, a division of Jennie-O Foods, located in central Minnesota. He left Earl B. Olsen Farms in the summer of 1983 and returned to Texas A&M, Poultry Science Department, to enroll as an MS student. The Poultry Science Department completed construction of a new poultry research farm in 1985 and created a position available as farm manager. Dale was offered and accepted the position and left graduate school as a PhD candidate to meet the challenge of managing and operating a new facility. Throughout his career, Dale has become involved with several Poultry Youth projects and currently serves as committee member for the FFA National Poultry Committee, chairman for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, Poultry Show, and participates in numerous Poultry Youth events on a state and national level. In addition to serving as poultry farm manager, Dale has conducted numerous research trials in the field of poultry health and management. He also manages and mentors several part-time, undergraduate, student farm employees and assists with instruction of several undergraduate poultry science classes and laboratories.

Terry J. Klopfenstein
University of Nebraska-Lincoln

This award was presented at the awards ceremony of the American Society of Animal Science.

 

Abit Massey
Georgia Poultry Federation

Abit Massey is the 2012 recipient of the Poultry Science Association’s honorary membership. Massey’s professional activities and honors have been numerous. He has served as president emeritus of the Georgia Poultry Federation since January 1, 2009, continuing full time on staff for the federation. He was the organizer and first president of the State Poultry Executives Association. In 2006 he received the inaugural Medallion of Honor for Service to the University of Georgia’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. In 2001 Massey was the first person who was not a company owner to receive Lifetime Achievement Award from National Poultry and Food Distributors. Massey also received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the US Poultry and Egg Association in 2012. He has served as chair of the board of directors of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE; 1977–78). Massey received the Key Award, ASAE’s highest honor in 1967, and received designation as CAE (Certified Association Executive) in 1967. Massey has also been past president of the Georgia Society of Association Executives, served as past chair of the GSAE Foundation, was honored by GSAE in 1978 with the creation of the Annual Abit Massey Lecture to promote increased professionalism in association management, honored as Georgia’s Outstanding Association Executive (1972), received the GSAE President’s Award (1987), and served as past president of the University of Georgia (UGA) Alumni Association. Massey has also been past president of the UGA Ag Alumni Association, a representative on the board of directors and executive committee of the UGA Research Foundation, a director and secretary of the UGA Real Estate Foundation, and trustee emeritus of the UGA Foundation. Massey has served as vice president of the board of trustees of the Georgia Women of Achievement, chair of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Warm Springs Memorial Advisory Committee, chair of the Georgia Games Commission, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Commerce, past president of the Georgia Jaycees. Massey has been the recipient of the First Guardian of Ethics Award and Vocational Excellence Award, both presented by Gainesville Rotary Club. In 2010 he was selected by Junior Achievement for Northeast Georgia Business Hall of Fame. He has received the First Distinguished Citizen Award from Northeast Georgia Council, Boy Scouts of America (1985) and has been listed twice by Georgia Trend as one of 100 most influential Georgians.

 

Samuel J. Rochell
Auburn University

Samuel J. Rochell was born and raised in Alabama and graduated from Elkmont High School in 2005. Rochell became interested in the science of poultry production during high school through summer work on a broiler farm and with a primary breeder company. In May of 2009, he earned a BS in poultry science with a minor in business from Auburn University. Rochell continued his studies at Auburn University and recently earned a MS in poultry science with an emphasis in nutrition under the supervision of William A. Dozier III. His initial work in Dozier’s lab led to the development of equations to predict apparent metabolizable energy of corn co-products based on chemical composition. His thesis research involved the use of in vitro assays to predict amino acid digestibility of animal protein meals in broilers. Additionally, he has investigated the rate of passage of corn-soybean meal and semi-purified diets containing distiller’s dried grains with solubles or meat and bone meal. Rochell is currently completing an internship in feed milling and nutrition with a primary breeder company and will pursue a PhD at the University of Illinois under the direction of Carl Parsons beginning in the fall of 2012.

 

 

Laura J. Bauermeister
Auburn University

Laura J. Bauermeister grew up in the small farming community of Wayne, Nebraska. She attended Wayne State College where she received her BS in biology with a minor in chemistry. After graduation, she continued her education at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and received her MS in food science under the direction of Shelly McKee. Her thesis research focused on feeding different levels of vitamin E to maintain the vitelline membrane strength throughout the hen’s laying cycle. After receiving her MS, she moved to Alabama to continue to work with Shelly McKee to pursue a PhD in poultry science at Auburn University. She conducts validation of sanitary standard operating procedures used in egg processing facilities. She also conducted surveys of egg processing facilities to determine what the greatest needs were in developing and implementing Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Programs (HACCP) in shell egg and further processing facilities. With this information, she developed an online egg HACCP course tailored to the needs of egg processing facilities. During her academic career, she has received several honors for her work with eggs, including the Victor W. Henningsen Sr. Graduate Student Fellowship in Food Sciences and the American Egg Board Food Science Fellowship. She has also served as the chair of the Student Professional Development Group within the International Association of Food Protection.

 

 

 

Alamanda J. Calvert
University of Minnesota

Paige Glover, Aviagen Turkeys Inc., presents the Aviagen Turkeys Communication Award to Alamanda J. Calvert, University of Minnesota.