2022 PSA Awards

David J. Caldwell grew up in Taylor, a small farming community in central Texas. He received a B.S. in Poultry Science from Texas A&M University in 1991. He then entered graduate school under the direction of Dr. Billy Hargis and received M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in 1994 and 1997, respectively, in Veterinary Microbiology from Texas A&M University. Following the completion of his Ph.D. program, he joined the faculty of the Department of Poultry Science at Texas A&M University as an Assistant Professor with a primary research and teaching appointment. During his career as a faculty member in the Department of Poultry Science, he taught undergraduate courses in avian anatomy and physiology, an introductory course focusing upon career exploration and professional development, and the department’s graduate course on general avian physiology. He also taught a graduate course in general immunology that was cross listed within the College of Veterinary Medicine. In recognition for his commitment to instruction, he was awarded the 2008 Land O’ Lakes / Purina Feed Poultry Science Association Teaching Award. His research program generally concentrated on intestinal health and food safety microbiology in commercial poultry. He maintained a commitment to generate applicability with research findings that would extend to commercial industry and other stakeholders. Essentially all research in his laboratory involved graduate student training and research experiences for undergraduate students. He served as Professor and Head of Poultry Science at Texas A&M between 2013 and 2019. He served the Poultry Science Association as an at large Director between 2009 and 2012. He was elected to the Executive Board in 2013 and served as President of PSA in 2015-2016. Since October of 2019, he has served as Head of the Department of Poultry Science and Director of the Center of Excellence for Poultry Science at the University of Arkansas and the U of A System Division of Agriculture.

Valerie Carney is the Lead of the Poultry Innovation Partnership (PIP) which is a consortium of academia, industry and government working together to advance the Canadian poultry enterprise through excellence in research, technology transfer and training tomorrow’s poultry professionals. Val leads a team of researchers to develop, demonstrate and deliver practical science-informed solutions to the poultry industry. These solutions range from developing students to be industry fluent, to bridging the gap between controlled and on-farm research and building networks to address the needs of the industry.

A native of Edmonton, Valerie Carney completed her BSc Biology at Concordia University and a BSc and MSc in Animal Science at the University of Alberta. Val completed a summer internship and one of her MSc research projects in Ontario with Hybrid turkeys where she studied the effects of lighting programs on female turkey reproductive development. While studying for her Ph.D. at the University of Arkansas, she completed a research internship in the pedigree division of Aviagen, North America. Upon graduation, she continued to work with Aviagen as a field and research geneticist.

She returned to Alberta to work with the Alberta government to mobilize research into application. She was an adjunct professor at the University of Alberta from 2012 to 2020, at which time she accepted a position with the Faculty of Agricultural Life and Environmental Sciences as the PIP Lead. The University of Alberta is home to a special collection of heritage poultry stocks that Val has collaborated with many to conduct research and programs to support the sustainability and history of these flocks.

Val has served the Poultry Science Association in a number of capacities. In 2006 she was chair of the local planning committee for the PSA annual meeting in Edmonton, served as a Director on the PSA Board from 2006-2009 and was elected to the Executive Board in 2016 and served as President in 2017. Val was recognized in 2022 as an Influential Woman in Canadian Agriculture.

Val enjoys a busy life with her husband and 3 almost fully-fledged children. Her interests include hosting friends and family and gardening.

Don McIntyre is an Adjunct Professor in the Prestage Poultry Science Department at NC State University and is consulting part time in the poultry industry. He is conducting applied and field type research projects concentrating on the health, nutrition, and wellbeing of birds. He also provides technical service to poultry producers and integrators in a variety of disciplines, including reproduction, meat production, processing, and welfare.

Don’s technical training began at NC State University with B.S. degrees in Poultry Science and Animal Science. He then earned an M.S. degree from Colorado State University in 1980 and later returned to NC State University for his Ph.D. in Physiology in 1984.

McIntyre’s experience includes R&D positions at Cargill, Diamond V, Hybrid Turkeys and Oscar Mayer. He also worked as a live production manager for Louis Rich and Pilgrims, was president of British United Turkeys of America (BUTA) and Colorado Quality Research (CQR), and traveled in technical service for Hendrix Genetics, Adisseo and Global Animal Products.

Don served as President of the Poultry Science Association in 2019-20. Over the years, he also served on the Foundation Research Committee of the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association (USPEA), as assistant section editor for the Poultry Science Journal and as President of the Southern Poultry Science Society. Don is a PAACO certified Poultry Welfare Auditor and Trainer and maintains his ARPAS certification as a Professional Animal Scientist.

Dr. McIntyre has served on the Board of Directors of PSA, USPEA, NC Poultry Association, SC Poultry Association, and the National Turkey Federation.

Dr. Paul H. Patterson is an Emeritus Professor of Poultry Science and former Extension Poultry Specialist in the Department of Animal Science at Penn State University since 1992. He graduated from Washington State University in 1979, cum laude with a BS in Animal Science. Following his BS, he worked as an Asst. Herdsman, Feed Mill Asst. and lecturer while getting an MS at Washington State in 1982. He then went to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, majoring in Poultry Science & Nutritional Science, earning a Ph.D. in 1988.

He spent most of his time (70%) on outreach education and extension duties, particularly those dealing with laying hen management, nutrition and egg quality. The other 30% he devoted to research involving nutrition, egg production, handling and storage, waste management, nutrient management and recycling. As a nutritionist the thrust of Dr. Patterson’s career has emphasized the proper utilization/recycling of nutrients tied to animal production. A national authority on this subject he has worked with the World Wildlife Fund, the Chesapeake Bay Alliance and others. He served as PI or co-PI on projects totaling over $7.5M and published more than 80 peer-reviewed journal articles, 450 trade, proceeding, extension and news articles and made more than 400 national/international presentations on these topics. In his career Dr. Patterson has taught more than 30 undergraduate and graduate courses as the main instructor, or as part of a team. He was awarded the Purina Research Fellowship for 11 years, two Extension Team awards from the Am Society of Ag Engineers and Penn States College of Ag Sciences, the Work Horse Award from the Mid-Atlantic Nutrition Conference, Penn State University’s Faculty Outreach Award, and the Poultry Science Association’s Phibro Extension Excellence Award and Fellow in 2022.

He has been a member of the Poultry Science and Southern Poultry Science Associations since 1982 and a former Secretary-Treasurer, Board of Director (BOD) and Foundation Board of Trustees for PSA. He is a former President and member of the Am Poultry Historical Society since 1986. He has served on Editorial Boards for Poultry Science, the Journal of Applied Poultry Research, Bioresource Technology, and Egyptian Journal of Nutrition and Feeds. He is a BOD for the National Egg Industry Center in Ames Iowa and the National Egg Quality School where he is the Director of the school and annual speaker. Currently he serves on the Poultry Litter Subcommittee & Scientific & Tech Advisory Committee for the Chesapeake Bay Program, the PSU Bed Bug Task Force and the Environmental Scientific Panel for the United Egg Producers and is still active with a couple of grants and other Poultry & Egg Projects.

Zhaoxia Cai
Huazhong Agricultural University

Dr. Zhaoxia Cai is a professor of the College of Food Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, the executive director of the Asian Egg Products Association, deputy director of the Hubei Engineering Center for Egg Processing and a member of the China Animal Products Processing Committee. She has been engaged in teaching and research in egg processing at Huazhong Agricultural University since 2007, and her research interests include high-value processing and utilization of eggs and egg products, protein structure-activity relationship, and nutritional health effects of poultry eggs. She has served as a principal investigator or participated in more than 29 scientific research projects and received a total of 3.92 million RMB research grants from various funding sources. She authored more than 86 original journal articles, 25 patents, and two books or standards on various egg processing topics. She got the Hubei province Science and technology progress award (ranked first) in 2021. Dr. Cai currently focuses much of her professional efforts on exploring various egg components for their potential applications and developing functional ingredients to add value, especially the potential use of IgY from egg yolk. She has been actively collaborating and helping the egg industry in China and cultivating international relationships to facilitate collaborative research and education.

Michael E. Persia
Virginia Tech

Mike Persia is currently a Professor in the Department of Animal and Poultry Science at Virginia Teach, Blacksburg, VA, where he focuses on applied research and extension in poultry nutrition and teaching. Mike earned his BS degree from Penn State University, a MS degree from Ohio State University and his PhD from University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign with an emphasis on poultry nutrition. After graduation Mike moved to Newark, DE to complete a Post-doctoral Research Position focused on phytate and nutrient excretion.

Mike started a professional career with Syngenta Biotechnology Inc. as a Manager of Research and Development located in Research Triangle Park, NC. As part of his duties, Mike managed late stage development of feed and fuel enzyme activities, as well as progressed earlier stage enzyme biotechnology in poultry, swine and beef models. In 2009, Mike joined the Faculty at Iowa State University, Ames, IA, as an Assistant Professor with a research and teaching split appointment. In 2013, Mike moved to Virginia Tech and assumed a three-way appointment in research/extension/teaching. Over his commercial and academic research endeavors Mike has focused on three major objectives including classical nutrition requirement determination, the effects of stress on nutritional efficiency and topics critical to the poultry industry.

Over the past 10 years (the award criteria), Dr. Persia has published 48 peer-reviewed manuscripts, 47 popular press and extension articles, 30 invited presentations, 67 scientific abstracts, and $2.6 million in funding. Over this time, Dr. Persia’s lab has included 11 MS students, 5 PhD students, 2 Research Program Managers and 35 undergraduate projects. Mike has taught classes in Poultry Enterprise Management, Introductory Animal Science Laboratory, Introduction to Poultry Science, Poultry Leadership and Fellews, Poultry Nutrition at the Midwest Poultry Consortium and Non-ruminant Nutrition. As part of his extension duties, Mike has or continues to serve on the National Egg Quality School (Board), Mid-Atlantic Nutrition Conference, Poultry Nutrition Committee, Delmarva Poultry University-Industry Partnership Committee, Virginia Poultry Federation (Ex Officio), Virginia Egg Council (E Officio), Virginia Poultry Disease Task Force, Biosecurity Auditor, Virginia Poultry Health and Management Seminar (Co-Chair), Virginia Poultry Youth Committee and the Iowa Turkey Federation (Ex Officio). Mike has served the Poultry Science Association on the Board of Directors and is currently a Nutrition Section Editor for Journal of Applied Poultry Research. Mike also served on the leadership board of the Southern Poultry Science Society. Mike is currently serving on the NRC committee to generate the 10th edition of the Nutrient Requirements for Poultry.

Larry Brown
U.S. Poultry & Egg Association

Mr. Brown is a Georgia native. He attended the University of Georgia where he received his bachelors and masters degrees in journalism.

Following graduation, in 1967, Mr. Brown began four years of service in the United States Air Force. He was public information officer in Washington State, Guam, and North Dakota, acting as base spokesman, publisher of the base newspaper, and responsible for public relations with news media, local government officials, and civic leaders.

Following his discharge from the Air Force, Mr. Brown joined the U.S. Veterans Administration regional office in Nashville, Tennessee, and was later named chief of the veteran’s assistance division. He managed the division’s functions supporting military veterans and dependents throughout the state, including veterans benefits counseling and assisting with applications for disability benefits, education programs, and home loans.

After several years with the VA, in 1977 Mr. Brown joined the staff of Southeastern Poultry & Egg Association in Decatur, Georgia (now U.S. Poultry & Egg Association) as communications director. He worked with industry media, wrote press releases, and edited Association publications. Later he was named vice president of education, managing a comprehensive series of industry education programs consisting of annual conferences and seminars for all phases of poultry and egg company management. He was a recipient of the association's highest annual industry recognition, Workhorse of the Year.

Mr. Brown retired in 2007. In retirement, he continues to consult with the Association on a variety of projects and activities.

Tim Johnson
University of Minnesota

Dr. Tim Johnson is a Professor at the University of Minnesota’s College of Veterinary Medicine. He received his BS in Microbiology in 2000 and PhD in Molecular Pathogenesis in 2004, both from North Dakota State University. His PhD and postdoctoral research at Iowa State University were completed under Dr. Lisa Nolan, where he developed a passion for avian pathogenic E. coli (APEC) and published some key articles describing and defining the APEC pathotype. From there, he joined the University of Minnesota in 2007 and has been working in the areas of poultry health and disease since that time. Dr. Johnson has published more than 150 peer reviewed articles in this area, including studies involving APEC, Salmonella, ORT, Pasteurella multocida, antimicrobial resistance, plasmid biology, the poultry microbiome, and development of host-adapted probiotics for poultry. He has secured over $5 million in external grant support from USDA and NIH to support this work. His research approach is to utilize high-throughput and high-resolution genomics to track pathogens. Dr. Johnson’s research is highly collaborative, and has relied heavily on strong collaborations with the turkey industry over the past 15 years. As such, much of his work takes place at the Mid-Central Research and Outreach Center in Willmar, MN, where he serves as Director of Research and Development. This facility enables Dr. Johnson and other researchers to interact collaboratively with the Minnesota poultry industries to tackle real-world research questions. Dr. Johnson also led a recent effort establishing an online Poultry Health Certificate for industry professionals. This also led to the development of an MS program in Applied Poultry Science, providing a flexible and adaptable format for students to achieve a research-based MS degree in poultry science.

Moussa S. Diarra
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Dr. Moussa S. Diarra completed his Master in Animal Sciences (1992) and Ph.D. in Microbiology-Immunology (1995) at the Laval University (QC). Presently, he is a Research Scientist at the Guelph Research and Development Centre (GRDC, Guelph, ON) of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) and an Adjunct Professor at the Universities of Guelph (Pathobiology and Food Science) and Manitoba (Animal Science). His research is focused on antimicrobial use (AMU), antimicrobial resistance (AMR), bacterial pathogenesis and the interactions between pathogens and their hosts as well as on the discovery and devolvement of novel alternatives to antibiotics for livestock and poultry. He is the leader of the poultry node of the Federal Genomic Research and Development Initiative on AMR and an Organic Science Cluster project on organic broiler production. Dr. Diarra received several research grants and co-authored three patents, over 100 peer-reviewed papers and 270 conferences and reports. He received the 2018-GRDC Award of Excellence in Achievements; the 3rd place of the 2019 John N. Sofos Most-cited JFP Research Publication Award and the 2021-AAFC Gold Harvest Award. He is a member of the Working Group on the control of Salmonella and Campylobacter in Poultry, the Scientific Committee of a Research chair on alternatives to antibiotics in poultry hold by the Laval University and served a member of the AMU /AMR Working Group of the Poultry Sustainability Round Table of AAFC (2016-2020). He participated in the Expert Working Group on Pandemic Prevention of Justice Institute of BC (2014-2015). He served as the Western Director and Membership Chair of the Canadian Society of Animal Science (2005-2007) and supervised numerous research technicians, postdoctoral fellows, graduate and undergraduate students.

Marisa Erasmus
Purdue University

Marisa Erasmus is an Associate Professor and Extension Specialist in the Department of Animal Sciences at Purdue University. She received her BS and MS degrees from the University of Guelph in Canada and her PhD from Michigan State University. Prior to starting her career at Purdue University, Marisa worked on a commercial turkey farm and for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. Since then, Marisa’s applied research has focused on developing animal-based measures of welfare for poultry and examining the effects of environmental and management factors on poultry behaviour and welfare. Her extension activities include working with the commercial poultry industry and educating the public about poultry production and welfare.

Kelley Wamsley
Mississippi State University

Kelley Wamsley hails from southern West Virginia and received her academic training under the direction of Dr. Joe Moritz at West Virginia University. As an undergraduate, Wamsley got involved as a researcher and teaching assistant in Moritz’s lab, where she developed a passion for discovery, research, and helping fellow students. In September of 2012, Wamsley joined the Poultry Science Department faculty at Mississippi State University as an Assistant Professor of Poultry Nutrition. She was promoted to Associate Professor in July 2019. She has a 40% teaching appointment where she serves as the Department’s Graduate Coordinator and teaches Undergraduate Seminar, Graduate Seminar, Advanced Graduate Seminar, Feed Manufacture, and Poultry Evaluation. Wamsley also assists in a study abroad trip to New Zealand, as well as co-advises the Mississippi State poultry science club and poultry judging team. She has a 60% research appointment, focusing on optimizing broiler performance through physical feed quality, AA and energy formulation strategies, and the practical application of feed additives and alternative feed ingredients. Wamsley has given 26 invited presentations, of which 10 being international; over 140 publications, including abstracts and conference proceedings, of which 43 are refereed journal articles. She has mentored 10 international visiting scholars and graduated 4 PhD and 5 MS students. She currently mentors within her lab 4 MS students as well as 10 undergraduate students.

Jonathan Moyle
University of Maryland

Dr. Jonathan “Jon” Moyle is the Extension Poultry Specialist for the University of Maryland. He attended Brigham Young University where he received his B.S. in Animal Science. Afterwards, he worked for 15 years, during which time he managed a turkey farm and then owned and operated a broiler breeder farm, before returning to the University of Arkansas were he got his M.S. and Ph.D. in Poultry Science. After completion of his Ph.D. he served a Post-doc position with the USDA-ARS, in Fayetteville AR before joining the University of Maryland extension. His previous research outreach has included reproductive management and behavior in broiler breeders, improving organic and free range poultry production, along with looking for natural compounds that can be used to help growers prevent and control disease. His current position involves educating growers through classes and other media, as well as conducting on farm research to help growers improve production, sustainability and bird well-being. A large part of his programing involves assisting growers to comply with and understand government regulations. Additionally, he is currently looking at ways to help growers improve nutrient management, farm management, and biosecurity. He has also worked on over 25 international projects through Farmer-to-Farmer and other organizations assisting small farmer in various parts of the world.

Alexandra Harlander
University of Guelph

Dr. Harlander's interest for the impact of husbandry on animal behaviour and physiology blossomed from her childhood, growing up in the Austrian Alps around farm animals. The overarching goal of Alexandra's research is to improve poultry welfare. To this end, she has worked with laying hens, broilers, turkeys, quails and ducks. While her research is grounded in her veterinary training, she has not shied away from immersing herself in various other disciplines. Indeed, she has borrowed ideas and techniques from these complimentary fields to build a multidisciplinary research portfolio, characterized by interdisciplinary efforts and collaboration. Her research has three main pillars: behaviour and the gut-brain axis; keel injuries and environmental design; exposure to excreta and welfare. The creativity in study design within these research pillars and her curiosity to sample new territories have led Alexandra to be one of the most creative researchers in poultry welfare science. In addition to a rich research landscape, Alexandra is an enthusiastic teacher and student mentor, working with students and colleagues both locally, in the Campbell Centre for the Study of Animal Welfare, and around the world to improve the lives of poultry and, in turn, those who care for them. Many of her undergraduate and graduate students are positioned in the poultry industry, have continued their education at the Veterinary College, authored and co-authored peer-reviewed publications, and awarded 18 national and international "Best student presentation prizes” between 2015-2021, including PSA and 3MT Awards. The successes of her students bring Alexandra great joy and are a point of pride for the Faculty.

Elizabeth Bobeck
Iowa State University

Dr. Elizabeth Bobeck completed her PhD at UW-Madison under the supervision of Dr. Mark Cook in 2012, followed by two post-doctoral positions in nutrition and immunology. Dr. Bobeck joined the Iowa State University Animal Science Faculty in January 2016. Since 2016, Dr. Bobeck has mentored four MS students, two PhD students, and over 20 undergraduate students in her lab. Dr. Bobeck’s research and teaching efforts focus on the poultry industry from different angles with the same intent, to use nutrition to improve poultry health, productivity, and welfare. Her lab employs cell culture, ex vivo cells and tissues, and whole animal models to answer questions related to bioactive components of feedstuffs, growth, performance, disease resistance, microbiome, and the immune system. To understand genetic links to the immune response and how to best support poultry at different production stages, she also investigates basic metabolic questions such as fuel preference in isolated primary immune cells. Related projects involve close work with industry to understand feedstuff digestibility and nutrition to enhance performance. Another research emphasis is to improve poultry welfare, meat quality, and sustainability through occupational enrichment. She strives to solve current industry issues and anticipate future industry needs using unique approaches. Dr. Bobeck has 41 refereed publications and 34 abstracts and has raised over $2.5 million dollars to support her laboratory research and teaching goals.

Dawn Koltes
Iowa State University

Dawn Koltes is an assistant professor in the Department of Animal Science at Iowa State University. She earned her bachelor’s from the University of Arkansas where her career was significantly influenced by her academic adviser and instructors who encouraged her to explore various aspects of research. This ultimately led to a passion to continue to her education which resulted in the completion of a master’s and doctorate from Iowa State University. Before joining Iowa State University as a faculty member, Dawn was an active research scientist at the University of Arkansas where she began an independent research program focusing on the effects of various environmental stressors on gastrointestinal physiology and bird performance. As an assistant professor, the majority of her focus is devoted to teaching and engaging students in the poultry industry. Not only does Dawn contribute to teaching at the undergraduate and graduate level in the Animal Science department, but she also contributes to teaching in the Midwest Poultry Consortium Center of Excellence program, outreach programs such as the Iowa FFA Career Development and Educational program and advising of the Block and Bridle Poultry Interest Group. In addition to these established programs, Dawn has revitalized a poultry course that facilitates interactions between students and poultry allied industry groups and, in collaboration with Iowa Turkey Federation, has initiated an Iowa Turkey Internship program to highlight the value of the poultry industries to undergraduate and graduate students. Dawn also integrates undergraduate projects within her research program to spark interest in poultry and research in undergraduate students. In the last 5 years, Dawn has fostered 6 independent poultry-related research projects which have resulted in 5 abstracts presented by the undergraduate at national conferences and has employed 20 undergraduates in her lab group.

Michael Kaiser
Iowa State University

Mr. Michael Kaiser grew up in rural Iowa and earned a B.S. in microbiology in 1987 at Iowa State University (ISU). He has spent his entire career in support of the poultry genetics and immunology program at ISU. Michael is an integral part of the research team that conducts studies on the molecular genetic control of important biological traits in poultry. This has emphasized host genetic resistance to many different pathogens that affect poultry health and food safety, and also genetic resilience to heat stress. He provides important support to the maintenance of the ISU chicken genetic lines. Michael has helped to train the next generation of poultry scientists by mentoring over 30 undergraduate students, 30 graduate students, 15 visiting scholars and postdocs, and many summer interns in a wide variety of lab procedures. He has published 27 peer-reviewed papers, with 10 as first author, and 41 conference abstracts. His achievements have been recognized by being awarded the Iowa Board of Regents Award for Staff Excellence and the ISU College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Professional and Scientific Research Award. Away from work, Michael enjoys spending time with his wife and son engaging in a variety of outdoor activities.

Janet Remus
IFF | Danisco Animal Nutrition

Janet Remus was raised on a diversified farm/ranch operation in west central Nebraska. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture/Animal Science from the University of Nebraska. She obtained her Master of Science and Ph.D. in Animal Science with an emphasis on poultry nutrition/physiology from the University of Missouri.

Janet worked for Finnsugar Bioproducts as a Product Development Manager for global betaine applications in poultry from 1995-1998. During her time with Finnsugar Bioproducts, she had the opportunity to live and work in Helsinki, Finland. Her product development responsibilities included technical support for feed compounders and integrators in Europe, Asia and North America, sales staff training and technical support as well as product application development. From 1998 to 2000, Janet was a Research and Development Manager for Finnfeeds International. Her primary focus was on application and model development for betaine in poultry species. Starting in 2000, Janet switched roles to be a regional Technical Service Manager with primary responsibility in the US and Canada for Danisco Animal Nutrition (formerly known as Finnfeeds International). In this role, she worked with both integrated customers and those involved in feed compounding/premixing on application of Danisco products into livestock feed. Later her role expanded to Director of Technical Services with responsibilities for technical service provided by her team to clients as well as support activities across enzyme, betaine and DFM product lines. Currently, Janet is a Senior Technical Director with Danisco Animal Nutrition & Health (a subsidiary of IFF).

Janet has been a member of PSA since her graduate school days. She has attended many annual meetings as a student and as an industry professional. She has served on several PSA committees such as the Long-Range Planning committee, American Feed Industry committee (including chair), Industry Committee for Poultry Science (including chair) and Maurice Stein Fellowship award (including chair). Janet has also been a reviewer for the Poultry Science Journal and Journal of Applied Poultry Research. She also has served as the PSA representative to the American Feed Industry Association (AFIA).

Janet is also a member of World’s Poultry Science Association, American Society of Animal Science and American Society of Dairy Science as well as the American Feed Industry Association wherein she has served on and been chair of AFIA’s Nonruminant subcommittee as well as Nutrition Committee. Janet supports the Minnesota Nutrition symposium as an allied industry committee member, IFEEDER on the research committee, NCC Technical and Regulatory Committee and the Distiller’s Grains Technology Council.

Janet has authored over 80 peer papers, abstracts and proceedings in poultry and animal sciences. She has also had the opportunity to speak at numerous industry/regional conferences on monogastric topics. She is an enthusiastic seeker of knowledge where nutrition and physiology intersect in the gut.

When not immersed in industry activities, Janet enjoys bird watching, gardening and nature photography.

Sarah Struthers
University of Edinburgh

Sarah Struthers was born in Yorkton, Saskatchewan but grew up in Cranbrook, British Columbia with her wonderful parents, three siblings, and two Golden Retrievers. She received her BSc from the University of Saskatchewan in 2015, majoring in Animal Science. Although initially terrified of chickens, she began her MSc in 2016 with Dr. Karen Schwean-Lardner at the University of Saskatchewan. Her MSc research focused on the impacts of infrared beak treatment on layer pullet production and welfare. After successfully defending her thesis in 2018, she worked as a research assistant with Dr. Schwean-Lardner’s lab and conducted further research on the impacts of infrared beak treatment. In 2019, Sarah moved to Edinburgh, Scotland and is currently in her third year of a PhD in Genetics and Genomics at the Roslin Institute (Univeristy of Edinburgh) and Scotland’s Rural College under the supervision of Dr. Jeffrey Schoenebeck, Dr. Vicky Sandilands, and Dr. Ian Dunn. Her PhD research focuses on determining the pre-existing phenotypic variation in beak shape that occurs within layer hen breeding flocks and identifying which beak shapes cause the least damage when hens engaged in feather pecking behaviour. When she is not busy analysing chicken x-rays, she likes to collect old art, visit Edinburgh’s many museums, and practice Olympic weightlifting.

Milan Sharma
University of Georgia

Milan Sharma was born and raised in Nepal. He graduated from Tribhuvan University with a DVM in 2016. Milan Sharma started his Ph.D. in the Department of Poultry Science at the University of Georgia in 2020, focusing on nutritional strategies to improve the gastrointestinal and skeletal health of laying hens under the mentorship of Dr. Woo Kyun Kim. He obtained his master's degree in Poultry Science from Mississippi State University (2020) under the mentorship of Dr. Pratima Adhikari. His master's research focused on the effect of different housing environments and laying hen strains on performance, eggshell and cloacal microbiology, and skeletal health of laying hens. During his Ph.D. studies, Milan served as the University ambassador of the Poultry Science Association Hatchery for the academic year 2021-2022. He is looking forward to working in the egg industry, improving laying hens' performance, health, and welfare.

Thiago Azevedo
University of Alberta
Interning with Maple Leaf Foods

My name is Thiago Azevedo, I just finished the third year of my BSc in Animal Health at the University of Alberta. I discovered my passion for working with birds in the summer of 2021 while working as an intern for WILDNorth at their wildlife rehabilitation center. Originally I was pursuing a career in companion animal veterinary medicine, but as I progressed through my degree I discovered my love for agricultural animals, especially chickens. A great source of inspiration for me to work with poultry was one of my professors, Frank Robinson—his passion for chickens left an impression on me. That impression compounded with my newly discovered passion for birds made me completely reconsider my career path from small animal practice to poultry practice. The student intern procurement and hatchery position is an amazing opportunity as it not only focuses on working with chickens but also allows me to work with poultry producers and provides perspective on working with all facets of the poultry industry.

Lacey Smith
Iowa State University
Interning with West Liberty Foods

Lacey Smith grew up and attended school in Anamosa, Iowa. Since the age of 15, she has worked part-time at a local grocery store and a bank. Lacey is currently a junior at Iowa State University pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Animal Science. Her career goals are to obtain a Master of Business Administration at Iowa State University upon completing her undergraduate degree, and to find a career in the business side of animal production. This internship, in conjunction with its support from the Andrew F. Giesen III Poultry Science Undergraduate Internship Program, is helping Lacey achieve her goals by offering a valuable experience both directly in animal production and through the business end. Lacey loves to travel and learn new things. She believes this internship is a perfect start for her career in this field.

Katie Kirkpatrick
Virginia Tech

Katie Kirkpatrick grew up in Rockbridge Baths just outside of Lexington, VA where her family is based in their agricultural roots. During her childhood years, she spent them learning about agriculture and how to raise animals such as chickens. This passion continued through highschool where she participated in FFA and animal science classes leading her to continue her education at Virginia Tech with a major in Animal and Poultry Sciences. At college, she has been active in agriculture with a special focus in poultry by participating in clubs such as being president of Poultry club and a member of Collegiate Young Farmers. Research has been a focus of hers as well having worked in a poultry immunology lab her freshman year and a poultry nutrition lab during her sophomore and junior years. All of these experiences provided opportunities to network with others in the poultry industry while expanding her knowledge about poultry. She has been able to have active industry experience as well having interned with Perdue in Delaware during the summer of 2021 and is interning with them again in North Carolina during the upcoming summer of 2022. In the future Katie hopes to continue gathering knowledge and experience in the poultry and agricultural industries by seeking a career in these industries upon graduation in the spring of 2023.

Renee Cude
University of Arkansas

Biography coming soon.

Tanisha S. Diggs
Kansas State University

Tanisha S. Diggs found her affinity for animal care early in childhood and began pursuing a career in veterinary medicine. Ms. Diggs graduated from Bel-Rea Institute of Animal Technology with an AAS in Veterinary Technology in 2007. She was certified by The Colorado Association of Certified Veterinary Technicians in 2009.

Ms. Diggs worked in the veterinary field for 15 years in small animal medicine, emergency & critical care, and biomedical research with laboratory species. During that period, Tanisha also became aware of the many problems in our current food chains and was motivated by the need to help reduce the food insecurity experienced by many. She started to build on her skills and experience with animals and began a new journey of becoming an agriculture producer.

Tanisha interned with Gray Acres Farm in 2018. She also earned a certificate in Poultry Meat Production from Texas A & M in 2019. In 2020, Tanisha earned a certificate after completing an externship with GoFarm, which inspired her to create WilMaeGlo Heritage Farm. Her plans for this company as a poultry farmer will assist future stewards of the land by using efficient methods of growing food and raising animals to feed those who are food insecure.

Ms. Diggs is a current scholar with Kansas State University pursuing a B.S. in Animal Science and Industry-Production Management, anticipated graduation is May 2024. She is a member of The Mortar Board Honor Society- who values scholarship, leadership & service to aid those in need.

A Servant to the community is a role where Tanisha excels. She volunteers at a local farm, leading tours and teaching 4-H students about poultry husbandry. Tanisha uses her adept knowledge as a Master Composter and Master Community Gardener to partner with growers who promote healthy lifestyle changes that heal the soul.