Award certificate paper

The Student Research Paper Certificate of Excellence was awarded to 18 students in recognition of high quality research papers and posters that were presented in a superior manner at the 2004 Annual Meeting of the Poultry Science Association. As Certificate of Excellence awardees, they are eligible to submit papers for the Manuscript Award for 2005. The manuscript or reprint of the published paper should be submitted as five copies to the Chairperson of the Alltech Student Manuscript Award Committee, A. B. Batal (University of Georgia, Department of Poultry Science, 208 Poultry Science Bldg., Athens, GA 30602). Graduate students who received a Certificate of Excellence in the oral sessions and reported on research with turkeys were also given the Nicholas Graduate Student Paper Award for Turkey Research.

Daad Abi-Ghanem, Texas A&M University, is the recipient of a Certificate of Excellence for her poster, "Construction of a na??ve chicken antibody library using phage display," which was presented in the Immunology section. Co-authors were S. D. Waghela and L. R. Berghman. Abi-Gahnem received a B.S. in nutrition and dietetics in 1994 and an M.S. in poultry science in 1998, both from the American University of Beirut, Lebanon. She is currently working on a Ph.D. in the Department of Poultry Science, Texas A&M University, College Station TX.

Abi-Ghanem is experienced in the fields of poultry production, technology transfer, and agricultural extension. She is currently involved in the development of alternative antibody-based approaches for the prophylaxis of chicken enteric pathogens. This work entails using a highly powerful phage display technology to produce a na??ve combinatorial chicken antibody library that will be used to screen for Eimeria tenella sporozoites. The cocktail of antibodies thus obtained will be used in invasion inhibition studies. Once established, such a library can be used to screen for other pathogens. Her work also focuses on the shedding and intestinal persistence of Salmonella Typhimurium in chickens. Development of an approach that reduces colonization and persistence of this organism in the intestines of birds could constitute a potential preharvest point for improving food safety.

Keith Ameiss, Texas A&M University, is the recipient of a Certificate of Excellence for his paper, "Enhancement of homologous vaccination to Eimeria acervulina via CpG-ODNs," co-authored by J. El-Attrache, A. Barri, A. P. McElroy, and D. J. Caldwell and presented in the Pathology Section.

Ameiss was born and raised outside of Chicago, IL. He attended the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana from 1991-1995 and received a B.S. in animal science. After working in a veterinary clinic and cancer research laboratory, he enrolled at Northern Illinois University and received an M.S. in biology in 2002. Ameiss joined the Texas A&M University Department of Poultry Science in 2002 and is currently in their Ph.D. program.

His research involves oral immunization of poultry against coccidiosis and the immunological involvement of intestinal epithelium in response to Eimeria species. A major research emphasis of the laboratory is host-pathogen interactions that occur in the intestine of commercial poultry in response to infection by the Apicomplexan parasites Eimeria acervulina, E. maxima, and E. tenella. Specifically he is interested in oral immunization of commercial poultry against these species, use of adjuvants to improve immunity and performance during immunization, and the role that the intestinal epithelium plays in protection.

Shoshana M. Bartell, University of Georgia, is the recipient of a Certificate of Excellence for her paper, "The effect of glutamine on growth performance and the development of the gastrointestinal tract and immune system of broilers," co-authored by A. B. Batal and presented in the Nutrition section.

Bartell's paper reported on two studies that were conducted to evaluate the effect of glutamine on growth performance and development of the gastrointestinal tract and immune system. The results indicated that addition of GIn to the diet of broiler chicks improved growth performance and might stimulate development of the gastrointestinal track and immune system.

Andrew P. Benson, University of Georgia, is the recipient of a Certificate of Excellence and a Nicholas Turkey Communication Award for his paper, "Expression of the mRNA for zona pellucida proteins 1 and 3 in two genetic lines of turkey hens that differ in fertility," co-authored by A. J. Davis, B. D. Fairchild, and V. L. Christensen and presented in the Physiology section.

Benson was born and raised just outside of Gainsville, GA. He received a B.S. in poultry science from the University of Georgia in 2002 and was offered the opportunity to continue studying in the poultry science department under Dr. Adam Davis for a graduate degree. Benson anticipates obtaining a Ph.D. in poultry science from the University of Georgia by 2006. His research focuses on the inner perivitelline layer of turkey and chicken and the potential roles that the proteins, which make up this perivitelline layer, have in the fertilization process.

Patrick E. Biggs, University of Illinois, is the recipient of a Certificate of Excellence for his paper, "The effect of several oligosaccharides on true amino acid digestibility in cecectomized and intact roosters," co-authored by C. M. Parsons and presented in the Nutrition Section.

Biggs was born in Pekin, IL. He attended Illinois Central College for two years and then transferred to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he earned a B.S. in animal sciences in 2000. Biggs earned an M.S. in animal sciences under Dr. Carl M. Parsons and Ken W. Koelkebeck in 2003. His thesis focused on the study of nonfeed withdrawal methods to induce molt in laying hens. He is currently working under Dr. Carl Parsons toward a Ph.D. degree in animal sciences at the University of Illinois. His current research involves the use of various prebiotics in broiler diets and their effects on gut health.

Mark E. Chapman, University of Arkansas, is the recipient of a Certificate of Excellence for his poster "Pulmonary hypertensive responses of broilers to bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS): evaluation of LPS source and dose, and impact of pre-existing pulmonary hypertension and cellulose micro-particle selection" coauthored by W. Wang, G. F. Erf, and R. F. Widman Jr. and presented in the Physiology section.

Chapman received a B.S. in biology at Southampton University in the UK (1995) and an M.S. at the University of Arkansas (2003) in poultry science, under the direction of Dr. Robert F. Wideman Jr. Chapman's thesis research involved examining the hemodynamic responses of the broiler pulmonary vasculature to intravenously infused serotonin. His doctoral research currently includes continuing to study the role of serotonin in pulmonary hypertension syndrome in broilers.

Patrick M. Clark, Kansas State University, is the recipient of a Certificate of Excellence for his poster, "Effects of Pelleting Protein Concentrate Pellets on Feed Mill Throughput and Electrical Efficiency," co-authored by K.C. Behnke and presented in the Genetics section.

Clark graduated from Kansas State University (KSU) in 2000 with a B.S. degree in feed science and went to work for a commercial feed mill as an assistant plant manager. After a year and a half, he returned to KSU for graduate work in grain science under Dr. Keith Behnke. Currently, he is finishing an M.S. and will begin Ph.D. research in the fall. Clark has been involved with many projects for new product development for the feed industry. I have also been involved with research dealing with feed processing and its effects on nutrient requirements for broilers.

Kimberly Cole, University of Arkansas, is the recipient of a Certificate of Excellence and a Nicholas Turkey Communication Award for her paper, "Isolation and prevalence of Campylobacter in the semen and reproductive tracts of commercial turkeys," co-authored by A. M. Donoghue, P. J. Blore, and D. J. Donoghue and presented in the Environment and Management section.

Cole received a B.S. in animal science from Virginia Tech in 1994 and an M.S. in 2002 from the University of Arkansas. She is currently working on a Ph.D. at the University of Arkansas under the direction of Dr. Dan Donoghue.

Her research focuses on mechanisms of vertical transmission of Campylobacter in poultry and researching ways to reduce or eliminate Campylobacter from poultry semen.

John P. Driver, University of Georgia, is the recipient of a Certificate of Excellence for his paper, "Phytase and 1-a-OH cholecalciferol (1-n-OH DI) supplementation to broilers during the starting and growing/finishing phases," co-authored by G. M. Pesti, R. I. Bakalli, and H. M. Edwards and presented in the Nutrition section.