Sponsored by F. B. Morrison Fund
Donald C. Beitz
Donald C. Beitz was raised on an Illinois Guernsey dairy farm, where he developed an intense interest in Cardinal baseball. He attended the University of Illinois and Michigan State University. In 1967, he joined the Animal Science and Biochemistry faculties at Iowa State University, where he is now Charles F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor of Agriculture. He teaches biochemistry classes and advises agricultural biochemistry students. His research has focused on milk fever and ketosis; beef tenderness; mitochondrial DNA; and dietary control of milk fat, body composition, and plasma cholesterol. He has directed 94 advanced degree programs. He and his lovely wife, Judy, have two children and five grandchildren.

Sponsored by American Feed Industry Association
Hans Stein
Hans H. Stein is an associate professor in swine nutrition at the University of Illinois, and he is the interim executive director at the National Soybean Research Laboratory in Urbana, Illinois. Stein's research focuses on digestive physiology and ingredient evaluation. He has published 67 peer-reviewed journal articles, 4 book chapters, 68 conference proceedings and bulletins, and 123 research abstracts. Stein has given numerous invited talks in the United States and abroad, and he has mentored 5 postdoctoral fellows and 21 graduate students. He has served on the editorial board for the Journal of Animal Science and on several research review panels. He is currently also serving on the NRC committee that is writing the 11th revised edition of Nutrient Requirements of Swine.

Sponsored by American Feed Industry Association
Timothy A. McAllister
Tim McAllister is a principal research scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. He obtained his PhD from the University of Guelph in 1991. At the Lethbridge Research Center, he leads a team that focuses on ruminant nutrition, microbiology, molecular biology and beef production. His innovations include characterizing microbial processes of feed digestion, development of exogenous enzymes, prevention of bloat, mitigation of acidosis, fate of feed transgenes, biofuel feed by-products, mitigation of methane emissions, and use of subtherapeutic antibiotics in beef production. McAllister is an associate editor for the Canadian Journal of Animal Science and the Journal of Animal Science and has published over 289 scientific peer-reviewed papers.

Sponsored by ABS Global, Inc.
J. Keith Bertrand
J. Keith Bertrand is professor and head of the University of Georgia Animal and Dairy Science Department. He has an international reputation as an authority on the prediction of beef cattle genetic values using large field data sets. Eighteen beef breed associations in four countries have based their performance programs at the University of Georgia due to the innovative research conducted in the area of livestock genetic evaluation under his guidance. His research publications include 96 refereed journal articles; 24 invited proceedings papers; and 211 other industry or scientific abstracts, proceedings, and articles. He has also given 71 invited presentations at national or international meetings in nine countries on the subject of beef genetic evaluation.

Sponsored by DSM Nutritional Products, Inc.
Jack Odle
Jack Odle is William Neal Reynolds Professor of Animal Science at North Carolina State University, with a career focus in developmental nutrition and biochemistry. His research has relevance to both agriculture and medical science in that his laboratory uses the piglet as a model to study metabolism throughout postnatal development. His research efforts are focused on the ontogeny of lipid metabolism and on growth and development of the injured intestine. He has garnered more than $6 million for research, has published 100 peer-reviewed papers and 200 abstracts and technical reports, and has trained 34 students. He has served on the editorial boards of the Journal of Animal Science and the Journal of Nutrition, including six years as associate editor.

Sponsored by Pfizer Animal Health
David L. Thomas
Dave Thomas earned a BS degree at the University of Wisconsin and graduate degrees from Oklahoma State University. He has served the sheep industry during a 33-year research, teaching, and extension career at Oregon State University, the University of Illinois, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His research contributions include establishing the mode of inheritance of spider syndrome, comparing hair and prolific wool breeds, and establishing a research program in dairy sheep production. He has worked closely with the American Sheep Industry Association, National Sheep Improvement Program, and Dairy Sheep Association of North America. He has participated in international projects in Kenya, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, and Armenia. He has over 500 career publications. He and his wife, Lynda, have three children and five grandchildren.

Sponsored by Merial Limited
Mike D. Tokach
Mike Tokach was born in Bismarck, North Dakota. He graduated from North Dakota State University in 1986 and obtained his MS in swine nutrition from Kansas State University in 1988. After completing his PhD at the University of Minnesota, he joined the staff at Kansas State in 1991. Applications of Tokach's ideas and concepts have had dramatic effects on feeding strategies in all phases of swine nutrition. Because of his matter-of-fact approach to swine nutrition and management, he is viewed as a valuable resource for unbiased and practical nutritional recommendations. He has coauthored 168 refereed journal articles and has generated over $6 million in grants and gifts to support his research. He and his wife, Lisa, have three children, Sage, Rogan, and Fiona.

Sponsored by American Society of Animal Science Foundation
Matthew C. Lucy
Matthew C. Lucy is a professor of animal science at the University of Missouri, where he serves as leader of the Food for the 21st Century Animal Reproductive Biology Program. Lucy's research is focused on the effects of nutrition on growth factors that affect fertility in farm animals. Much of his work relates to growth hormone, the growth hormone receptor, and IGF1. During the last 10 years, Lucy and his collaborators have published 59 refereed journal articles, and he has received over $3 million in funding as principal or co-investigator. He has been invited to present his research at 12 international meetings, 5 national meetings, and over 40 universities. He is also known as an outstanding classroom educator at Mizzou.

Sponsored by Center for Regulatory Services, Inc.
Michael D. Kenealy
Michael Kenealy joined Iowa State University in 1975. He has taught over 14,000 students and was selected Teaching Fellow by ASAS. Kenealy's first international program was a study tour to China in 1982. This was only the second student team allowed full access to the rural areas of post-Mao China. He has completed education projects with Armenia, Bulgaria, China, Serbia, and Ukraine. He is most proud of the creation of BS and MS programs at the National Agricultural University of Ukraine. Kenealy has great enthusiasm for programs that enhance internationalization of both US and international students. To this end, Kenealy has led five international travel courses and hosted many international students via Iowa State University exchange programs.

Sponsored by The Iams Company
Kathy L. Gross
Kathy Gross received her BS from Penn State University, her MS from Virginia Tech, and her PhD from Kansas State. She joined Hill's Pet Nutrition in 1990 and is currently director of product claims for Hill's pet food brands. During her career with Hill's, she has been a major force in the development and commercialization of many innovative products for companion animals. Gross is a meticulous scientist with outstanding skills in the design, implementation, analysis, presentation, and publication of research materials. She is an inventor on several patents and author of over 45 articles and book chapters, and she has published over 50 abstracts. Gross and her husband, Rick Tanner, have three children. Gross is also an active community volunteer.

Sponsored by Land O'Lakes, Purina Mills LLC
Marshall D. Stern
Marshall Stern is a proponent of active learning and applies his many talents to improving the educational experience of undergraduate and graduate students. He teaches courses in Companion Animal Nutrition, Principles of Animal Nutrition and Ruminant Nutrition. Stern advises 30 undergraduates per year and has advised 24 undergraduate senior research theses, 12 PhD, and 16 MS theses to completion. He receives extraordinarily high teaching evaluations and has received numerous teaching awards. Stern is also responsible for developing a companion animal curriculum at the University of Minnesota. Stern's incredible commitment to teaching, advising, and curriculum development has contributed significantly to student education.

Sponsored by American Society of Animal Science Foundation
Min Du
Min Du earned his BS and MS in China and his PhD from Iowa State University in 2001. After postdoctoral training at the University of Alberta, Canada, he was hired as an assistant professor at the University of Wyoming in 2003 and was promoted to associate professor in 2009. His research focuses on the mechanisms controlling skeletal muscle growth and development. He has earned grant dollars totaling $2.25 million as the principal investigator. He has published 108 peer-reviewed publications and 107 scientific meeting abstracts. He was the recipient of the Young Scientist Award, Western Section ASAS, and the Outstanding Advisor Award from the College of Agriculture at the University of Wyoming in 2008.

Sponsored by American Society of Animal Science Foundation
Terry E. Engle
Terry E. Engle is a leading authority on the mineral metabolism of ruminants. After earning his PhD from North Carolina State University in 1999, he joined the faculty at Colorado State University and was promoted to associate professor in 2005. He has developed exceptional programs in both research and teaching at CSU, generated over $3 million in grants and gifts, built an impressive publication record, given many invited presentations, and served on the editorial board of the Journal of Animal Science. He was awarded the WSASAS Young Scientist Award in 2006 and the Distinguished Teaching Award in 2009. Engle teaches five courses, has chaired or cochaired 38 PhD and MS advisees, and was recognized with college teaching awards in 2003 and 2007. Even with these impressive accomplishments, Engle's highest priority is his family.

Sponsored by Zinpro Performance Minerals
Brian D. Nielsen
Brian D. Nielsen is a professor in the Department of Animal Science at Michigan State University. His research focuses on the growth and development of the equine athlete, with an emphasis on the prevention of skeletal injuries. Nielsen has authored 40 peer-reviewed papers, several book chapters, and over 150 conference papers and abstracts. He has received $1.2 million in funding, is a member of ASAS and the American Registry of Professional Animal Scientists, and is the vice president for the Equine Science Society. He is a Diplomat in the American College of Animal Nutritionists and served on the National Academy of Sciences Committee on Nutrient Requirements of Horses.

Sponsored by Pfizer Animal Health
Gregory P. Lardy
Greg Lardy grew up on a commercial cow-calf and ranching operation in southwestern North Dakota near Sentinel Butte. Lardy received his BS, MS, and PhD degrees from North Dakota State University, the University of Missouri, and the University of Nebraska, respectively. Lardy works with all facets of the beef cattle industry in the state of North Dakota, including seedstock producers, commercial cow-calf operators, feedlots, and allied industry personnel. The focus of Lardy's extension programming efforts is beef cattle nutrition and management, with an emphasis on alternative feedstuffs and coproducts. Lardy and his wife, Lynae, are the proud parents of Jacob, Jarrett, and JaeLyn.

Sponsored by American Society of Animal Science
Kenneth L. Esbenshade
Ken Esbenshade received his BS from Delaware Valley College and his MS and PhD from Purdue University. He is the associate dean and director of academic programs for the College of Agriculture and Life Science at North Carolina State University, overseeing 80 degree programs enrolling 5,816 students. Esbenshade is recognized nationally for his innovative admission programs, distance education delivery platforms, and the development of USDA's higher education agenda. He has served on numerous invited reviews for national programs and task forces dealing with issues affecting the livestock industry and higher education. Esbenshade has received numerous awards during his career including the Outstanding Educator Award from NACTA and the Honorary American FFA Degree.

Maynard G. Hogberg
Maynard G. Hogberg earned his BS, MS, and PhD at Iowa State University prior to joining the faculty at Michigan State University in 1976. In 1984, he was named chair of the Animal Science Department at Michigan State University, and in 2003, he became chair of Animal Science at Iowa State University. Under Hogberg's leadership, the animal science departments at both institutions improved their teaching, research, and extension programs by hiring outstanding faculty, building new facilities, and developing a strong partnership with stakeholders. He has been the recipient of the ASAS Midwest Section Young Scientist Extension Award and Animal Industry Service Award. He has served as president of ASAS and FASS.

Sponsored by American Society of Animal Science
Temple Grandin
Temple Grandin is an international expert in livestock handling and welfare. She formed Grandin Livestock Handling Systems Inc. in 1975, earned a MS from Arizona State University in 1975 and PhD from the University of Illinois in 1989, and in 1990 joined the Colorado State University faculty. Her successful consulting business works primarily with beef feedlots and meat packers to improve animal handling and welfare. She has designed a restrainer system for beef slaughter, curved chute and race systems, an objective scoring system, and AMI animal handling guidelines, and she has trained auditors employed by meat buying companies to objectively audit animal handling and stunning. Grandin is respected by all sides of animal welfare issues. She is a proponent of doing what is right and never shies away from saying it.

Sponsored by American Society of Animal Science
Gary Allee
Gary Allee has been a leader in swine nutrition and production during his 40-year career at Kansas State University and the University of Missouri. Throughout his career he has mentored 27 PhD and 28 MS students; authored over 100 refereed journal papers, 3 book chapters, and over 350 abstracts and technical papers; and given over 200 invited presentations in 26 states and 28 countries. He has served on the NRC Swine Nutrition Subcommittee and as vice president, president, and director of Midwest ASAS. Allee is recognized nationally and internationally for his pioneering contributions to swine nutrition. Allee and his wife, Norma, have two children, Teresa and Todd, and four grandchildren.

Sherrill Echternkamp
Sherrill Echternkamp was reared on a livestock and grain farm near Camp Point, Illinois, where he participated in local and state 4-H and FFA programs. Echternkamp earned his BS in animal science from Southern Illinois University, MS from The Ohio State University, and PhD in vertebrate physiology from Cornell University. After postdoctoral training at the ARS Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, he joined the research staff at the US Meat Animal Research Center, Clay Center, Nebraska. Echternkamp's research has focused on improving reproductive efficiency in beef cattle, including development of the USMARC Twinner herd with Keith Gregory. Echternkamp joined ASAS in 1972 and has served on various committees.

Michael Galyean
Mike Galyean is the Paul Whitfield Horn Professor and Thornton Distinguished Chair in Animal Science at Texas Tech University. He received his BS from New Mexico State University and his MS and PhD degrees in animal nutrition from Oklahoma State University. He worked at New Mexico State University for 19 years before moving to his present position in 1998. Galyean has received over $2.3 million in research grants and has authored or coauthored over 200 journal articles. He has received the AFIA Ruminant Nutrition Research Award and the ASAS Animal Management Award. He served on the NRC Committee on Animal Nutrition, the Beef Cattle Nutrition Subcommittee, as editor-in-chief of the Journal of Animal Science, and as president of ASAS. Galyean and his wife, Charlotte, have three grown children, Joseph, Kyle, and Kevan.

Charles V. Maxwell
Charles Maxwell received his BS and MS from the University of Georgia and his PhD degree from the University of Wisconsin. He started his career in a research and teaching position as a swine specialist at Oklahoma State University and served in that capacity for 28 years. Since 1996, he has held the position of professor of swine nutrition and management at the University of Arkansas. Maxwell has made major contributions to the swine industry. His research has emphasized nutrition of the neonatal and early-weaned pig and has resulted in a better understanding of the effect of management systems on performance of young pigs. He has published 79 refereed journal articles, 188 abstracts, and 153 miscellaneous publications.

David J. Schingoethe
David J. Schingoethe was raised on a dairy farm in northern Illinois, where he was active in 4-H and FFA. He obtained his BS and MS degrees from the University of Illinois and his PhD from Michigan State University. He has been performing research and teaching in the Dairy Science Department at South Dakota State University since 1969 and was named Distinguished Professor in 2003. He has been the major advisor and mentor to many of the respected leaders in animal sciences. Schingoethe has developed a reputation as an outstanding dairy nutritionist, authoring over 500 publications. He is considered a leader in the use of by-products in diets of dairy cattle, protein nutrition of lactating cows, and modification of the composition of milk fat for improved marketability and healthfulness.

Sponsored by American Society of Animal Science
Dennis M. Hallford
Dennis M. Hallford received his BS from Tarleton State University and his MS and PhD degrees from Oklahoma State University working with Turman and Wettemann. He joined the faculty of Animal and Range Sciences at New Mexico State University in 1975. He has been a continuous member of ASAS since 1971. In 2004 he earned the rank of Regents Professor and has received all major teaching awards at New Mexico State University. He received the Western Section Distinguished Teacher and Service awards. Hallford served as president of the Western Section and on the ASAS Executive Committee and Board of Directors. He was the applied animal science section editor and animal production division editor for the Journal of Animal Science. Hallford and his wife, Marilyn, live in Las Cruces, New Mexico, as do their daughter, son-in-law, and two granddaughters.

Sponsored by American Society of Animal Science Foundation
Rodney L. Preston
Rod Preston was an active member of ASAS during his entire professional career. His research centered on nutrient utilization, growth, body composition, and anabolic agents in beef cattle. He authored 127 journal papers and book chapters and has spoken at many nutrition conferences. He is a strong advocate for science-based decisions on the use of antibiotics and anabolic agents. Preston retired in 1996.
Preston is a member of the FASS Committee on Food Safety, Animal Health and Animal Drugs. He took the lead in organizing hot topic symposia at ASAS and FASS meetings. He updates the annual Feed Composition Table for Cattle and Sheep for BEEF magazine. In 2006, he published Stetson, Pipe and Boots, a biography about Dan Thornton.

Sponsored by Omega Protein Inc.
Cara O'Connor-Robison
Cara O'Connor-Robison was born in Joliet, Illinois, and attended Truman State University, where she graduated with a BS in biology with a minor in equine science in 1998. In 2000, O'Connor-Robison received her MS in animal science with an emphasis on equine exercise physiology from the University of Kentucky. She then accepted a position as a research assistant for Brian Nielsen at Michigan State University, and she began working on her PhD under the guidance of Michael Orth in January of 2006 while continuing to work full time. O'Connor-Robison's research focuses on omega-3 fatty acids in bone and cartilage health in sows and gilts. She has been an author on 13 peer-reviewed publications and numerous abstracts.

Jill Rexford
Jill Rexford is originally from Pendleton, New York, and received her BS in animal science in 2005 from Cornell University. During her undergraduate career, she was a member of the Cornell polo team and the Cornell figure skating team. Rexford moved to Colorado in 2006 and worked as an equine sales representative for a supplement company before beginning a graduate program at Colorado State University under the guidance of Tanja Hess. She now resides in Fort Collins, Colorado, and will be graduating with her MS in August 2010. In her spare time she likes to spend time with her horse, attend jackpot barrel races, play polo, figure skate, and enjoy the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.

Amy K. McLean
Amy McLean is an equine lecturer and state equine extension specialist at the University of Wyoming. She earned her BS and MS in animal science from the University of Georgia and her PhD in equine science from Michigan State University. Her PhD research focused on training, harnessing, and managing donkeys while measuring physiological and behavioral signs associated with stress and welfare. McLean received a USDA National Needs Fellowship to study in Mali, West Africa, and examine methods to improve livestock production. In 2010 she will present three abstracts on her donkey research at two international meetings.

Christy Oliver
Christy Oliver earned BS, MS, and PhD degrees in animal and range science at North Dakota State University. She was the 2007-2008 FASS Congressional Science Fellow. Since January 2009, she has taught at Crown College in Powell, Tennessee. In June, she presented an abstract titled "Nitrite accumulation in nitrate-supplemented cultures of two wildtype Selenomonas ruminantium strains isolated from different rumen populations" at the Rowett-INRA Gut Microbiology Conference in Aberdeen, Scotland.

Christina E. Phillips
Christina Phillips grew up in southeastern North Carolina and received her BS and MS in animal science from North Carolina State University. Phillips is currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Minnesota, where she is advised by Yuzhi Li and Jerry Shurson. This travel scholarship will allow her to present research investigating the effect of gestation stage and parity on fear response in sows at the International Society of Applied Ethology Conference in Uppsala, Sweden, this August.

Christina Taylor-Edwards
Christy Taylor-Edwards received her BS from the University of Delaware and MS from Michigan State University. She completed her PhD from the University of Kentucky in April 2009 and to date is author or coauthor on 12 refereed publications and 17 abstracts. Taylor-Edwards currently works for the US FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine. This travel fellowship will be used to present doctoral research at the 3rd EAAP International Symposium on Energy and Protein Metabolism and Nutrition.

Katherine May
Katherine May is a June 2010 graduate with a MS from the Animal Science Department at Oregon State University. Her work, "Conjugated Linoleic Acid Decreases Prostaglandin Synthesis in Bovine Luteal Cells," evaluated the effect of conjugated linoleic acid on the production of progesterone, prostaglandin F_2alpha;, and prostaglandin E₂ in cultured bovine luteal cells. She plans to eventually work in the area of dairy cattle nutrition through research, teaching, sales, or consulting.

Erin L. Richter
Erin Richter is currently pursuing a master's in nutritional sciences, with an emphasis on ruminant nutrition and rumen microbiology, at Iowa State University under the guidance of Stephanie Hansen. She plans to complete the degree in May 2011. Her research is focused on sulfur toxicity, mineral metabolism, and rumen population changes that occur when animals experience dietary shifts. Her research interests also include development of direct-fed microbials for ruminal acidosis prevention.

Andrea Sexton
Andrea Sexton is presenting the following abstracts: "Genetic mechanism underlying the effect of breed on fatty acid composition in Angus and Charolais finishing steers" and "A region on BTA6 is associated with feed intake and gain in beef cattle." She earned two BS degrees and a MS degree in ruminant nutrition from the University of Kentucky. She is currently a PhD candidate in ruminant nutrition at Oklahoma State University. She will graduate this summer and pursue a research and teaching position at a land-grant university.

Carilynn N. Gravatte
Carilynn Gravatte is from Fancy Farm, Kentucky, where she grew up on a dairy and tobacco farm. She is a senior at the University of Kentucky, where she is receiving a degree in animal sciences and a degree in community leadership and development. Gravatte is a member of Block and Bridle, Ceres International Women's Agricultural Fraternity, and the UK Dairy Club. In the future she plans to have a career where animal science and public policy meet at the state, federal, or international levels. At this meeting she will present "Evaluation of dairy cattle lying behavior in commercial freestall barns." While in Washington, DC, she is working for the American Meat Institute.