20 Outstanding Animal Science Professors

Dr. Archibeque is heavily involved in both education and professional organizations such as the ASAS. He currently serves as the Director-at-Large for 2016, as well as an active member of the Board of Directors. Before teaching, Archibeque worked for the USDA Meat Animal Research Center developing ways to minimize the environmental impact of close-cage animal husbandry. He currently teaches Ruminant Nutrition at Colorado State. 

Dr. Huff-Lonergan is very active in the American Society of Animal Science (ASAS), acting as a member of the editorial board for the affiliated publication, the Journal of Animal Science. She also is the acting Director-at-Large of the ASAS for the 2016 year. In her academic work she is known for provocative research regarding post-mortem conversion of meat and muscle. 

During his 42 years of teaching, Dr. Dikeman has taught over 9,000 students, published more than 420 journal papers, and taught over 600 courses. In a revolutionary co-publication with Dr. John Pollack, Dikeman was instrumental in developing the first environmental product declarations for meat tenderness. He has won numerous teaching awards including the USDA-NASULGC award and the ASAS Excellence in Teaching Award. He is also the Past President of the FASS. 

In addition to his work as a professor and the Department Head of the Animal Science program at North Dakota State University, Dr. Lardy also acts as the Past President of the ASAS. In addition, he recently won the ASAS Extension Award (2010). His research and courses are focused on his passion - cow/calf management and byproduct usage. A celebrated speaker, he has presented at over 550 events. 

Dr. Etherton is both a professor of Animal Nutrition and the Department Head of the Penn State Animal Science Program. His understanding of biotechnology and animal nutrition have earned him international acclaim. He earned the Hoffmann-LaRoche Animal Growth and Development Research Award from the ASAS (1990) and the Northeast American Society of Animal Science Young Scientist Award (1986). He currently serves as the President of the Federation of Animal Science Societies (FASS) and is Past President of the ASAS.

Dr. Davis's work as the Editor-in-Chief of The Journal of Nutrition, in addition to her experience as the Director-at-Large for the ASAS, give her a unique perspective on Animal Science. As a nutritionist primarily, she is very engaged in ways to increase the nutritional value of animals as they are raised. Her most recent research includes using amino acids to increase the skeletal muscle in pigs. 

Dr. Bazer is a distiguished professor and the OD Butler Chair of the Physiology of Reproduction at Texas A&M University. He has been influential in molding the program at both Texas and the University of Florida. He has received many awards for his reproduction research from organizations like the ASAS, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and the Society for Reproduction and Fertility (SRF). 

Over the past 40 years, Dr. Cross has been managing, leading, and teaching at all levels of education and government. He served as the Administrator of the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service under President's Bush and Clinton. In addition, he founded the International HACCP Alliance and acted as the Vice President of DuPont Food Industry Solutions. He currently teaches and acts as the Department Head for Animal Science at Texas A&M.

Not only has Dr. Galyean become an influential part of the Texas Tech Animal Science Department in addition to the New Mexico State University and Texas A&M programs. Galyean earned local and national recognition for his streamlined animal processes leading to the ASAS Animal Management Award (2006) and Morrison Award (2012). He is the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Animal Science and a Past President of the ASAS.

Dr. Eenennamm is a nationally recognized Animal Science researcher and teacher at UC-Davis. In addition to teaching courses in Animal Genomics and Biotechnology, she acts as the school's Cooperative Extension Specialist. Her research activities have earned her the National Award for Excellence in Extension (American Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities, 2010), the American Society of Animal Science (ASAS) Western Extension Award, and the Association for Communication Excellence (ACE) Bronze Award. 

Dr. Delany teaches Developmental Genetics at one of the most prestigious Animal Science colleges in the US. In addition, she pursues research regarding avian telomere biology - regulation of chicken in vitro and in vivo cells. She is widely published in journals such as the Journal of Heredity and In Avian Immunology. Students call her "Very friendly," and willing to mentor students, even if they're not Animal Science majors.

In addition to being both a professor and the Department Head of the UConn Animal Science Program, Dr. Zinn manages to make his mark on the professional world of Animal Science. He teaches Animal Science Learning and Undergraduate Honors Thesis Writing in addition to his duties as the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Animal Science and Animal Frontiers. He also served on the President's Athletic Advisory Committee (2008-2008).

Although teaching isn't his main focus, Dr. Suman's students benefit from his immense connections with the forefront of meat quality research. He currently teaches Animal Food Products, Sensory Evaluation of Foods, and Food Pigments, but his real focus is on speaking, acting as a peer reviewer, and continued research on improving color stability in meats. Suman is also the 2013 recipient of the ASAS Early Career Achievement Award.

In addition to her work as a professor of Beef Cattle Genetics, Dr. Aaron also serves as the President of the ASAS. In addition, Aaron is part of the NCERA-214 Committee working on ways to increase sheep production efficiency in the Northeast region. She has published numerous articles in the Journal of Animal Science and was a key contributor to Swine Nutrition, Second Edition. Her students find her to be a tough grader, but interesting when focused on her passion of animal efficiency. 

Dr. Stern is a prolific teacher and his skill has earned him an array of national awards. In 2014, he received the ASAS Fellow Award in Teaching to match his ASAS Distinguished Teacher Award from 2010. He also received the American Dairy Science Association Teaching Award in 2006. Stern currently teaches a full load, including Animal Nutrition, Companion Animal Nutrition, Companion Animal Hot Button Issues and Ruminant Nutrition. 

Of all the professors on this list, Dr. Smith is the one who is most nationally recognized for his teaching skills. In addition to being a celebrated animal physiologist and endocrinologist, Smith has won numerous awards for his mentoring and in-depth lectures. He has received the ASAS Distinguished Teaching Award (2008), USDA Regional Teaching Award (2010), and Society for the Study of Reproduction Trainee Mentoring Award (2008).