USPOULTRY and the USPOULTRY Foundation recognize Dr. Michael Lilburn as the 2016 recipient of the annual Charles Beard Research Excellence Award.
Dr. Lilburn is a professor in the Department of Animal Sciences at The Ohio State University and works at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center in Wooster, Ohio. The award is named in honor of Dr. Charles Beard, former director of the Southeast Poultry Research Laboratory and former vice president of research at USPOULTRY.
The USPOULTRY Foundation Research Advisory Committee selected Dr. Lilburn for this prestigious award based on his exceptional research to define the nutritional requirements and optimize growth performance in turkeys and chickens. During the course of his research, Dr. Lilburn has received research grants from USPOULTRY and the USPOULTRY Foundation to investigate the digestibility of amino acids in broilers and turkeys, the influence of age on the digestibility of amino acids in turkey poults, the available phosphorous requirement of broiler breeder pullets and the optimal body weight growth curves for turkey breeder hens. Dr. Lilburn has an impressive record of communicating his research findings to the poultry industry and assisting in implementing innovations.
“The U.S. Poultry & Egg Association has been very supportive of our research program over the years, and I am extremely grateful for this support. Dr. Beard’s research career is impressive, and I am pleased to receive this award which bears his name,” said Dr. Lilburn.
“Dr. Lilburn’s research program is a great example of how USPOULTRY research funds can be directed toward important applied research to find solutions to current problems faced by the poultry industry. The quality of Dr. Lilburn’s research is outstanding, and the results have been used by the poultry industry to make improvements in several areas including nutrition and hatching egg production,” said Dr. John Glisson, vice president of research programs for USPOULTRY.
Dr. Lilburn received his MS and PhD degrees from Pennsylvania State University. He has previously received other awards that recognize his outstanding research contributions, including the American Feed Industry Award for research in poultry nutrition, the Midwest Poultry Consortium outstanding faculty award and the National Turkey Federation research award. He has served as president of the Poultry Science Association and the Federation of Animal Science Societies.
The goal of the Charles Beard Research Excellence Award is to recognize outstanding completed research projects, funded by USPOULTRY or the USPOULTRY Foundation, which have made a significant positive impact on the poultry industry. As the recipient of the award, Dr. Lilburn received a $1,500 cash prize. The award was presented to him during the International Poultry Scientific Forum meeting by Dr. Beard and Dr. Travis Cigainero, chairman of the Foundation Research Advisory Committee.
