A University of California-Davis doctoral student took home the Alltech Student Research Manuscript Award at the 2013 Poultry Science Association (PSA) meeting in San Diego, Calif. Emma Wils-Plotz received this year's award.
A native of Illinois, Wils-Plotz became interested in animal nutrition while studying for her bachelor's degree at Michigan State University. In 2008, she received a grant through the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources Undergraduate Research Program to conduct a research study looking at the efficacy of mare milk in neonatal piglets. After graduation in 2010, Wils-Plotz went on to pursue her master's degree at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, investigating the immunomodulatory effects of both threonine and purified fiber (soluble and insoluble) on chick growth and gut health during a coccidiosis challenge. Currently, Wils-Plotz is pursuing a doctoral degree where she intends to examine the effects of antioxidants and fatty acids on the immune system and disease spread in chickens in a flock setting.
The Alltech Student Research Manuscript Award is presented each year at the PSA conference and is granted upon a student for his or her presentation and publication as senior author of an outstanding research manuscript in Poultry Science or The Journal of Applied Poultry Research. Only students awarded certificates of excellence for research presentations at an annual PSA meeting can compete for this award. The winner receives a plaque and a $500 check.
"Research is a key element in moving the poultry industry forward; it has been a vital part of Alltech's and the industry's success to date," said Dr. Ted Sefton, poultry director of Alltech Guelph. "The Alltech Student Manuscript Award encourages the ongoing publication of research in peer-reviewed journals to communicate these new technologies and discoveries being made in the lab that can have a direct impact on the farm."
