The Poultry Science Association Foundation (PSA Foundation) acknowledged the Arthur W. Perdue Foundation as a Torch Bearer for establishing the Arthur W. Perdue M.S. and PhD. Fellowship Program. Dr. Randy Mitchell, 2016 President of the Poultry Science Association, accepted the plaque on behalf of the Arthur W. Perdue Foundation. The visionary gift for the education of talented graduate students interested in poultry science was established through the PSA Foundation Charting Our Course – Securing Future Leadership for Poultry Campaign (Capital Campaign).
The Arthur W. Perdue M.S. Fellowships were awarded on a nationally competitive basis and provide the two-year stipend for two students pursuing the master's degree. Veronica Nacchia is a recipient of one of the two Inaugural Arthur W. Perdue M.S. Fellowships awarded at the PSA Annual Meeting, and she is a 2015 Andrew F. Giesen III Summer Intern. Brittany Wood, M.S. candidate at the University of California-Davis, was awarded the second Arthur W. Perdue M.S. Fellowship. Both candidates will be working in the area of poultry house enrichment.
Nacchia is currently a M.S. candidate at the University of Delaware, and spoke of her experience as a Giesen Intern as preparation for her acceptance into graduate school. She said, "Thank you everyone for this opportunity to work with the Perdue Fellowship. It's a great opportunity for someone fresh out of college to get into a really good industry. There are so many young graduates who really want to know what opportunities are available to them and the PSA has made a great effort to reach out for new scientists like me."
