AgBioResearch Scientists Receive University Distinguished Professor Title

Three MAES researchers were among 10 MSU professors named university distinguished professors in recognition of their achievements in the classroom, laboratory and community.

Three MAES researchers were among 10 MSU professors named university distinguished professors in recognition of their achievements in the classroom, laboratory and community.

The designations, recommended by Michigan State University President Lou Anna K. Simon, were approved by the MSU Board of Trustees at its June meeting.

This is one of the highest honors that the university can bestow on a faculty member. Those selected for the title have been recognized nationally and internationally for the importance of their teaching, research and public service achievements.

Individuals holding the professorship will receive, in addition to their salary, a stipend of $5,000 per year for five years to support professional activities.

The MAES researchers honored are:

Mike AllenMike Allen, animal science and dairy cattle nutrition researcher. Allen is nationally and internationally known for his research in basic and applied dairy nutrition. His primary research interests are regulation of feed intake, modeling the passage of ingesta through the rumen, studying the genetics of corn hybrids for silage production, digestibility of forage fiber and the investigation of the site of starch digestion.

Pamela Fraker, biochemisPamela Frakertry and microbiology and food science and human nutrition researcher. Fraker is recognized internationally for her studies on the effect of nutritional and hormonal status on the immune response. Her work was the first to demonstrate the critical role that zinc plays in the immune response. Fraker is a member of the prestigious National Academy of Sciences and the first woman from the MSU faculty to be named to the academy.

Phil RobertsonG. Philip Robertson, crop and soil sciences researcher. Robertson is an international leader in the developing field of agroecology. He is founding director of the MSU Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) program at the Kellogg Biological Station -- a National Science Foundation-funded initiative that applies ecological concepts to agricultural systems to foster economic sustainability and minimize environmental impact. His pioneering work on geostatistics applied to agroecosystems is increasing the understanding of how multiple factors affect global warming

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