Fund Detail

Fund Purpose:

This fund was formed to recognize the contribution of Dr. Gary Cromwell to non-ruminant nutrition and to the American Society of Animal Science. The money supports an award for outstanding research in the field of minerals nutrition. This award is given yearly at the ASAS National Meeting. The requirements for the Cromwell Award in Mineral Nutrition can be found here.

Biographical Sketch:

Dr. Gary Cromwell obtained a B.S. degree in agricultural education at Kansas State University and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in animal nutrition at Purdue University. His entire 36-year research and teaching career has been at the University of Kentucky, where he is a professor in the Department of Animal Sciences. 

Dr. Cromwell's broad-based research has included the assessment of amino acid and mineral requirements of swine, the bioavailability of phosphorus in feedstuffs, copper as a growth promotant, the efficacy and safety of antibiotics, nutritional aspects of genetically modified crops, and environmental aspects associated with the use of phytase in swine diets. His research on phosphorus bioavailability has provided the basis for formulating pig diets on an "available phosphorus" basis. He is the author or co-author of more than 950 publications, including 139 refereed journal articles. He has directed or co-directed 61 graduate students, many of whom have prominent roles in the feed industry or academia. Gary served as president of ASAS in 1989-1990 and as nonruminant nutrition section editor of the Journal of Animal Science. He presently is chair of the FASS Food Safety Committee and the National Research Council's Committee on Animal Nutrition. He chaired the committee that prepared the 10th edition of Nutrient Requirements of Swine, in 1998. In 2002, he was the recipient of the Morrison Award.

Past Awards:

2023 Award Recipient: Jason C. Woodworth, Kansas State University

Dr. Jason Woodworth has established himself as an innovative leader in the livestock industry. After completing his Ph.D. in Animal Science at Kansas State University, Dr. Woodworth joined the Lonza Group Ltd. in 2002 as a regional technical sales and service manager and quickly rose to be in charge of the North American specialty feed products portfolio. In 2008, he was promoted to global product manager. In 2013, Dr. Woodworth joined the faculty at Kansas State University. Upon transitioning to academia, he quickly showed his business and research acumen with industry partners in swine nutrition. He leads a research directive examining the role of minerals on animal growth and health. Dr. Woodworth is recognized as a level-headed, thoughtful leader that seeks and achieves cooperative solutions with producers and industry partners. Dr. Woodworth has published 47 peer reviewed journal papers, 86 abstracts, and 98 extension and proceedings papers directly related to mineral research.

2022 Award Recipient: Olayiwola (Layi) Adeola, Purdue University

Dr. Olayiwola (Layi) Adeola received the Bachelor of Agriculture degree in Animal Science with first class honors from the University of Ife, Nigeria in 1982. He earned M.S. and Ph.D. degrees with distinction from the University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada in 1986 and 1989, respectively. He is currently a professor at Purdue University and has authored more than 290 refereed papers and 285 other publications. He served as a Section Editor, Journal of Animal Science (2001-2006; 2016-2019); Associate Editor, Canadian Journal of Animal Sciences (2009-2012), on the NRC Committee that wrote the 11th Edition of the Nutrient Requirements of Swine, and is currently a Section Editor for Poultry Science. He received the American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) Poultry Nutrition Research Award, 2005; the Maple Leaf Duck Research Award, 2007; the AFIA Nonruminant Nutrition Research Award, 2007; the Evonik Poultry Research Award, 2010; and the National Broiler Chicken Council Research Award, 2012.

2021 Award Recipient: Dr. John F. Patience, Iowa State University

Dr. John Patience is a Professor of Animal Science at Iowa State University. His research on mineral nutrition has included detailed investigations on the growth, metabolic and physiological implications of dietary electrolyte balance and the growth, metabolic and health implications of mineral contaminants in drinking water. Most recently, he has sought greater clarity in our understanding of the complex interaction between phosphorus, phytase and calcium. He has published 161 refereed papers, 22 books/chapters and almost 800 other miscellaneous publications. He has presented more than 400 invited talks, recruited more than $52 million in funding and supervised or co-supervised 28 graduate students. Indeed, the training of graduate students for careers in animal science is one of his passions. Dr. Patience has served ASAS on various committees and the MW Section as President. He was a Section/Associate Editor of the Journal of Animal Science for 5 years and was also a member of the Editorial Board for 11 years.

2020 Award Recipient: Dr. James C. Matthews, University of Kentucky

Dr. James (Jamie) Matthews has established a cutting-edge research program in mineral nutrition and physiology at the University of Kentucky using commercially-relevant experimental models. His research program has elucidated novel understandings of selenium and amino acid transport and metabolism that expands both production-animal and biomedical knowledge databases. His genomic and protein findings about how the expression and function of nutrient transporters and enzymes are coordinated is highly relevant to both the production animal and biomedical sciences. Importantly, 14 Ph.D., 7 postdoctoral, 13 M.S., and 22 undergraduate students have received significant to extensive training with Dr. Matthews in whole animal, biochemical, and molecular biology research techniques. Because of the extensive use of industry-relevant animal models, his basic research has the potential to have a rapid impact on development of nutritional regimens that optimize the performance of developing and mature animals.

2019 Award Recipient:  Dr. Terry Engle, Colorado State University

Dr. Terry Engle is a full professor in the Department of Animal Sciences at Colorado State University. Dr. Engle’s teaching responsibilities include Vitamin and Mineral Metabolism and Animal Metabolism. Dr. Engle’s research program focuses on the role of trace minerals in lipid metabolism and absorption and transport mechanisms associated with trace mineral homeostasis in ruminants. Dr. Engle is responsible for more than $7.8M of funding as PI or Co-PI and has graduated 10 Ph.D. students and 22 MS students. He has published in excess of 130 peer review publications and several book chapters. He has given numerous invited presentations domestically and internationally and he has served as a member of national, regional, college, and departmental committees. With all of his professional accomplishments, Dr. Engle has always put the training and education of his graduate students first. Graduates from his research program can be found in academic and private sectors of animal agriculture. 

2018 Award Recipient: Dr. Hans H. Stein, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Hans H. Stein is a professor of animal nutrition at the University of Illinois. He and his Graduate students have conducted extensive research in the area of mineral nutrition and they developed the concept for using Standardized Total Tract Digestibility of P in diet formulation for pigs. Research with Ca, S, Zn, Cu, and exogenous phytase was also completed. Current work is focusing on developing a new Ca evaluation system for pigs based on values for the Standardized Total Tract Digestibility of Ca.  Dr. Stein has been recognized for his research by receiving the Non-ruminant nutrition award from ASAS and the Nutritional Sciences Award from DSM. He was a member of the NRC committee that wrote the 11th edition of Nutrient Requirements of Swine and he has given invited talks about mineral nutrition in many countries around the world. He has mentored 46 graduate students, 12 postdocs, and 36 visiting scholars, and his work has been published in more than 200 peer-reviewed publications.

2017 Award Recipient: Dr. Xingen Lei, Cornell University

Dr. Xingen Lei received his B.S. and M.S. in China, and Ph.D. from Michigan State University. He was among the first to demonstrate nutritional and environmental values of supplemental phytase in improving feed phosphorus utilization. Lei developed a new generation of bacterial phytases that are used worldwide by the feed industry. Lei also pioneered nutritional genomics of selenium in pigs and chicks, and revealed dual roles of selenium in oxidative stress and diabetes. Lei discovered novel enhancers to improve iron nutrition of pigs. Lei authored over 400 publications, advised over 130 graduate students, postdocs, and visiting fellows, and served on panels for NIH and USDA, the NRC Committee on Mineral Toxicity, the CAST Task Force on Biotechnology and Manure Nutrients, and 9 Editorial Boards. Overall, Lei’s creative research on minerals has demonstrated clear benefits to animal agriculture and the environment. 

2016 Award Recipient: Dr. Thomas D. Crenshaw, University of Kentucky

Dr. Crenshaw is a professor in the Department of Animal Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He received Ph.D. and M.S. degrees at the University of Nebraska in Swine Nutrition and a B.S. degree in Animal Sciences at the University of Tennessee-Martin. Two main themes have persisted throughout Dr. Crenshaw’s research in mineral nutrition related to skeleton growth. These include the roles of cation-anion balance and nutritional factors which enhance bone integrity. His research has allowed strong ties with researchers in academia and the commercial swine industry, and importantly, the projects have provided opportunities to train both graduate and undergraduate students. He has provided major input as mentor for 20 M.S. and 10 Ph.D. degree programs. Dr. Crenshaw has authored or co-authored 93 peer-reviewed publications, 40 conference proceedings and book chapters, 36 extension publications, and 192 abstracts. Current teaching responsibilities include courses in Comparative Animal Nutrition, Swine Production, Applied Monogastric Nutrition, and Experimental Diet Design. In addition to his administrative responsibility as Director of the University of Wisconsin Swine Research and Teaching Center, Dr. Crenshaw has supported undergraduate student activities by serving as an advisor for the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences Student Council (10 years) and as co-advisor for the Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity (20 years). 

2015 Award Recipient: Dr. Gretchen Myers Hill, Michigan State University

Gretchen Myers Hill received her B.S. from the University of Kentucky, M.S. from Purdue University, and Ph.D. from Michigan State University. After post-doctorate studies at the University of Michigan, Dr. Hill joined the faculty there in 1984. In 1986 she accepted a position at the University of Missouri.Dr. Hill moved to Michigan State University in 1993. Dr. Hill’s research has focused on the trace minerals zinc, copper, selenium, and iron, and their interactions with other nutrients in swine, beef, dairy, sheep, humans, and rats. Collaborative research contributed to data on mineral metabolism, mass balance, nutrient management, including proposing new methods for determining requirements. Dr. Hill has taught undergraduate and graduate students, and supervised research projects of undergraduate, M.S. and Ph.D. students. She has been a peer reviewer for journals, and active with ASAS, ASN, FASEB, and currently serves on the AAALAC International Executive Committee.

2014 Award Recipient: Dr. Merlin D. Lindemann, University of Kentucky

Dr. Merlin D. Lindemann received his BS and PhD degrees at the University of Minnesota. He led the swine research program at Virginia Tech’s Tidewater Station for 13 years before joining the Animal Sciences faculty at the University of Kentucky. Dr. Lindemann has a distinguished career. His research in minerals has involved determining the nutrient needs of pigs, defining the bioavailabilities of minerals from various sources, and determining the impact of mineral usage on waste application. His work has involved multi-state and international projects. He has examined the impact of fiber, water source, enzymes, and antibiotics on mineral availability. His notable work with Cr resulted in its clearance for use in feeds. He is active in the Society and other professional organizations. He served as an Associate Editor for the Journal. Dr. Lindemann’s scholarly achievements in research and his dedicated service to the animal and feed industries make him a worthy recipient of this award.

2013 Award Recipient: Dr. Joel Caton, North Dakota State University

Dr. Joel Caton received his M.S. from the University of Missouri in 1983, his Ph.D. degree from New Mexico State University in 1987, and accepted a faculty position in the Animal Sciences Department at North Dakota State University in 1988. Dr. Caton's multidisciplinary and collaborative nutrition research program has generated a total of 583 publications (146 Refereed Articles, 72 Proceedings, 288 Abstracts, and 77 other), over 5 million dollars in grants from numerous awards with collaborators, and advised or co-advised 36 graduate students (8 Ph.D. and 28 M.S.) and 5 postdocs. Dr. Caton has served on the Journal of Animal Science Editorial Board and as Associate Editor. He has previously been awarded the Agricultural Research Award at North Dakota State University (2003) and the ASAS-AFIA Ruminant Nutrition Award (2004) His research program continues to make a lasting contribution to the livestock industry.

2012 Award Recipient: Dr. Jerry W. Spears, North Carolina State University

Dr. Jerry W. Spears is Professor of Animal Science at North Carolina State University. He received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Animal Science from the University of Kentucky, and his Ph. D. in Animal Nutrition from the University of Illinois. Dr. Spears is recognized as a leading authority in the area of mineral nutrition of domestic animals. His research has advanced our understanding of mineral metabolism in ruminants and swine, and much of his research has had an impact on the livestock industry. He has given 138 invited presentations in 23 countries, and published 169 referred journal articles. He has received the Young Animal Scientist Award from the Southern Section ASAS and the AFIA Nutrition Award from ASAS.

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