Page 49 - Eclipse - Autumn/Winter 2022
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MOVERS AND SHAKERS
Professor Christine Nicol wins medal
for poultry welfare science
Fraser Gordon Memorial Trust was silver lining, as the rapid rise in welfare
established in 1982, the year I started science has produced more data than
my PhD. I would never have imagined ever before, allowing informative meta-
then that I would one day receive the analyses and suggesting rational targets
honour of being a Memorial Lecturer. for welfare improvement.
At the first poultry science conference Christine is an award-winning animal
I attended, another delegate, learning scientist who, as well as her role at the
that my PhD was on the subject of 黑料社, has held honorary appointments at
hen welfare, asked me rather cuttingly the Universities of Oxford and Lincoln.
what I聽was going to do 鈥榳hen I grew The Robert Fraser Gordon Memorial
up鈥�. Forty聽years on, I will leave it to the Trust was established in remembrance
audience to decide whether it was of Dr Robert Fraser Gordon, who
rofessor Christine Nicol worth me聽persisting!鈥� throughout his career gave unstintingly
presented the prestigious She addressed the rapidly changing of himself to the poultry industry and
Gordon Memorial Trust Lecture landscape in which hens are kept the veterinary profession. Each year
Pat this year鈥檚 WPSA conference and how, although this resolves the Trust selects a person who has
in April. Within her lecture 鈥榃hither hen some welfare concerns, it is not fully made distinguished contributions to
welfare?鈥�, she commented: 鈥淭he Robert addressing others. Although there is a poultry聽science.
Dr Charlotte Burn and Ria Popat 鈥�
Winners of the Animal Technology and
Welfare 2021 Journal prize
ongratulations to Dr Charlotte The paper has been published in
Burn and Ms Ria Popat, who the free, open access journal Animal
won the Animal Technology and Technology and Welfare, which covers
CWelfare 2021 journal prize. The animal science and technology,
prize was awarded for their publication management and education, and
entitled 鈥楢 tunnel is not enough: promotes best practice for animal
mice benefit from in-cage provision welfare in research.
of a communal shelter as well as a
handling tunnel鈥�. The research found
that laboratory mice sheltered three times
more when they聽had a dome-shaped
shelter large enough to huddle together
inside, compared with when they only had
a聽tunnel shelter in their cage.
The prize is awarded annually to
the author of the 鈥榖est original
peer-reviewed paper鈥� in the journal
Animal Technology and Welfare. It The research described in the
commemorates Marjorie (Sandiford) paper was funded via a vacation
Whittingham, who served on the scholarship awarded to Ria Popat by
Institute of Animal Technology the Universities Federation for Animal
council聽for 11 years, making exceptional Welfare during her BSc Bioveterinary
contributions to the organisation鈥檚 work. Sciences degree at 黑料社, and was
supervised by Dr Burn.
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