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UNE professor wins top poultry industry award

February 17, 2005

Choct.thumb.jpgA University of New England professor who migrated from Inner Mongolia to Australia as a student just 18 years ago has received Australia’s most important poultry industry award.

Now Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Poultry Cooperative Research Centre (Poultry CRC), Professor Mingan Choct received the award during last week’s Australian Poultry Science Symposium in Sydney.

The citation for the Australian Poultry Award 2004 points out that, “during his relatively short career of less than 15 years in research and teaching,” Professor Choct has published “more than 170 articles, including 140 refereed papers in scientific journals and conference proceedings, and 12 books or book chapters”.

Professor Choct’s work has brought about dramatic improvements in the Australian poultry industries, beginning with his PhD research that demonstrated the harmful effects of soluble fibre in chicken feed and developed a solution to the problem. That research alone, which won him the Syd Wilkins Memorial Prize of the World’s Poultry Science Association in 1991, has saved the industries many millions of dollars. As a student he received other awards for academic and research achievement in both Inner Mongolia and Australia, and in 1997 the Inner Mongolian Government recognised his innovative contribution to science and technology by presenting him with its Scientific Development Award. “His crowning achievement to date,” the citation concludes, “is the establishment of the Australian Poultry Cooperative Research Centre.”

In receiving the Australian Poultry Award, Professor Choct said: “My first impression on arriving in Australia in 1987 was of a country of smiling faces. I’ve tried to make the most of all the opportunities this country has given me, and in return I’d like to continue to contribute to the Australian poultry industries and the wider community, and to the University [UNE] that has been so good to me.”

Professor Choct came to UNE in 1995 as a Lecturer in Animal Science, and quickly progressed to Senior Lecturer (1997), Associate Professor (2000) and Professor (2003). In 2002 he coordinated the successful bid for the establishment of the Poultry CRC. “His leadership, inspiration and persistence throughout the difficult and complex process, commencing with the initial idea through to the acceptance of the proposal by the Australian Government, were key elements leading to ultimate success,” the citation reads. “He was able to persuade and motivate many supporters from industry, universities and research organisations at a time when many other people thought that a bid for the Poultry CRC had little chance of success.” He was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Poultry CRC in May 2003.

The Australian Poultry Award is presented each year by the Australian Branch of the World’s Poultry Science Association.


Media contact: Professor Mingan Choct, Australian Poultry CRC, UNE (02) 6773 5121 or Jim Scanlan, Public Relations, UNE (02) 6773 3049.
The photograph of Professor Choct displayed here is available. Please contact Jim Scanlan on (02) 6773 3049.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at February 17, 2005 10:12 AM