Poultry Scientist Wayne Kuenzel Honored as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
By John Lovett – May 16, 2024
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Wayne Kuenzel, professor of physiology and neuroendocrinology, was recently honored as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science for his contributions to science.
Kuenzel conducts research through the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. He teaches courses on physiology and neuroendocrinology in the poultry science department of the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences at the University of Arkansas, and is affiliated with the Center of Excellence for Poultry Science.
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is one of the world’s largest general scientific societies and publishes the Science family of journals. Kuenzel is among 18 new Fellows in the Section on Agriculture, Food and Renewable Resources. In all, 502 scientists and engineers across 24 scientific disciplines, were recognized for their lifetime contributions to research and scientific education.
“I think this was the outstanding one I didn’t expect,” Kuenzel said of being named a fellow of AAAS. “It was really nice to receive it.”
Kuenzel and other AAAS Fellowship honorees will be recognized Sept. 21, 2024, at the organization’s 150th anniversary awards ceremony.
“Wayne has had a remarkable career as a poultry scientist and researcher with the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station,” said Jean-François Meullenet, senior associate vice president for agriculture-research and director of the experiment station. “This honor by AAAS is a fitting and well-deserved recognition of Wayne’s distinguished contributions to the poultry industry and agriculture.”
Kuenzel was also named a 2012 Fellow of the Poultry Science Association.
Kuenzel has been a professor at the University of Arkansas for 24 years, following 26 years as a professor and 10 years as an associate professor at the University of Maryland, College Park. He conducted post-doctoral research at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, where his path in poultry science began under Ari van Tienhoven, a professor of animal physiology who passed away in 2014.
Prior to poultry science, Kuenzel earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biology at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, and investigated the mechanisms which prompt migration in the white-throated sparrow as part of his doctoral studies in zoology at the University of Georgia.
Kuenzel’s AAAS Fellowship was awarded for his work in neuroscience and neuroendocrinology. Among his many research accomplishments, Kuenzel has helped map the distribution of neurons that regulate the avian reproductive system and investigated what makes birds’ behavior responsive to changes in seasonal light cycles. He also wrote “The Stereotaxic Atlas of the Brain of the Chicken,” a book detailing the anatomy of the chicken brain, first published in 1988 and now being updated. One of his most recent projects involved mapping the avian visual pathways using 3D reconstruction.
“As we celebrate the 150th anniversary of the AAAS Fellows Program, AAAS is proud to recognize the newly elected individuals,” said Sudip S. Parikh, AAAS chief executive officer and executive publisher of the Science family of journals. “This year’s class embodies scientific excellence, fosters trust in science throughout the communities they serve, and leads the next generation of scientists while advancing scientific achievements.”
Parikh said the 2023 class of AAES Fellows are “at the forefront of discussions about emerging technologies, semiconductor production, environmental issues, science education, innovative therapies, and more as the world grapples with societal concerns around these topics.”
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