Janice Siegford
Current Employer:
Michigan State University
Education:
- Bachelor's Degree - Cornell University
- Master's Degree - University of Idaho
- PhD - Washington State University
Area of Expertise:
Laying hen behavior and welfare--with an emphasis on hens' behavior in cage-free systems and using precision livestock farming technology to monitor hens.
Where did you grow up and did you have poultry in your youth?
I was born in Missoula, Montana, but while growing up I lived in many places around the US (Georgia, South Carolina, Virginia, Arizona and Maryland), Germany and Panama because my father was in the US Army. When I was very young we had ducks and chickens for meat and eggs and came back to owning them again after Dad retired.
What was your first job out of school and what were your responsibilities?
I've never really left school! I went straight from my PhD into a postdoc and then into a faculty position. I was involved in research, mentoring and training undergraduate and graduate students, developing an online course, and conducting research in behavior and welfare of pigs, cattle and laying hens.
If you had a motto that applied to your daily professional career, what would it be?
"Nothing learned or experienced is ever wasted"--there's always some way you can put what you've used or been through to use going forward.
What value does your PSA membership offer you?
PSA gives me an excellent chance to share my research with the entire poultry research community--within and beyond academia during the Annual Meeting. It also provides my graduate students with great networking opportunities and chances to strengthen their presentation skills.
What is your favorite poultry breed?
Araucana chickens
More About Me:
My favorite book as a child featured a duck named 'Henry'. When my parents brought home their first ducks after my Dad retired, my Mom called me to let me know and asked if I could guess the name of the drake. Without hesitation, I correctly guessed 'Henry'. Henry became our backyard guardian and was known for stealing food from under the noses of our dogs.
