Global Collaboration Fosters Student Innovation in Poultry Science at Cal Poly

Twenty-nine undergraduate students participated in a unique summer training program at Cal Poly in 2025, part of a five-year U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture- (USDA-NIFA) funded initiative focused on education and workforce development. 

The cohort included 12 Cal Poly students, three from Cuesta College and 14 from Chonnam National University (CNU) in Gwangju, South Korea. The program marked the third year of the five-year grant-funded effort. 

Six Cal Poly faculty members took part: Ike Kang, Darin Bennett, Siroj Pokharel and Mohammed Abo-Ismail of the Animal Science Department and Samir Amin and Amy Lammert of the Food Science and Nutrition Department. They were joined by CNU professors Du-Woon Kim and Se-Young Cho and Cuesta College coordinator Holly Nolan-Chavez. 

The project aims to train undergraduate and underrepresented students in sustainable poultry production through research, industry collaboration and Cal Poly’s Learn by Doing philosophy. 

At the start of the program, 750 broiler chicks were raised using natural growth promoters. Researchers evaluated growth performance, gut health and conducted genomic and proteomic analyses at two, three and four weeks. At six and seven weeks, the birds were processed to assess carcass yield, meat quality, visual appearance and sensory attributes. 

The work was made possible through support from industry and campus partners. Pitchman Farms donated 800 broiler chicks, Cal Poly’s Animal Nutrition Center prepared diets, the Poultry Unit raised the chickens, the Meat Processing Center handled processing and several labs conducted analyses. 

As a result of the research, 10 students submitted abstracts for poster presentations at the 38th Annual CSU Biotechnology Symposium, scheduled for Jan. 24, 2026, at CSU Los Angeles. One student and a faculty member also applied for a CSU travel grant, and another student submitted an abstract for an oral presentation at the USDA-REEU (Research and Extension Experiences for Undergraduates) Research Symposium on Nov. 6, 2025.

Encouraged by the outcomes, Cal Poly’s Animal Science Department and CNU’s Food Science Department signed a memorandum of understanding to continue international collaboration in research, student exchange and faculty teaching. 

Read more stories in the Fall 2025 Newsletter