Professor Frank Edens often comes to work at North Carolina State University between 5 and 6 a.m. But when we say he understands chickens, we mean something else. As an expert in poultry physiology and immunology, Edens has spent 58 years following the science of poultry and has made significant contributions to its advancement.
Thanks to his work, the U.S. poultry industry has more research-based knowledge to protect chickens from stressors that cause a variety of health conditions. This may be surprising considering his early aversion to chicken.
Rethink poultry
Edens grew up on a small farm in southwestern Virginia, where his family raised what he called “yardsteppers” or “early free-range chickens.”
“I hated them,” recalls Edens, a professor in the Prestige Department of Poultry Science in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. “About three times a year, I had to endure the humiliation of being a chicken coop cleaner.”
A high school visit from the Virginia Tech Poultry Science Department proved life- (and opinion-) changing.
“I was able to sit at the same table as the poultry science faculty, who talked to me about genetics, immunology, physiology, and how chickens are involved in so much research that benefits humans. They entertained us,” Edens said.
When Edens became a freshman at Virginia Tech, its faculty member, Paul Siegel, hired him as a student employee. Edens performed brain surgery on chickens as a sophomore and published his first scientific paper as a junior. This is the first of approximately 180 publications and several books to bear his name.
After earning a master’s degree from Virginia Tech and a doctorate from the University of Georgia, Edens continued researching poultry until joining the faculty at North Carolina State University in October 1973.
thorough research
During his 50 years at North Carolina State University, Dr. Edens has conducted extensive research spanning endocrinology, immunology, pathology, nutrition, and molecular biology. A common theme is stress physiology.
Edens has helped uncover the role of bacteria in the poultry enteritis mortality syndrome (PEMS) outbreak that devastated North Carolina’s turkey industry in the 1990s. He also improved the industry’s understanding of the stress response of chickens exposed to high temperatures and the importance of selenium in poultry nutrition.
He is most proud of his award-winning research on PEMS, which identified E. coli as the primary instigator of several viral and environmental factors contributing to the devastating disease in turkeys.
Not surprisingly, Edens has earned a reputation as an expert in his field.
Fellow poultry science professor Jesse Grimes said: He can recite works published yesterday or reported many years ago. ”
Edens says: “If he goes through a day without learning anything, he has wasted the day.”
support staff and students
Other points of pride for Edens include converting an empty space in Scott Hall into a staff break room and creating an annual faculty-funded award for a technician in the department.
“You have to recognize your staff,” he says. “Without them, we are nothing.”
Students are also important to Edens.
“He would be the first to advise students to value time spent in science, while at the same time setting aside personal time to make their lives rich and balanced,” Grimes said. states.
Frank Seewald, head of advanced poultry science, agrees.
“Dr. “It could become something like that,” says Seewald. “He has a genuine interest in people and finding ways to advance their careers and lives.”
life balance
Edens puts into practice the advice he teaches. “Family always came first and career came second,” he says.
Edens, who plans to phase out his retirement in July 2024, wants to spend more time with his church and one of his old hobbies, painting with acrylics.
Edens also hopes to write an easy-to-read textbook on avian physiology and is committed to continuing collaboration with colleagues and mentor Paul Siegel at North Carolina State University.
“I love my job,” he says. “My journey has had many lows, but each one has developed into something positive.”