Excellence in Research - Tom Porter

Dr. Tom Porter joined the Department of Animal and Avian Sciences in 1997 having earned his B.S. in biology with a minor in chemistry and computers from the University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, and his Ph.D. in animal physiology from the University of Minnesota, Deluth. Prior to coming to the University of Maryland, he held positions at the Medical University of South Carolina and Texas A&M University.

Since his arrival at College Park, Dr. Porter has written thirteen refereed journal articles and four chapters in books. Dr. Porter has targeted the leading journals in his field for his research including Endocrinology, Journal of Endocrinology, and General and Comparative Endocrinology. These papers have reported two major contributions to Comparative Endocrinology: 1) mature, differentiated growth hormone producing cells can convert rapidly to a different phenotype, during reproductive changes associated with pregnancy lactation, and weaning in rats, and 2) corticosterone is a critical hormone during embryonic development that stimulates proliferation of somatotrophs in the pituitary gland in chickens. The latter discovery, made at University of Maryland, College Park, has potential significance for the poultry industry.

Since 1997 Dr. Porter has received funding for a three-year competitive grant from USDA/NRI/CGP for $215,000. The Animal Growth, Development and Nutrient Utilization Panel at USDA ranked his proposal first among all animal research proposals. It has been renewed for 2000-2002 for $171,000. Additional grants total over a million dollars.

Successful teaching and research must be complementary and Dr. Porter has achieved this goal. He has developed his own course, Nutrition and Physiology of Growth and Advanced Endocrinology with a colleague. Dr. Porter has an excellent means of bringing undergraduates into his lab to gain hands-on experience in performing molecular assays in tissues obtained from embryos and post-hatching chicks. He has also served a a major advisor to four M.S. and three Ph.D. students while serving on committees of five other graduate students.

The Department of Animal and Avian Sciences, the College, and the State of Maryland are most fortunate to have Dr. Tom Porter as an excellent researcher and member of the campus community.

For more information, contact Gail Yeiser

Last updated: 03/12/2009