The American Meat Science Association (AMSA) has announced Dr. Mark Miller as the recipient of the 2019 Distinguished Research Award. The award was established in 1965 to recognize members with outstanding research contributions to the meat industry and is sponsored by Conagra Brands, Inc. Dr. Miller will be honored on Tuesday, June 25, 2019 at a special awards banquet during the AMSA 72^nd Reciprocal Meat Conference on in Loveland, CO.

Dr. Markus F. Miller is a Professor and San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo Distinguished Chair in Meat Science at Texas Tech University. Dr. Miller’s research has had a tremendous impact on U.S. Agriculture and on the international landscape as well, especially in the areas of consumer meat quality research, meat animal grading, meat animal growth and composition and meat safety.

During his tenure, Dr. Miller and his team has been instrumental in helping the industry develop consumer thresholds for beef tenderness having generated over 85,000 consumer observations on US and global beef consumers. The consumer data collected by Dr. Miller and his coworkers has been used as one source of research data to develop the thresholds for the USDA AMS and the United Nations International Meat Quality Committee to establish standards for beef palatability and tenderness claims for global trade and in the US. Dr. Miller’s team of graduate students and his coworkers were one of the first to document that beef flavor is equally important as beef tenderness as drivers of consumer acceptability for both global and US consumers. National retail meat case surveys conducted by Dr. Miller’s graduate and undergraduate students and research team members across the US for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, National Pork Board and Sealed Air Corporation have characterized the significant changes for meat in the retail meat case during the last fifteen years for the meat industry.

Dr. Miller has extensively investigated the effects of growth implants and feed additives on beef quality, consumer satisfaction and red meat yield. He has investigated the impact of implants and beta-agonist on carcass cutability and meat quality characteristics to ensure the beef marketed to consumers meets their demands for consistent and pleasurable eating experiences. In addition, Mark and his research team have multiple patents, two of which are with partners at Cargill and Supa Chill to improve beef tenderness, muscle color and shelf life through electrical stimulation and accelerated chilling. Additionally, he has patents with his coworkers for Meat Safety using probiotics to reduce pathogens in live cattle and on meat products.

Mark has clearly demonstrated his ability to adhere to sound scientific principles to address “real world” issues and produce applicable results. To date, Mark has served as investigator or co-investigator on projects totaling more than $36 million resulting in more than 245 referred journal articles, 15 books and book chapters, more than 320 technical articles, 442 abstracts, and multiple US Patents. He is a member of AMSA, ASAS, IFT and the Red Angus Association of America. Mark has been awarded the Outstanding Young Animal Scientists Education and Research Awards by the Southern Section of ASAS, the AMSA’s Teaching Award, Achievement, Signal Service, and the AMSA Intercollegiate Meritorious Service Award. At Texas Tech University he has received the Texas Tech University Chancellor’s Council Distinguished Teaching Award and College Research Award. He has served as advisor to more than 110 graduate students and has developed a nationally recognized meat judging program accounting for more than 100 contest wins and twelve National Championships since 1990.

Mark was married to Celia, the love of his life, for 33 years, and they have four children and two grandchildren. The family loves God and enjoys serving on International and local mission trips, working on the family Registered Red Angus farm, and serving in the church and community.

Source: AMSA