MANHATTAN — Four professors are earning Kansas State University's highest faculty title of university distinguished professor.
The 2022 recipients of the lifetime honor are Hans Coetzee, professor and head of anatomy and physiology; Roman Ganta, professor of diagnostic medicine and pathobiology and director of the Center of Excellence for Vector-Borne Diseases; Brian Geisbrecht, professor of biochemistry and molecular biophysics; and Robert Goodband, professor of animal sciences and industry and extension swine specialist.
"As leading researchers in their fields, Drs. Coetzee, Ganta, Geisbrecht and Goodband also have distinguished themselves as teachers and mentors," said Chuck Taber, executive vice president and university provost. "They consistently demonstrate K-State's land-grant mission of excellence in teaching, research and service and are quite deserving of their new titles of university distinguished professors."
University distinguished professors are appointed following a universitywide nomination and evaluation process conducted by the provost. The four faculty members will receive a personalized plaque and medallion at the university's fall 2022 commencement ceremonies.
Coetzee is internationally recognized for developing objective measures of pain during routine husbandry procedures in food-producing animals, including beef and dairy cattle, sheep and swine. Coetzee also researches bovine anaplasmosis and developed a single-dose implant vaccine that provides long-term immunity against anaplasmosis infections.
Ganta is an international authority on tick-borne rickettsial diseases, contributing significantly to the knowledge of the biology, pathogenesis, immunology, diagnostics and vaccine studies of rickettsial pathogens from the Ehrlichia species, Anaplasma species and Rickettsia species, particularly E. chaffeensis, E. canis, E. ruminantium, A. marginale, A. phagocytophilum and R. rickettsia, which are spread by the bite of infected ticks.
Geisbrecht is one of the world's experts on the structure and biochemistry of proteins that function in the innate immune system. In particular, his lab studies molecules produced by pathogenic bacteria that block activity of these innate immune components. Geisbrecht's work to date has determined and published the molecular structures of more than 30 proteins of the innate immune system or their bacterially-derived inhibitors. His laboratory's objective is to understand these interactions at the molecular level and to use that information as a basis for therapeutic discovery and development.
Goodband is part of a national and internationally known swine nutrition team with programs focused on developing, evaluating and disseminating the latest information to increase the profitability of pork producers while maintaining the highest level of animal health and welfare. Goodband also is internationally known for his research on feed processing, feed management and swine nutrient requirements. His research found that reducing the grain particle size in swine feed from 900 microns to the currently recommended 300 to 500 microns results in a 5% reduction in feed usage industrywide and improves the profitability and sustainability of swine producers. It also has reduced the environmental impact of the industry by reducing swine waste by more than 20%.