** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** THIS PREDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP INCORPORATES A RESEARCH PROJECT FOCUSED ON DETERMINING TYPE OF FORCES THAT CAUSE KEEL TIP FRACTURES IN LAYING HENS WITH HISTOLOGY, AND A TRAINING/CAREER DEVELOPMENT PLAN TO PREPARE ME FOR A CAREER IN THE POULTRY INDUSTRY. KEEL FRACTURES ARE A LARGE WELFARE CONCERN FOR CAGE-FREE LAYING HENS AS FRACTURES CAUSE PAIN, DECREASE PRODUCTIVITY, AND ARE MORE PREVALENT AND SEVERE IN CAGE-FREE SYSTEMS. THE EGG INDUSTRY ACROSS THE WORLD IS RAPIDLY TRANSITIONING, OR HAS TRANSITIONED, TO MORE EXTENSIVE, CAGE-FREE HOUSING SYSTEMS, PUTTING AN EXPONENTIALLY INCREASING NUMBER OF HENS AT RISK OF KEEL FRACTURES. THE EXACT MECHANISM OF CAUSE IS UNKNOWN, BUT EXTERNAL TRAUMA IS ASSUMED TO BE THE PRIMARY REASON FOR KEEL TIP FRACTURES IN CAGE-FREE SYSTEMS. HOWEVER, RECENT RESEARCH EVALUATING THE HISTOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF KEEL TIP FRACTURES FOUND IN EXTENSIVELY HOUSED HENS SUGGESTS THAT FRACTURES MAY BE INITIATING FROM INSIDE THE BIRD. RESEARCHERS ARE ATTEMPTING TO IMPLEMENT SOLUTIONS TO REDUCE KEEL FRACTURE PREVALENCE THROUGH A TRIAL-AND-ERROR APPROACH, BUT NONE HAVE PROVEN TO BE UNIVERSALLY SUCCESSFUL. TARGETED SOLUTIONS COULD BE IMPLEMENTED IF THE EXACT CAUSE OF KEEL TIP FRACTURES IS UNCOVERED. THE PROPOSED PROJECT WILL SIMULATE KEEL FRACTURES CAUSED BY EXTERNAL OR INTERNAL FORCESEX VIVO, AND COMPARE THE HISTOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE FRACTURE TO THOSE FOUND NATURALLY OCCURRING IN CAGE-FREE LAYING HENS. RESULTS WILL PROVIDE A NOVEL INSIGHT INTO THE TYPES OF FORCES THAT CAUSE KEEL TIP FRACTURES SEEN IN COMMERCIAL CAGE-FREE PRODUCTION. THEREFORE, THIS PROJECT ALIGNS WITH THE AFRI FARM BILL PRIORITY AREA OF ANIMAL HEALTH AND PRODUCTION AND ANIMAL PRODUCTS. IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE GOALS OF THE PREDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP TO CULTIVATE FUTURE LEADERS WHO CAN SOLVE EMERGING AGRICULTURAL CHALLENGES, A LARGE FOCUS OF MY PREDOCTORAL CAREER WILL BE ON CAREER DEVELOPMENT. TO ENSURE I CAN ENTER THE POULTRY INDUSTRY AS A PREPARED LAYING HEN MANAGEMENT AND WELFARE EXPERT, I WILL FOCUS ON DEFICIENCIES IN MY TRAINING, SUCH AS PUBLIC SPEAKING AND CAREER EXPLORATION. MY MENTORSHIP TEAM WILL CONNECT ME WITH PROFESSIONALS IN DIFFERING AREAS OF INDUSTRY TO DISCERN THE OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE IN THE AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRY THAT WILL BEST ALIGN WITH MY INTERESTS AND EXPERTISE. I WILL TAKE ASSESSMENTS THAT PROVIDE INSIGHT TO THE STRENGTHS I PROVIDE TO TEAMS IN A WORKPLACE SETTING, ASSIST TEACHING AN UNDERGRADUATE ANIMAL SCIENCE COURSE, AND DISSEMINATE RESULTS FROM MY RESEARCH AT SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCES. TOGETHER, THE RESEARCH AND TRAINING ACTIVITIES OF THE PROPOSED PREDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP WILL PREPARE ME TO BE AN EMERGING LEADER IN THE POULTRY INDUSTRY.