Jay Laurence Lush (January 3, 1896 – May 22, 1982) was a pioneering animal

geneticist A geneticist is a biologist or physician who studies genetics, the science of genes, heredity, and variation of organisms. A geneticist can be employed as a scientist or a lecturer. Geneticists may perform general research on genetic processe ...

who made important contributions to livestock breeding. He is sometimes known as the father of modern scientific

animal breeding Animal breeding is a branch of animal science that addresses the evaluation (using best linear unbiased prediction and other methods) of the genetic value (estimated breeding value, EBV) of livestock. Selecting for breeding animals with superior EB ...

. Lush received

National Medal of Science The National Medal of Science is an honor bestowed by the President of the United States to individuals in science and engineering who have made important contributions to the advancement of knowledge in the fields of behavioral and social scienc ...

in 1968 and the

Wolf Prize The Wolf Prize is an international award granted in Israel, that has been presented most years since 1978 to living scientists and artists for ''"achievements in the interest of mankind and friendly relations among people ... irrespective of natio ...

in 1979. Lush was introduced to mathematics and genetics during his

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studies of

animal husbandry Animal husbandry is the branch of agriculture concerned with animals that are raised for meat, fibre, milk, or other products. It includes day-to-day care, selective breeding, and the raising of livestock. Husbandry has a long history, starti ...

at the

Kansas State Agricultural College Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public instit ...

(now

Kansas State University Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public instit ...

). He completed his

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in 1918 at Kansas State, and his

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in genetics at the

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an educational institution, institution of higher education, higher (or Tertiary education, tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. Universities ty ...

(1922). Lush advocated breeding not based on subjective appearance of the animal, but on quantitative statistics and genetic information. Lush authored a classic textboo
''Animal Breeding Plans''
in 1937 which greatly influenced animal breeding around the world. From 1930 to 1966, Lush was the Charles F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor in Agriculture at

Iowa State University Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the n ...

. He was elected to the

United States National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Nati ...

in 1967. Lush won the Borden Award for research in dairy production from the

American Dairy Science Association The American Dairy Science Association (ADSA) is a non-profit professional organization for the advancement of dairy science. ADSA is headquartered in Champaign, Illinois. Consisting of 4500 members, ADSA is involved in research, education, and in ...

and both the Armour Award for animal breeding and genetics and the Morrison Award from the

American Society of Animal Science The American Society of Animal Science (ASAS) is a non-profit professional organization for the advancement of livestock, companion animals, exotic animals and meat science. Founded in 1908, ASAS is headquartered in Champaign, Illinois. ASAS member ...

. In 1979, he was awarded the

Wolf Prize in Agriculture The Wolf Prize in Agriculture is awarded annually by the Wolf Foundation in Israel. It is one of the six Wolf Prizes established by the Foundation and awarded since 1978; the others are in Chemistry, Mathematics, Medicine, Physics and the Arts. The ...

Bibliography

References

* * * * * * * * 1896 births 1982 deaths American geneticists Iowa State University faculty Kansas State University alumni University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences alumni Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences National Medal of Science laureates Wolf Prize in Agriculture laureates People from Page County, Iowa {{agri-stub