For the Birds
Biology major named Inventor of the Year STORY BY JOANNA ARMSTRONG ’17
W
ORKING TO DEVELOP lifesaving vaccines isn’t easy, but for Dr. Holly Sellers ’90, professor and researcher at the University of Georgia’s Poultry Diagnostic and Research Center, it’s just a normal part of her day. Splitting her time between teaching, research and service, Sellers works long hours and juggles various important responsibilities. Despite the difficult nature of the work, she’s known since her first job working in a hatchery at the age of 15 that she would go on to make a difference in the complicated field of avian medicine. “There’s a lot of science that goes into genetic selection of breeds for food production, veterinary care for poultry health and development of new vaccines for control of important diseases — the whole package,” she said. Recently recognized for her work by the University of Georgia with the Inventor of the Year award, Sellers is the first woman to receive the honor since 2001. The award celebrates “innovation at the highest level of excellence” and speaks to the type of career she has cultivated. è
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SAWDUST / SPRING 2020
