The main goals of this are to educate students in both the basic sciences and applied biotechnologies to meet the needs of the current animal and bio-tech industries as well as economic growth of the society. These goals will be achieved by:
Offering courses covering the major fields of animal breeding and genetics, animal nutrition, anatomy and physiology, reproductive biology, livestock farming and management, as well as feed production.
Placing equal emphasis on fundamental aspects and practical application.
Training students and assist farmers to promote animal production and management knowledge.
Research Highlights
Animal Genetics and Breeding
Breeding and preservation of Taiwan native chicken has been conducted for many years. The breeding selection for animal production is developed through the application of molecular biotechnologies and genetic markers. Also several genome research projects regarding reproduction, diseaseresistance, behavior, proteome and functional genomic studies on Taiwan native chicken have been conducted. In order to identify selection markers of critical economic traits, DNA microarray and SNP (Single nucleotide polymorphism) studies have been performed to genotype swine population in Taiwan for improving swine genetic traits.
Nutrition and Feeds
Research has been focused on the improvement of feed utilization, production and management techniques for poultry and animals. Current researches are focused on developing the biotic products for feed additives and increasing the feeding value of feedstuff by using biotechnology.
Animal Processing
It covers the processing of milk, meat, egg and animal byproducts, with an emphasis on making best use of their physical and biochemical characteristics.
Animal Management
The study is aimed at applying modern computer technology to animal farming. Current research projects are focused on the development of the decision support systems online, expert systems and simulation models for animal production.
Molecular Biology
Studies are focused on the applications of transgenic technology to improve egg and meat qualities, and evaluate the productions of foreign proteins for medical uses in transgenic animals.
Physiology and Reproductive Biology
Research projects are focused on signal transduction of myogenic stem cells, regulations of hormones, and the effects of day light on milk production and reproduction of seasonal breeders. Researches pertaining to in vitro maturation, fertilization and culture systems, cryopreservation of oocytes and embryos, animal cloning, proteome analysis of transgenic animals and transgenesis are currently emphasized in reproductive biology.