Profiles
Laurie Piper
On 19th November 2004, after nearly 43 years service, Laurie Piper,Chief Research Scientist in CSIRO Livestock Industries' Temperate Livestock Systems Program, resigned as a full time employee. He will continue as a Research Fellow for the following 12 months.
Photograph courtesy CSIRO
Laurie's basic training is in agricultural science (Rural Science, University of New England), followed by postgraduate training in quantitative genetics and animal breeding (PhD studies, University of Edinburgh).
Laurie is a well-known face in the Australian Wool Industry, and has championed applying objective measurement of fleece characteristics to assist in achieving breeding objectives. His research has been primarily focussed on improving the productivity of grazing sheep and beef cattle populations with special interests in genetic improvement of wool production, wool quality, reproduction rate and parasite resistance. In the course of his professional career he authored 69 refereed publications, 11 book chapters and 132 conference papers.
His scientific status has also been recognised by appointments as the Director of the Co-operative Research Centre for Premium Quality Wool (1993-1997); as Adjunct Professor in the Department of Animal Science at University of New England (1993-1999; 2002-2004); by the award in 1995, of the Helen
Newton Turner Medal for outstanding contributions to the genetic improvement of Australian livestock by the Cheilain Award in 1997 for contributions to the wool industry.
He was secretary of the Permanent International Committee for World Congresses on Genetics Applied to Livestock Production (WCGALP) from 1994 to 1998 and Chairman of the Australian Organising Committee for the 6th WCGALP, which was held in Armidale in January 1998.
In 2001, he was invited to deliver the A B Chapman Lectures in Animal Genetics and Breeding at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, USA, and was elected a Fellow of the Association for the Advancement of Animal Breeding and Genetics. In 2003, he was admitted as a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering.
During his career Laurie achieved international acclaim for his breakthrough research into ‘major genes’.
Classical geneticists talk about two classes of genes - qualitative and quantitative. The former class includes genes whose effects are clearly visible without the need for measurement to distinguish the different genotypes. Examples of such genes include those affecting coat colour, eye colour, dwarfism etc. By contrast, genes contributing to variation in traits like fleece weight, fibre diameter, or milk yield, etc, are numerous. Each has only small effects. However, occasionally, genes are discovered where one or more of the alternate alleles (forms of the gene) has a large effect on the trait in question, and these are called ‘major genes’.
Laurie’s versatility also led him to become involved, together with Dr Ian Purvis and Dr Dean Jerry, in a CSIRO project aimed at domestication and improved production of yabbies. The freshwater yabby (Cherax destructor) is perhaps Australia's best known freshwater crayfish. Many people (including your Editor)
have fond childhood memories of fishing for this species with a piece of meat and string in the local creek or farm dams. Over recent years the yabby has gained a strong following among gourmet chefs as a tasty new addition to restaurant menus and, as a result, the demand for yabbies is increasing.
Laurie Piper has been a significant contributor to the Australian Wool Industry in particular, and Australian Agricultural Industries in general. He has many friends and admirers who we are sure will join with us in wishing him well in his new career as a distinguished Australian ‘senior’. Whatever he choses to do next we are sure he will again leave his mark.