Last month Kenneth McKeever, MS, PhD, FACSM, associate director for research at the Equine Science Center at Rutgers University and professor in the Department of Animal Sciences at the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, received the Equine Science Society’s (ESS) most prestigious honor, the Distinguished Service Award in Equine Science. The award was presented during the annual ESS conference in Mescalero, N.M.

The Distinguished Service Award in Equine Science recognizes outstanding contributions in the field of equine science. Award recipients must also have a record of significant accomplishments in teaching, research, and extension or service as it relates to advancement of the equine sciences and horse industry.

McKeever joined the faculty in the Rutgers’ Department of Animal Sciences in 1995 as an associate professor and proceeded to build, develop, and coordinate one of the most active equine exercise physiology laboratories in the country.

On a basic level, his research has focused on comparative exercise and cardiovascular physiology with a particular interest in the effects of aging on the integration of the cardiovascular, renal, and endocrine systems in the control of blood pressure, blood volume, and fluid and electrolyte balance