Paul T. Berg, associate professor of animal sciences, is the recipient of the American Meat Science Association Signal Service Award. He was selected for this honor to recognize his service as a teacher, mentor and renowned meat judging coach. His instruction, judging and coaching have influenced students, fellow faculty and colleagues for more than 30 years.
Berg earned bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees from NDSU. He joined NDSU in 1965. During the early 1980s, he helped initiate NDSU’s Carnivore Catering student organization. Today, students have raised some $450,000 through event catering, defraying their meat science educational costs while learning to plan, prepare and serve meals to groups as large as 4,000.
Many credit Berg with pioneering “culinology,” which combines meat science and the culinary arts to benefit livestock and meat industries. Berg, who is well known for coaching and judging, took over the meat judging team from V.K. Johnson in 1975. He has coached 228 senior team students and more than 340 junior team students through 2008. He coached his 31st Meat Animal Evaluation Team this year, instructing more than 250 students in the old Ak-Sar-Ben and current LAME contests.
Berg is a three-time past president of the Intercollegiate Meat Coaches Association, a three-time recipient of the NDSU Bison Ambassador’s Apple Polisher Award for Excellence in Teaching and was honored with the North Dakota Stockmen’s Association Lifetime Membership Award in 2006.
The American Meat Science Association Signal Service Award was established in 1956. It is given to members in recognition of devoted service and lasting contributions to the meat industry and to the association. All Signal Service Award winners are designated as American Meat Science Association Fellows.