About

Burt Staniar is an Associate Professor of Equine Science at the Pennsylvania State University. His areas of expertise include nutritional influences on growth and development, mammalian patterns of growth, dietary energy sources and their impact on metabolism, gastrointestinal permeability, gastrointestinal health and inflammation, grazing strategies for horse health and performance, and equine pasture and manure management practices. He holds a Ph.D. in Animal Science from Virginia Tech, obtained in 2002, a Master's degree in Animal Science from Virginia Tech in 1998, and a B.A. in Biology from the University of Richmond in 1996. His professional experience includes positions as an Assistant Professor of Equine Nutrition at Penn State since 2007, and prior roles at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, including a post-doctoral associate focusing on growth curve characteristics of Thoroughbreds and developmental changes in the somatotropic axis. Burt Staniar is actively involved in research related to equine nutrition, growth, and health, and is a member of several professional societies such as the Equine Science Society, the American Society of Animal Science, the Comparative Nutrition Society, and the Pennsylvania Equine Council.

Selected publications

• Effects of sample storage time and temperature on equine complete blood counts

  Journal of Equine Veterinary Science · 2026-01-17

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Investigating the effect of dental abnormalities on equine fecal microbiome

  Journal of Equine Veterinary Science · 2025-05-01

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• 284 Reaching non-traditional agriculture students through a multi-institution equine summer research program

  Journal of Animal Science · 2025-05-01

  articleOpen access

  Abstract Increasing urbanization has resulted in fewer students entering college with direct livestock health and production experience. This knowledge gap presents challenges for agricultural education and creates a shortage of qualified applicants for careers in animal health and related fields. To address this issue, we developed an innovative summer research program focused on equine health, funded by a USDA Research and Extension Experience for Undergraduates (REEU) grant. This 5-year collaborative initiative involves North Dakota State University, Pennsylvania State University, Tarleton State University, and Clemson University. Five principal investigators worked to design a program that combined their individual strengths into a separate, yet combined immersive research and professional development opportunity for undergraduates. The program focuses on reaching non-traditional agriculture students and those from underrepresented groups by utilizing horses as a model and gateway into animal agriculture. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first REEU program to utilize this type of multi-university model and the only one specifically focused on equine. Over four summers, each institution will host two students (n=8/yr) for an 8-week research-intensive experience. Students will engage in individual research projects using both precision health monitoring technologies and traditional methods, gaining comprehensive technical and analytical skills. The program also includes a capstone symposium at the end of each summer, hosted in rotation by the participating universities. These symposia will bring together students, faculty, and stakeholders to showcase student research, foster professional networking, and celebrate program achievements. The program’s objectives include: (1) providing experiential research opportunities focused on animal health; (2) strengthening participants’ leadership and employability skills; and (3) increasing the number of students prepared for careers in animal health and production or graduate studies. By leveraging the strengths of multiple institutions and fostering cross-institutional engagement, this program offers a diverse and novel learning experience. Students benefit from the unique expertise and facilities at each university while building connections with peers and mentors across the network. First year evaluations suggest increased understanding of the equine industry, research process, and career opportunities in animal health and production. Additionally, participants identified an increase in personal and professional networks. This program demonstrates the potential of collaborative, experiential education to address workforce shortages in agriculture by equipping students with the technical knowledge, leadership capabilities, and professional networks needed for future success.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Changes in equine complete blood count parameters and inflammatory indices with inflammation

  Journal of Equine Veterinary Science · 2025-05-01 · 2 citations

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  PublisherDOI

• Changes in equine complete blood count parameters and inflammatory indices with inflammation

  Journal of Equine Veterinary Science · 2025-10-04 · 1 citations

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  PublisherDOI

• Physiological and behavioral responses of horses to high wet bulb globe temperature and shade access

  Journal of Equine Veterinary Science · 2025-05-01

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Characterizing the effects of management practices on inflammatory markers in a population of horses in Pennsylvania

  Journal of Equine Veterinary Science · 2025-05-01

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Effects of sample storage time and temperature on equine complete blood counts

  Journal of Equine Veterinary Science · 2025-05-01

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Employment in the equine industry in 2022: Insights into career types, salaries, and benefits

  Journal of Equine Veterinary Science · 2024-06-28 · 2 citations

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  PublisherDOI

• 299 Building and maintaining an engaged undergraduate equine research team

  Journal of Animal Science · 2024-05-01

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Abstract An objective of the equine science program at Penn State is to provide the training and knowledge students need to solve problems in their lives and careers. The Equine Research Team at Penn State (PSERT) is a novel approach to meeting this objective, inspired by Dr. Max Kleiber’s “Tracer Team”, a group of faculty and graduate students that successfully studied kinetics of phosphorus and calcium metabolism in dairy cows at the University of California, Davis in the 1950s and 60s. The team allows us to address several objectives that are not easily approached using more traditional teaching environments found in the classroom or laboratory. These include 1) satisfying the demand for research experience from a large number of students, who come to research with an enormous range of ability and enthusiasm, 2) providing the hand on practice utilizing the scientific method to solve problems in the equine industry, 3) building a sense of personal responsibility and simultaneously cooperation by approaching research as a team, 4) creating an environment of academic and creative achievement outside the traditional grading system, and 5) blurring the lines that traditionally separate academic and social life at a university to create an environment much closer to what students will experience as graduates. In spring 2008, 10 undergraduate students sought formal research experience opportunities in the area of equine science. Students were organized into a team that met biweekly. Project leaders registered for independent study course credits and conducted 3 research studies in yr 1, while the rest of the team participated as volunteers. Fourteen years later, the team is still an important student organization with between 40 to 60 members on an annual basis. Over the years, the team has traveled to universities and important equine industry locations throughout the United States. Members have conceived, conducted, analyzed and presented research studies on a wide range of topics within the sphere of equine science. The team has two faculty advisors, an executive committee analogous to most student organizations, a group of research project leaders, and approximately 60 dues paying student members. The biweekly meeting is organized and led by the executive committee and generally contains the following components: update of activities, seminar provided by an outside speaker from industry or academia who has expertise in the area of equine research, presentation by one of the research project leaders, and group discussion of the project, planning of future research projects. This Equine Research Team has been and continues to be a model that can be utilized by others to successfully facilitate undergraduate student engagement in research.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Labs

• Staniar Laboratory Equine Research TeamPI