Animal & Veterinary Sciences

Steph’s interests lie in the area of ruminant nutritional physiology, with particular emphasis on energy metabolism and stress.  She has completed projects in the areas of fodder quality for livestock, feed conversion efficiency in beef cattle and more recently in the area of physiological mechanisms underlying feed conversion efficiency in meat sheep, which explored numerous parameters including body composition, stress and hormone/metabolite profiles. At CSU since early 2006, Steph contributes to teaching in VSC226 / VSC227 Veterinary Physiology, ASC273 Animal Nutrition, and ASC111 Animal Structure & Function and coordinates the subjects ASC171 Animal Anatomy & Physiology and ASC223 Animal Growth & Development for livestock production, animal science and equine science students.

top of page ^

Background

I graduated from Sydney University in 2000 with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture (Hons I) and then moved to the Victorian Department of Primary Industries in Hamilton, Victoria, to work as an animal nutritionist.  In this position, I worked with a particular focus on ruminant nutrition, both in an advisory capacity and on research projects.  During this time I undertook a PhD through the University of Melbourne exploring the physiological basis for variation in feed conversion efficiency in meet sheep.  In early 2006, I decided to move back to NSW, and accepted a position as Lecturer in Physiology in the School of Animal & Veterinary Science.  In this position I have responsibility for physiology teaching into both the Animal Science and Veterinary Science degree programs, and also contribute to other subjects within these degrees.

top of page ^

Research Interests

My research interests lie in the area of ruminant nutritional physiology, with particular emphasis on energy metabolism, stress and the role of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis and the impact this can ultimately have on animal production systems.  I have completed research in the area of physiological mechanisms underlying feed conversion efficiency in meat sheep exploring numerous parameters including body composition, stress and hormone/metabolite profiles and I have also completed projects in the areas of fodder quality for livestock and feed conversion efficiency in beef cattle.

Measuring oxygen consumption in sheep before and after thyroxine injections, using Powerlab data acquisition units.

Using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry to measure whole animal body composition in sheep

top of page ^

Publications

• Knott, SA, Cummins, LJ, Leury, BJ, Dunshea, FR (2008) Less efficient rams are more responsive to an adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) induced stress challenge. Domestic Animal Endocrinology 34:261-268doi:10.1016/j.domaniend.2007.07.002
• Knott, SA, Cummins, LJ, Dunshea, FR, Leury, BJ (2007) The use of different models for the estimation of residual feed intake (RFI) as a measure of feed efficiency in meat sheep. Animal Feed Science and Technology Special Edition, (in press)doi:10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2007.05.013
• Knott, SA, Cummins, LJ, Leury, BJ, Dunshea, FR (2006) The importance of body composition in explaining variation in feed conversion efficiency and residual feed intake between meat sheep at two different ages.  British Society of Animal Science Annual Meeting – York, March 2006 p. 153
• Knott, SA (2005) Feed efficiency in composite maternal rams – physiological responses of animals identified to be different in feed conversion efficiency Meat and Livestock Australia Final Report, Project SHGEN.037
• Flinn, PC, Knott, SA, Cummins, LJ, Dalley D. (2005) Objective measurement of fodder quality across animal species. RIRDC Publication No 05/088 Final Report, Project DAV-187A
• Kearney, GA, Knee, BW, Graham, JF, Knott, SA (2004) The length of test required to measure liveweight change when testing for feed efficiency in cattle. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 44: 411-414

top of page ^