OSU veterinary students participate in summer research training program
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Eighteen veterinary students at Oklahoma State University’s Center for Veterinary
Health Sciences spent 12 weeks of their summer vacation enrolled in a Summer Research
Training Program. Funded by the National Institutes of Health, Merial, Ltd., the
Morris Animal Foundation and individual primary investigators, the program is designed
to expose first- and second-year veterinary students to hands-on research experiences
and careers in biomedical research.
To enhance students’ experiences, OSU teamed up with similar programs at Kansas State
University and the University of Missouri providing a broader scope of learning opportunities
for all three groups of veterinary students.
“The three colleges met in Oklahoma on July 1 and 2,” explains Dr. Chris Ross, associate
dean for academic affairs and co-director of the program at the veterinary center.
“Hosted by Dr. Gary White, (OSU ’68), OU Health Sciences Center, and Roman Wolf, (OSU
’94), also with OSUHSC, we toured the University of Oklahoma’s animal research facilities.”
“On July 22 and 23, the groups met again, this time in St. Joseph, Mo.,” adds Dr.
Dianne McFarlane, physiological sciences and co-director with Ross at the veterinary
center. “Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica hosted this session and presented an overview
of what they do in animal vaccine development and career opportunities in corporate
veterinary research and development.”
According to Ross, Merial will host one final meeting for the three groups of participating
college students in mid-August. The first week of August, OSU’s veterinary students
will present their findings as research posters at the OSU Summer Scholar’s Research
Day, finishing their Summer Research Training Program. All students who participated
in the Summer Research Training program will have the opportunity to present their
research at The National Veterinary Scholars Symposium in Athens, GA, hosted by Merial,
Ltd., and the University of Georgia.