Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE
2621 MORGAN CIR
KNOXVILLE,TN 37996-4540
Performing Department
Biomedical & Diagnostic Sciences
Non Technical Summary
Sponsor: Merial; Time Period: 05/01/2013 to 09/01/2013 The Merial Veterinary Scholar Program (MVSP) at the University of Tennessee, College of Veterinary Medicine (UTCVM) will provide an opportunity for veterinary students to explore careers in research through participation in a hypothesis-driven research project and associated training activities. The program will provide students considering a career in biomedical research with sufficient exposure to the research environment to facilitate their decision and gain an appreciation for the role of research in veterinary medicine. Students will receive hands-on experience in biomedical research, develop an understanding of research careers and opportunities, develop a basic understanding of scientific method and research design, develop skills in one or more research techniques, obtain experience creating and delivering a research presentation, learn about ethical issues involved in research, and develop camaraderie with other student researchers. In addition to MVSP participants student researchers at the UTCVM in the summer of 2013 will include (depending upon available funding) veterinary students supported for the summer by faculty with extramural funding, professional students participating in the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (NIMBioS) program, students funded by the Morris Animal Foundation Scholars program and students supported by internal funding through our Centers of Excellence in Livestock Diseases and Human Health. Typically, the program ranges between 20 and 26 student participants. Participating mentors will be drawn from faculty with funded research projects at the College of Veterinary Medicine in the departments of Biomedical and Diagnostic Sciences, Large Animal Clinical Sciences, and Small Animal Clinical Sciences. Typically our clinical faculty team with research faculty on projects that employ state of the art research approaches to explore clinically relevant issues.
Animal Health Component
100%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
100%
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
Four veterinary students will participate in a summer research program. Specifically, they will: Receive hands-on experience in biomedical research Develop an understanding of research careers and opportunities Develop a basic understanding of scientific method and research design Develop skills in one or more research techniques Obtain experience creating and delivering a research presentation Learn about ethical issues involved in research Develop camaraderie with other student researchers
Project Methods
Prior to beginning their research students will attend a presentation conducted by an occupational health nurse covering occupational health and safety, be screened to identify potential health issues, and become enrolled in the occupational health program. All students will receive biological safety training in a class conducted by certified specialists. Students will attend weekly sessions twice weekly for the first five weeks covering important research topics. The history of animal use regulations and details about the approval process and researcher responsibility with be presented by the chair of the university IACUC. A speaker from the UT Research Foundation will discuss intellectual property and entrepreneurship. Additional talks will be presented by our research faculty and administrators and cover research ethics and honesty, careers in research, best practices for laboratory record keeping, experiment planning and design, effective use of library resources, statistical analysis, manuscript preparation, development of PowerPoint presentations, and techniques for effective public speaking. Students will attend a two day, on campus, research symposium sponsored by the Comparative and Experimental Medicine Graduate and Public Health programs. The symposium, held mid-June, currently in its sixth year, will feature research presentations, a research career themed workshop, and keynote speaker. Students will also participate in a field trip to the Knoxville Zoo with a guided tour conducted by the zoo veterinarian. They will visit animal exhibits and tour the zoo's veterinary clinic. This experience will expose them to exotic animal medicine and research. A cookout will be held early in the summer to foster camaraderie and ice cream socials will be held throughout the summer to provide opportunities for social interaction. The students' research experience will include a presentation of their work to peers, mentors, faculty and staff in a symposium setting at the UTCVM. This experience will help prepare them for participation in the 2013 MVSP Symposium in Michigan. The particular scientific skills acquired by individual students will vary depending upon their project and mentor but these will typically include PCR, sequence analysis, cell culture, field collection, serological tests including ELISA and western blots. Acquisition of particular skills will be accommodated whenever possible. Students will be encouraged to attend clinical rounds and grand rounds to correlate their research training with clinical applications.