The Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine has accepted 17 first- and second-year veterinary students to take part in it its Summer Scholars Program. The program is an introduction to biomedical research through research-driven activities, aimed at encouraging innovative studies in human and animal diseases. It is funded by the Merck-Merial Veterinary Scholar Program, a grant from the National Institutes of Health and research funds from the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences. Each student will receive a $5,200 stipend. Merck-Merial will also sponsor the students’ participation at the 2009 Merck-Merial Symposium on Aug. 6-8 at North Carolina State University, where research will be presented by students from the participating veterinary schools. To participate in the program, the students developed their own research plan proposals with the guidance of a faculty member. A faculty committee selected the participants based on the proposals. The recipients of the Merck-Merial Summer Research Awards and their project titles are: • Andrea Dedeaux (Class of 2011) from Metairie, La. “Development of A Point of Care Screening Test for Canine Leptospirosis.” Her faculty mentor is Dr. Mark Acierno, assistant professor of companion animal medicine. • Sarah Huber (Class of 2012) from Fayetteville, Ark. “Characterization of Fine Particles in the Ambient Air in Baton Rouge and of the Inflammatory Responses of Respiratory Cells Exposed to these Particles.” Her faculty mentor is Dr. Arthur Penn, professor of toxicology. • Jessica Khodadad (Class of 2012) from Cocoa Beach, Fla. “Examining the Safety and Pharmacokinetics of Firocoxib, a COX-1 Sparing NSAID, in Foals.” Her faculty mentor is Dr. Rebecca McConnico, associate professor of veterinary medicine. • Grant Middleton (Class of 2011) from Arnaudville, La. “Magnetic Resonance Imaging to Assess Alar, Lateral Apical and Transverse Ligaments of the Atlanto-Occipital and Atlantoaxial Articulations in the Dog.” His faculty mentor is Dr. Lorrie Gaschen, associate professor of veterinary radiology. • Rebecca Neis (Class of 2011) from Mountain Home, Ark. “Using a Primary Neuronal Culture of Embryonic Rabbit Dorsal Root Ganglia to Study the Pathogenesis of Bovine Herpesvirus type 1.” Her faculty mentor is Dr. Shafiqul Chowdhury, professor in the Department of Pathobiological Sciences. • Julie Pate (Class of 2011) from Little Rock, Ark. “Comet-Tail Artifacts in Normal Dogs with Cardiogenic Pulmonary Edema.” Her faculty mentors are Dr. Romain Pariaut, assistant professor of veterinary cardiology, and Dr. Nathalie Rademacher, assistant professor of veterinary radiology. • Melissa Smith (Class of 2011) from Jacksonville, Fla. “Tissue Distribution and Pathological Changes over Time Induced by Experimental Infection with Wild Type Francisella sp. and Attenuated iglC Mutant Francisella sp. Using Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and Zebra Fish (Danio rerio) as Disease Models.” Her faculty mentors are Dr. John Hawke, associate professor of veterinary microbiology and parasitology, and Dr. Timothy Morgan, assistant professor of veterinary clinical medicine. The recipients of the NIH Biomedical Research Experience for Veterinary Students Awards and their project titles are: • Joey Bynog (Class of 2011) from Natchitoches, La. “Characterizing Etiologic Agents of Tick-Borne Diseases in Southern Louisiana.” His faculty mentor is Dr. Kevin Macaluso, assistant professor in the Department of Pathobiological Sciences. • Hope Clay (Class of 2012) at Tuskegee University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, Nursing & Allied Health. “The Role of Mu Opioid Receptors in Diet Induced Obesity.” His faculty mentor is Dr. Maria Barnes, instructor at Pennington Biomedical Research Center. • Patrick Cutbirth (Class of 2011) from Monroe, La. “The Use of Embryonated Eggs for Isolation and Culture of Spiroplasma spp.” His faculty mentors are Dr. Phillip Elzer, professor of veterinary science, and Dr. Fred Enright, professor and head of the Department of Veterinary Science. • Janel Doud (Class of 2011) from Southlake, Texas. “Intratumoral Electroporation of the Gene for Interleukin 12 and Bleomycin in Mice: Toxicology and Pharmacokinetics of Bleomycin and Interleukin 12.” Her faculty mentor is Dr. Shulin Li, professor in the Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, and Dr. Scott Reed, post-doctoral fellow and Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences. • Eric Martinez-Ramirez (Class of 2012) from San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico. “Using Adenoviruses to Treat Prostate Cancer in a Mouse Model of Bone Metastases.” His faculty mentor is Dr. Marxa Figueiredo, assistant professor in the Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences. • Kathleen McCarthy (Class of 2012) from Lafayette, La. “Investigation of the Role of Protein SrS2 in Nucleotide Excision Repair.” Her faculty advisor is Dr. Shisheng Li, assistant professor in the Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences. • Stephanie Rutherford (Class of 2012) from Gonzales, La. “Chronic Alcoholism and Osteoarthritis: Evaluation of the Relationship between Alcoholic Ketosis and Articular Cartilage Matrix Changes.” Her faculty mentor is Dr. Mandi Lopez, assistant professor in the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences. • Jennifer Sinese (Class of 2012) from Jacksonville, N.C. “Genetic Diversity in Sumatran and Borneo Orangutans.” Her faculty mentor is Dr. Mark Batzer, Boyd Professor and Dr. Mary Lou Applewhite Distinguished Professor in the LSU College of Basic Sciences. • Jade Tenberg (Class of 2011) from Doylestown, Pa. “Protective Effects of Adipose-Derived Stem Cells following Renal Ischemia and Reperfusion Injury.” Her faculty mentor is Dr. Jeffrey Gimble, professor at Pennington Biomedical Research Center. The Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences is funding the research of: • Jessica Trichel (Class of 2012) from West Monroe, La. “Computed Tomography and Magnetic Resonance imaging of the Equine Temporomandibular Articulation-A Comparative Morphological Study.” Her faculty mentor is Dr. Lorrie Gaschen, associate professor of veterinary radiology. <HOME>
