Learning about brains in the necropsy lab with Dr. Rob Bildfell.
We once again had a successful Adventures in Learning class for two weeks in July. Adventures in Learning is not just another summer program. AIL combines stimulating academic and social opportunities in a fun-filled 10-day experience that exposes participants to exciting and sophisticated areas of interest not usually found during the regular school year. AIL is designed for gifted, talented, and high-ability learners who have completed grades 5 or 6 and are interested in fast-paced, challenging opportunities.
AIL students show off their success in setting fractures under Dr. Warnock's tutelage.
A group of 12 energetic and inquisitive middle school kids spent an hour each day with our faculty, learning what it means to be a veterinarian. The class periods included such things as physical exams of healthy dogs, working with blood, diagnostic imaging, necropsy, endoscopy and rumen biology, and how to set bone fractures in animals. The kids love this class every year, and there is genuine interest by them in the profession. The following schedule shows the faculty that participated and the individual subjects for each class period.
Dr. Warnock has a display of bone setting instruments.
Dr. Terri Clark: Physical examination of dogs and veterinary anatomy
Dr. Sue Tornquist: Analysis of blood
Dr. Wendy Baltzer: Canine exercise on a treadmill
Dr. Rob Bildfell: Brains and other icky stuff
Dr. Candace Bailey: Ultrasound of hearts and stuff
Dr. Erica McKenzie: Don’t drink the rumen fluid!
Dr. John Schlipf: What is an endoscope and what is it good for?
Dr. Susanne Stieger-Vanegas: X-rays and what is inside things
Dr. Jennifer Warnock: Dem Bones
Several other members of the CVM community helped in the process. Dr. Dan Rockey coordinated the program and “herded” the kids to their sessions. Dr. Stacy Cooley and Dr. Johanna Rigas, respectively, led a discussion of the X-ray process and helped with the blood cell exercise. Students Rachel Rich, Andrea Hargrove, Ali McKay, and Laura Niman helped Dr. Clark with physical examinations, and Lindsey Moneta, Erin Pugh, and Sami Pederson helped with heart dissections. Molly Lanning and Jon Sago are student workers who worked on different sessions. Student Ashley Runey helped Dr. Bailey with the ultrasound lab. Finally, CVM staff members Amanda Clark and Betsy Snyder worked on two of the labs. Each of these individuals was important to the success of the program, and thanks to all that participated.
