Far from taking the summer off, the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine uses the summer season to deliver camps and other programs designed for young people interested in careers in veterinary medicine. From the ever popular Boiler Vet Camps to the Summer Research Program, the college offers an open door for those exploring future opportunities in the veterinary profession.
Boiler Vet Camps Provide Adventures in Veterinary Medicine
Veterinary science, fun, and learning all came together in two action-packed weeks in June to the delight of 100 Junior and Senior Boiler Vet Camp students who came from all across the country to participate. The Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine’s annual Boiler Vet Camp program is designed to introduce young people to the breadth and depth of the veterinary medical profession.
The junior camp for students going into grades 8-9 included nine boys and 41 girls who were chosen from more than 100 applicants and came from Indiana and 19 other states, including California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
The Senior camp for students going into grades 10-12 was split evenly with 25 boys and 25 girls, who were selected from more than 350 applicants. They came from Indiana and 12 other states including Alabama, California, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, and Washington, as well as Puerto Rico.
For each camp, ten Purdue veterinary students going into their second or third year of veterinary school served as counselors, while three veterinary students, Taylor Faulkenberg and Bridget Stratman, of the Class of 2028, and Aidan Walker, of the Class of 2029, filled the role of lead counselors. The director of the camps, Mindy Anderson, PharmD, RVT, PVM assistant dean for veterinary technology programs, said the lead counselors start preparing for the camps a year ahead, and handle everything from taking care of logistics to making sure everything is set-up and ready for the campers when camp week arrives.
For both the junior and senior camps, participants were divided into groups and each group had a veterinary student counselor who served as the group’s leader for the week. Dr. Anderson said the junior camp focused more on the exploration of veterinary medicine so students were exposed to a variety of veterinary career opportunities and had the opportunity to visit the Indianapolis Zoo and meet zoo veterinarians, as well to visit the Fair Oaks Dairy, and also meet with veterinarians from the Indiana State Board of Animal Health.
The Senior Camp was more focused on the veterinarian’s role in diagnosis, surgery and treatment of animal patients. “In this camp students experience working with a shelter dog all week and getting to understand how to train and groom the animals, how and why we do different diagnostics such as blood and fecal testing as well as the importance of spaying and neutering and they get to watch a spay or neuter in person,” Dr. Anderson explained.
Boiler Vet Camp is the only camp of its kind in Indiana. “I am honored to be the director of this camp,” Dr. Anderson said. “It is evident that this camp significantly impacts young peoples’ decisions to pursue veterinary school, as we now have multiple students in each class of the DVM program that attended Boiler Vet Camp, including Aidan Walker, one of our lead student counselors.” Anderson continued, “We are told every year how ‘state of the art’ these camps are and that the hands on experiences we provide the students are unmatched in any other veterinary camp in the United States.”
Walker shared that as a former camper, he knew when he arrived at veterinary school that he wanted to give back to the camp that meant so much to him. “These camps confirmed my desire to pursue veterinary medicine, and I sought to instill this same inspiration in the campers. Being a part of these camps was a full circle moment for me.”
Faulkenberg said that as a lead counselor, she loved getting to work with individuals who are aspiring veterinarians and witness their growth firsthand. “The amount of confidence, knowledge, and passion they acquire in a week is so impressive and incredible to be a part of.”
Stratman added that what she enjoyed most was inspiring the next generation of veterinarians while creating memorable, hands-on experiences with animals. “For many of them, the experience confirmed their desire to pursue veterinary medicine while also introducing them to the wide variety of careers available within the field.”
The Senior camp concluded June 26 with a closing program and White Coat Ceremony for the campers, who participated in group presentations for their parents and family about what they learned. Following the presentations, each camper was called forward individually to shake hands with Purdue Veterinary Medicine Dean Bret Marsh and formally receive their white coat symbolizing their completion of the camp.
Dr. Anderson shared that she loves to hear from the students and parents how this camp really solidified the students’ decisions to pursue veterinary medicine either as a veterinarian or veterinary technician. “We create 100 ambassadors a year from this camp who go out and talk about the great things we are doing here at the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine and that makes it all worth it to me!”
Vet Up! Supports Career Exploration by Aspiring Veterinary Professionals
Summer also is a time when the College of Veterinary Medicine welcomes college students to Lynn Hall for Vet Up! College, a residential summer program for disadvantaged college undergraduates to help prepare them to pursue admission to veterinary school. This year marked the seventh time that the college has conducted the Vet Up! College program. A total of 26 students from 15 universities participated. With an average GPA of 3.53, the students came from across the country, representing Indiana, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, New York, Tennessee, and Texas, as well as Puerto Rico.
The students benefitted from such learning experiences and activities as sessions covering anatomy, animal behavior, parasitology, clinical skills, large animal skills, emergency and critical care, neurology, pathology, and foreign animal disease case studies. Additionally, the students engaged in group projects and visited several farms, as well as the Fair Oaks Farms attraction. They also volunteered at a local animal shelter, engaged in career development, and interacted with Purdue veterinary students who served as TAs.
Several Vet Up! College students received awards, including the Model Pre-vet Student Award; Most Dedicated Award; Most Engaged Award; and the Most Collaborative Award. The awards were presented at a closing ceremony and reception June 19, which marked the conclusion of the four week on-campus portion of the program and the beginning of two weeks spent at clinical placement sites located in each participant’s local area, where they gained veterinary experience.
Also at the end of June, the college welcomed students who are part of Vet Up! Champions – a career exploration program for underserved students who are high school juniors or seniors, college freshmen or sophomores, or adult nontraditional students interested in exploring the veterinary medical field and related professions. The students came to Lynn Hall for a special two-day on campus experience.
Vet Up! Champions utilizes a distance learning approach that runs for a complete calendar year, and includes two days that are spent on the Purdue campus in the summer when the participants gain hands-on animal experience. Both Vet Up! College and Vet Up! Champions are federally funded programs supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), with a goal of addressing a national shortage of veterinarians in public health and rural/food animal practice in Indiana and beyond.
PVM Summer Research Program Inspires a Season of Mentorship and Discovery
For 15 aspiring researchers, the start of summer marked the beginning of an immersive journey in scientific discovery through Purdue Veterinary Medicine’s 2026 Veterinary Scholars Summer Research Program. The respected annual program pairs veterinary students and undergraduate students from Purdue and other universities with faculty mentors, providing hands-on experience in clinical and basic science research while helping to foster the next generation of veterinary and biomedical scientists.
A welcome picnic on May 28 was held for the program participants at Happy Hollow Park in West Lafayette. Faculty mentors and summer research scholars gathered for an evening of conversation, camaraderie, and traditional Indiana picnic fare before forging ahead with their summer research projects. The event also provided an opportunity for participants to come together for a group photo, celebrating the start of a collaborative and impactful summer.
This year’s cohort includes seven Purdue veterinary students and eight undergraduate students. Five of the undergraduates are from Purdue, while the other three represent Hampton University, Huntington University, and the University of Puerto Rico – Humacao. Together, the veterinary and undergraduate students are being mentored by 17 faculty members from the Departments of Basic Medical Sciences (BMS), Comparative Pathobiology (CPB), and Veterinary Clinical Sciences (VCS), gaining valuable experience in research design, data analysis, and scientific communication.
The 11-week Veterinary Scholars Summer Research Program, which concludes August 4, combines independent research with professional development opportunities. Participants attend weekly seminars covering a variety of scientific and career-focused topics and engage in enrichment activities, including a visit to a local pharmaceutical company and a networking event with veterinary scholars from the University of Illinois. There also is an End of Program Poster Presentation August 3. For the DVM students, the summer experience culminates with participation in the Boehringer Ingelheim National Veterinary Scholars Symposium, August 6-8 in Raleigh, North Carolina, where students have the opportunity to share their research and connect with veterinary scholars from across the country.
The 2026 Purdue Veterinary Scholars Summer Research Program is co-directed by Dr. Eli Asem, professor of physiology in the Department of Basic Medical Sciences, and Dr. Susan Mendrysa, associate dean for research and graduate programs and professor of basic medical sciences.
