Summer Picnic Helps Kick-off Summer of Research for Veterinary Student Scholars

June 7, 2024

Participants in the 2024 Veterinary Research Scholars Summer Program gathered for a group photo at the kick-off cookout May 30 at historic Fort Ouiatenon on the banks of the Wabash River.
Participants in the 2024 Veterinary Research Scholars Summer Program gathered for a group photo at the kick-off cookout May 30 at historic Fort Ouiatenon on the banks of the Wabash River.

Beautiful summer weather provided a perfect setting at the Fort Ouiatenon historical park in Tippecanoe County for the annual cookout hosted by the Purdue Veterinary Medicine Office of Research in honor of this year’s summer research scholars.  The Veterinary Scholars Summer Research Program provides opportunities for current Purdue DVM students and undergrads from Purdue and other universities to explore careers in clinical, diagnostic, and basic biomedical research.  The students work with faculty mentors to design and conduct summer research projects, while also participating in weekly seminars as well as other learning activities.  The summer picnic Thursday, May 30, brought together student participants and faculty mentors for food, games and fellowship.

Gabrielle Bressler of the Purdue DVM Class of 2026 and Associate Dean for Research Harm HogenEsch demonstrate exemplary concentration as they teamed-up for a game of cornhole.
Gabrielle Bressler of the Purdue DVM Class of 2026 and Associate Dean for Research Harm HogenEsch demonstrate exemplary concentration as they teamed-up for a game of cornhole.

The participants in this year’s Veterinary Scholars Summer Research Program include ten Purdue DVM students – seven from the Class of 2027 and three from the Class of 2026.  Additionally, there are six undergraduate students, including three from Purdue and one each from Prairie View A&M University in Texas, Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, and Franklin College in Indiana. The participants are being mentored by 16 faculty, representing the Departments of Basic Medical Sciences, Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Comparative Pathobiology, and the Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory.  Dr. Harm HogenEsch, Purdue Veterinary Medicine associate dean for research and Distinguished Professor of Immunopathology, and Dr. Eli Asem, professor of physiology in the Department of Basic Medical Sciences, organize the program by matching students and faculty. PVM Office of Research staff member Erin Lane provides administrative and logistical assistance.

This year’s program began with an introduction and orientation session May 29.  Seminars involving informal presentations and discussions with scientists on different topics related to biomedical research are held each Wednesday.  On Wednesday, June 26, the students will attend an all-day seminar jointly conducted by Purdue and the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine at the Illinois campus in Urbana-Champaign.  The Purdue Summer Research Program will conclude with a Research Poster Session scheduled for 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Tuesday, August 6 in Lynn G119/155.  Then, the veterinary student participants will attend the Boehringer Ingelheim – National Veterinary Scholars Symposium, which will be held in St. Paul, Minnesota August 8-10.  A special thank you to Boehringer Ingelheim for serving as the college’s funding partner for the program, and to the PVM faculty members serving as mentors. In addition, one student received stipend support from the Morris Animal Foundation and one student received support from the American Veterinary Medical Foundation.

Dr. Michelle Tucker (left), who serves as a Summer Research Program faculty mentor, visits with veterinary students Shion Otsuka, Audrey Wood and Madelynn Luebcke, all of the Class of 2026.
Dr. Michelle Tucker (left), who serves as a Summer Research Program faculty mentor, visits with veterinary students Shion Otsuka, Audrey Wood and Madelynn Luebcke, all of the Class of 2026.
Dr. Eli Asem with undergraduate students Ally Schimpf (Purdue), Ruby Linton (Prairie View A&M), and Maddie Claybrooke (Franklin College).
Dr. Eli Asem with undergraduate students Ally Schimpf (Purdue), Ruby Linton (Prairie View A&M), and Maddie Claybrooke (Franklin College).

Writer(s): Kevin Doerr | pvmnews@purdue.edu

Recent Stories

“Paws Up” – brought to you by the PVM Wellness Committee

Behind the scenes, Alicia Williams has been making PVM a kinder, stronger place.

Purdue Veterinary Medicine Computational Biologist Uses Big Data, AI and Math to Find Patterns in Cancer

With recent advances, cancer research now generates vast amounts of information. The data could help researchers detect patterns in cancer cells and stop their growth, but the sheer volume is just too much for the human mind to digest. Enter Nadia Lanman, research associate professor in the Department of Comparative Pathobiology, whose expertise in computational biology helps researchers at Purdue University distill solutions from the sea of numbers.

Purdue to Host Fourth Annual Antimicrobial Conference in February

With leadership by the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine, the Fourth Annual Conference on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) will be held at Purdue University West Lafayette February 25–26, 2026. With multidrug-resistant infections on the rise globally, this event brings together experts and practitioners across the spectrum of human, animal, and environmental health to address one of today’s most urgent public health challenges.

PVM Well-represented by Humans and Animals During Annual Homecoming Celebrations

Every fall, Boilermakers from near and far return to the campus in West Lafayette for the annual ritual known as Homecoming. And Purdue’s Homecoming events also attract plenty of non-alumni who are Purdue fans, patrons, prospective students, or clients of the Purdue University Veterinary Hospital. During this year’s Homecoming weekend October 24-25, Purdue Veterinary Medicine engaged with attendees in multiple ways, with the help of some furry companions.

Purdue University and Akston Biosciences Bring “First Dose of Hope” in New Cancer Immunotherapy Trial for Dogs with Urinary Bladder Cancer

The Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine, in partnership with Akston Biosciences Corporation, has initiated the enrollment of dogs with urinary bladder cancer in a clinical trial of a pioneering immunotherapy. The strategic partnership between Purdue and Akston was announced in August after the underlying technology was developed at the College of Veterinary Medicine and the Purdue Institute for Cancer Research (PICR).

“Paws Up” – brought to you by the PVM Wellness Committee

Today we share appreciation for Beth Laffoon, MS, RVT, and Holly McCalip, BS, RVT, who are both instructional technologists in the Veterinary Nursing Program.

MMAS Symposium Brings Participants Face to Face with Specialists and Species from Parrots to Pocket Pets

Thanks to Purdue Veterinary Medicine’s Exotic Animal Club and dedicated faculty, staff and students, nearly 100 in-person and on-line participants got a chance recently to gain valuable knowledge and insight about the Medicine of Mammalian and Avian Species. The two-day educational event known as the MMAS Symposium is a biennial conference, and the 2024 edition held in Lynn Hall November 9 and 10 featured an impressive program that included 22 lectures and several hands-on labs, organized into two tracks focusing on avian and mammalian species.

Veterinary Boilermakers Take Part in Purdue One Health Alumni Reunion

Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine faculty, staff and students turned out for Purdue University’s first One Health Alumni Reunion, which was held on the West Lafayette campus November 14-16. They joined more than 150 Boilermakers from a variety of medical professions who came together to network and participate in timely discussions with Purdue President Mung Chiang, First Lady Kei Hui and fellow alumni.