Summer-style Picnic Kicks-off PVM Summer Research Program for Student Scholars

May 31, 2019

picnic attendees pause for a group photo under shade trees — Summer Research Program participants and PVM faculty, staff, and families gathered for a group photo at Purdue University’s Squirrel Park during the cookout that served as a kick-off for the 11-week research experience.

Purdue Veterinary Medicine’s annual Summer Research Program (SRP) is off and running with 15 participants this year, including nine Purdue veterinary students and six undergraduate students from Purdue and four other universities. The program provides the students with the opportunity to work on independent research projects and explore non-practice careers by being partnered with faculty members who share mutual areas of interest.

The Summer Research Program runs for 11 weeks. Things got started with a traditional-style cookout Tuesday, May 14, at Squirrel Park, located near Airport Road and State Street on the Purdue campus. Students participating in the program enjoyed typical Indiana cookout fare, including hamburgers and pulled-pork, as they had a chance to mingle with faculty and staff who attended as well. Other activities planned during the summer include seminars, field trips, and symposia.

Among the undergraduate participants this year are students from Case Western Reserve University, Liberty University, Rutgers University, and Southern University and Agricultural and Mechanical College. The program has been held annually since 1991. Dr. Harm HogenEsch, Purdue Veterinary Medicine associate dean for research and 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. The goal is to make DVM and undergraduate students aware of the opportunities to pursue research and research-related careers, and to increase the number of students that are interested in advanced training following graduation.

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

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