By Alyssa Stastny | August 21, 2019

The Animal, Dairy and Veterinary Sciences Summer Student Research Symposium provides students an opportunity to showcase the research projects they have worked on throughout the summer. The event, hosted by the ADVS Department, aims to give students the experience of communicating their research in a friendly environment where they can receive constructive feedback.

The symposium includes oral presentations, poster presentations and flash talks, which are 2-minute oral presentations introducing the research followed by a poster presentation. All ADVS graduate students present in the symposium, as well as many summer undergraduate research interns and students in USU’s School of Veterinary Medicine. 

Katie Swanson, a student pursing a master’s degree in veterinary public health, presented a poster on research she began for her thesis this summer. Her work focuses on salmonella detection in cattle with the goal of identifying the best way to detect the bacteria, as methods vary across diagnostic laboratories. The ability to identify salmonella quickly is key in limiting the spread of salmonella poisoning. During Swanson’s poster presentation, she shared preliminary results of her research, which will continue throughout the year. She said that participation in the symposium took a lot of preparation, but that it was also a very worthwhile experience.

Additionally, students from other departments who have been engaged in ADVS-related summer research also participate. One such student is Jay Courtright, an undergraduate student studying cellular and molecular biology. Courtright has been working in ADVS Assistant Professor Jeff Mason’s lab this summer, where he has been involved with research on T-cell assays. While presenting his poster at the symposium, he was impressed by the many intelligent questions that were asked and felt that those questions facilitated his own continued learning.

Results of the event are as follows:

PhD, MS, DVM Oral Presentation:

    • 1st place: Brady Hickerson
    • 2nd place: Brendan Sarnecky
    • 3rd place: Ana Silva

PhD, MS, DVM Flash Talk Presentation:

    • 1st place: Sumira Phatak
    • 2nd place: Andy Ngyuen
    • 3rd place: Austin Sears

Undergraduate Flash Talk Presentation:

    • 1st place: Jay Courtright

PhD, MS, DVM Poster Presentation:

    • 1st place: Nicolas Lilly
    • 2nd place (tied): Katie Swanson & Braden Abercrombie

Undergraduate Poster Presentation:

    • 1st place: Osvaldo Gonzalez
    • 2nd place: McKenna Perez
    • 3rd place: Heather Gaudette

poster in background, person talking to another personKatie Swanson presents her preliminary research about salmonella detection in cattle

Person points to poster while other person watchesJay Courtright explains his summer research to ADVS Assistant Professor Heloisa Rutigliano

Presenting posterAshley Bartlett speaks with another symposium participant about her research involving gut microbiome interactions in mice

Writer: Alyssa Stastny, Email: alyssa.stastny@usu.edu
Contact: Mirella Meyer-Ficca, Email: mirella.meyer@usu.edu