Veterinary Research Scholars Program presents posters and attends national symposium

Caption for top photo: Students are joined by many of the research mentors at the end of the poster session held in July.

By Joe Montgomery
August 28, 2026

The 2026 session of the Veterinary Research Scholars Program, or VRSP, enlisted 17 veterinary students who collaborated with research mentors in the College of Veterinary Medicine and three from the USDA. Fifteen of the students are second-year or third-year veterinary students at K-State. They were joined by a pair of students from the University of Florida and University of Minnesota, respectively.

"In this program, veterinary students are paired with experienced research faculty from the College of Veterinary Medicine," said Kate KuKanich, professor of small animal internal medicine and director of the Veterinary Research Scholars Program. "Scholars also participate in interactive journal clubs, workshops, and tours to learn about research ethics, how to present research findings and veterinary career opportunities."

Collage of photos from the VRSP poster session
Top: Second-year student Jasmine Foth answers questions on her research project about the urethral defects in dogs. Bottom left: Second-year student Jake Boley receives a plaque from the Purina representative Dr. James Bilof and mentor, Dr. Phillip Lancaster. Second-year student Sarah Zdansky and Florida student Maya Encinosa give details about their research projects during the poster session in July.

The objective of the Veterinary Research Scholars Program is to introduce veterinary students to biomedical research through an engaging summer experience and to encourage talented veterinary professional students to enter veterinary careers involving research.

"At the end of the summer, scholars presented their research posters for K-State faculty and research colleagues, students, alumni, and corporate friends and donors," Dr. KuKanich said. "We were delighted to present this year's mentoring award. These awards are special because mentors are nominated by their veterinary scholars, and each year we have such wonderful mentors in our program. This year's recipient is Dr. Clay Hallman, who was nominated by Rahul Chopra."

Two faculty members and a student pose in front of a step-repeat banner
Rahul Chopra, DVM class of 2029, nominated his mentor, Dr. Clay Hallman for the VRSP Mentor Award, presented here by VRSP Director Dr. Kate KuKanich

Student projects this year included studies such as the creation of realistic ultrasound phantoms of the canine abdomen using 3D printed materials, studying the effect of environmental enrichment on the behavior of goats living in confined pens and more than a dozen other research projects.

A collage of photos from the Veterinary Scholars Symposium
VRSP students attended the national Veterinary Scholars Symposium in Raleigh, North Carolina. Back row, from left: Payton Wilber, Tyler Ringel, Sydney Keller, Jasmine Foth, Abby Morris, Kate Rudigier and Carissa Torres. Front row: Elka Miles, Nathan Frater, Sydney Sontag, Jake Boley, Sarah Zdansky, Annika Senn, Rahul Chopra and Dr. Kate KuKanich. Bottom left: Third-year student Sydney Sontag highlights part of her research project. At right, third-year student Elka Miles discusses finer points of her goat-pen related research project.

After the Veterinary Research Scholars Program concluded, scholars attended the Veterinary Scholars Symposium held Aug. 5-8 in Raleigh, North Carolina, co-sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim and the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges. The scholars shared research posters with other veterinary scholars from across the globe.

If you are interested in supporting the K-State Veterinary Research Scholars Program or supporting a summer scholar for next year, please contact Dr. KuKanich or the KSU Foundation.

###

For more information about the Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine, please visit our website at vet.k-state.edu or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and X.