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August 2016 - Vol. 11, No. 8

Top Stories

NIH grant supports vaccine research

Dr. Weiping Zhang developing safeguard against ETEC-associated diarrhea

Dr. Weiping Zhang and his lab team

Dr. Weiping Zhang, professor of microbiology in the Department of Diagnostic Medicine/Pahobiology, has been awarded a $2.1 million National Institutes of Health R01 grant for the next five years. The grant will support the development of a vaccine to guard against E. coli-associated diarrhea. NIH has awarded two additional grants to Dr. Zhang in the last three years to develop vaccines against E. coli diarrhea.

Research project puts striped skunk rabies on the map

While striped skunks already have a nose-worthy reputation for being avoided, new research at the CVM emphasizes a serious health hazard these skunks pose to animals and humans: rabies.

CEEZAD receives $2.3 million grant for vaccine research

Dr. Juergen RichtThe Center of Excellence for Emerging Zoonotic and Animal Diseases (CEEZAD) at Kansas State University has recently received a $2.3 million grant from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) to conduct research on the safety in livestock of a newly developed vaccine to protect humans against infection with the Ebola Zaire virus. DTRA is an agency within the US Department of Defense.

CVM labs study amphibians as possible zoonotic disease hosts

Frog

Three different laboratories at Kansas State University hopped on board for a unique study that looks at the potential role of amphibians as a vector for the spread of infectious diseases. The project was led by Dr. Yongming Sang, research associate professor of anatomy and physiology in the College of Veterinary Medicine.

More Headlines

Dr. Philine Wangemann reunites with former postdocs on speaking trip in Korea

Seoul

While convening with colleagues and peers is a primary objective of scientific conferences and meetings, sometimes one gets an opportunity to reunite with former trainees at such meetings. A recent speaking trip overseas for Kansas State University’s Dr. Philine Wangemann turned into a reunion with several former postdoctoral trainees who now live and work in Korea where the biennial meeting of the Barany Society was held.

Dr. Roman Ganta visits academic institutes in China for CEVBD

Dr. Roman GantaDr. Roman Ganta, professor of diagnostic medicine and pathobiology and director of the Center of Excellence for Vector-Borne Diseases in the College of Veterinary Medicine, was invited to visit three academic institutes June 24-July 1 in China: the Yangzhou University College of Veterinary Medicine, the Shandong University School of Public Health, and the Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology. Dr. Ganta lectured at the universities and also discussed research collaborations.

'Science To Art' exhibition features Dr. Annelise Nguyen’s ‘Eye of the Storm’

Science to Art signA cancerous storm is just one of nine artistic images produced by regional scientists that are now on display in Kansas City, Missouri. “Eye of the Storm” was captured by Dr. Annelise Nguyen, a researcher in the College of Veterinary Medicine at Kansas State University, through a confocal microscope and shows where cell-to-cell communication proteins occur in human breast cancer tissue.

VHC Clinical Trials - CT Westie

Dr. Susan Nelson offers prevention tips following recent rabies case in area s

With the recent diagnosis by the Kansas State University Rabies Laboratory of a rabies positive cat from Wabaunsee County, a university veterinarian recommends several steps to limit exposure of the disease to humans and animals.


VHC Clinical Trials

International Programs sponsors 'Veterinarians around the world' photo competition

Photo contest logoThe CVM's office of International Programs announces the launch of the "Veterinarians around the world" photo competition. The theme for the competition is international veterinary medicine. Entries should capture efforts to improve animal health, public health or wildlife/ecosystem health; food security (sustainable production systems); food safety; capacity building; animal welfare; or biological threat reduction. Any other subjects relating to international veterinary medicine will also be considered.

Kansas State Diagnostic Veterinary Laboratory now processing samples for Gold Standard Labs

The Kansas State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at Kansas State University is known for providing bovine testing services to veterinarians and cattle producers nationwide, and is now the new service provider for samples previously submitted to Gold Standard Labs.

Regular features

Alumni Events, Development and Continuing Education

VMAA logo The Veterinary Medical Alumni Association presents its annual alumni recognition awards at the 78th Annual Conference for Veterinarians and the Kansas Veterinary Medical Association presents its annual awards the next day at the conference. Find out who this year's winners are below.

Pet Friendly License Plate program in Kansas

The College of Veterinary Medicine has a new way to support shelter medicine in Kansas. The Pet Friendly license plate is available to Kansas residents statewide by visiting your local Kansas county treasurer's office.

VHC Clinical Trials

News Ticker

More activities and accomplishments in the College of Veterinary Medicine:

Dr. Mike Apley was featured in the JAVMA journal for “Adjusting to reduced drug access, use - Swine Veterinarians face adjustments in disease management, treatment.”

Dr. Robert Delong spoke at the RNA nanotechnology conference near Cambridge in the UK. RNA nanotechnology has grown into a mature field composed of several subfields covered by many disciplines such as chemistry, biochemistry, molecular biology, microbiology, biophysics, engineering, and many more.

Second-year student Avery Loyd reports that she attended a horseshoing school this summer to increase her knowledge of the horse and to help bridge the communication gap between the veterinarian and farrier.

Technology checkout available at the Veterinary Medical Library

In addition to our Canon EOS 60D and Nikon DSLR cameras, we also have three new Canon EOS 70D DSLR cameras. What makes these stand out are the professional lenses that come with them and can be used for any occasion. The 70D camera has a standard 18-135mm lens as well as a 70-300mm lens. With their 32GB SanDisk Extreme memory card, they can hold 10,000 plus photos. These cameras are perfect for family outings such as weddings and reunions, and even multiple classroom activities.

We also have four new Lenovo Thinkpad laptops and two Surface Pro 4 tablets. Each Surface Pro 4 tablet is touch screen, has Windows 10 Pro operating system, and comes with a stylus and detachable type keyboard with mouse pad. The Surface Pro 4 also can be propped up via a back panel to easily convert into a laptop from a tablet making it perfect for traveling to conferences and meetings.

To record lectures, lessons, video projects, or any other event in your life, we have added three new camcorders. The Sony FDR-AX33V camcorder has the ability to record in high-definition and up to four hours-worth of HD footage.

There are many more items that have been added to our technology equipment such as LCD projectors, projection screens, and GPSs. Items can be reserved and checked out with the use of your CVM ID badge. Please stop by the library desk to inquire about these new items, call 2-6006, or email Andi Parrish aparrish@vet.k-state.edu.

VHC welcomes residents plus an intern too

New residents for VHC
The Veterinary Health Center welcomed a new group of new residents, plus one intern, who went through orientation July 18 and 19. Left to Right: Drs. Dana White, Sabina Sheppard, Christina Chesvick, Natalie Punt (intern), Cori Youngblood, Olga Norris.

VHC recognizes Dr. David Hodgson for mentoring

Dr. David Hodgson and Dr. Bonnie Rush

A list of quotes on the screen behind Dr. David Hodgson tell about his impact as a mentor. Dr. Bonnie Rush presented him with the VHC’s resident mentoring award.

The DCS Award for Excellence in Resident Mentoring award recognizes senior faculty members who have demonstrated a commitment to the professional growth of residents. Dr. Hodgson was nominated by Dr. Morgan Murphy, Dr. M. Crumley, and Dr. C. Norkus. Below are a few quotes from the letters.

“An excellent example to me of what it means to be a professional. He is kind and always willing to lend a hand or help solve a problem.”

“He is an awesome example of what it means to be an amazing mentor…”

“His influence has absolutely positively impacted the training of residents in nearly all departments. He is always available day or night without reservations to help residents or students.”

“His creative mind and ability to bring any idea into a reality is inspiring.”

“Dr. Hodgson is a fantastic mentor, has always been and will forever be.”

Beef Cattle Institute's Beef Scholars program visit Johnson Farm

BCI Summer Scholars

Pictured left to right: Dr. Paige Pratt, BC advisory team member; Jason Pratt, owner, Jiena Gu, BCI; Kelly Oliver, BCI; Dr. Venkatesh-Prasad RAnganath, CIS undergraduate student; Emilie Herbst, MS ag economics; Brooke Perry, BCI; Sarah Jones, undergraduate food science and industry; Ali McKiernan, Ph.D. candidate in pathobiology; and Carlee Wollard, third-year student in veterinary medicine.

The Beef Cattle Institute Summer Scholars took their first tour as part of their summer program on Friday, July 8. Paige and Jason Pratt of Johnson Farms near Dwight, Kansas hosted the group of student researchers whose projects range from food safety to mobile app development for producer decision tools.

As an introduction, The Pratt’s gave a thorough background of their history in the beef cattle business and how their entire family is involved in the current operation. Students asked a variety of important questions relative to issues facing the beef industry today including antibiotic resistance and sustainability.

Students returned to the Kansas Department of Agriculture in the afternoon to provide progress reports on each of their projects and to enjoy an ice cream treat.

Veterinary Technician Internship Program welcomes new interns

Vet Tech interns
From left: Addison Houchin, Kara Agamaite, Cassidy Goering arrived June 1.

Second-year students extern in Texas

Weather Equine externship
Class of 2019 students Kate Rigby, Karsen Brown and Katelyn Comstock extern during the summer break at Weatherford Equine Medical Center, PC in Texas.

K-State students lay groundwork for future careers in the pet food industry

Workshop joint event facilitates opportunities for interviews while volunteering

Pet food workshop

K-State students will once again be in the spotlight at the 2nd annual edition of the Petfood Innovation Workshop and K-State Pet Food Experience. This multi-day joint event will take place on Sept. 13-15, 2016 on Kansas State University’s main campus in Manhattan, Kansas. Students play a key role in the production of the event by volunteering to help with the hands-on educational activities and supplier-led demonstrations where attendees create pet food and pet treats using novel proteins and other high impact functional ingredients.

The Petfood Innovation Workshop and K-State Pet Food Experience features leading research on topics that are directly associated with pet food and also work that overlaps at the boundary of pet food, nutrition, and processing technology. There will be networking opportunities with industry professionals, faculty and staff, plus leading local regulatory and governmental officials.

A new feature of this year’s event highlights the chance for pet food industry members to schedule job or internship interviews with students in the newly remodeled Career Center, located in the Berney Family Welcome Center.

Registration is now open and expected to sell out quickly, as there are a limited number of registrations offered to ensure quality of the workshop activities and seating in the research sessions. K-State Alumni are welcomed and encouraged to attend for a day or the entire event.

The Pet Food Experience is hosted by the Kansas State Pet Food Program team with the Kansas State University Institute for Commercialization, and utilizes student volunteers as well as facilities within the community. During the Pet Food Experience, attendees will have the opportunity to hear from industry experts as they present their latest research and insight on various topics. An outline of the program schedule is available here.

On Wednesday evening, guests can opt to participate in a dine-around event, as an additional opportunity to engage with industry peers at various local restaurants. The 2016 event aims to infuse attendees with the K-State college experience, while simultaneously providing valuable educational and networking opportunities.

The Kansas State University Institute for Commercialization is dedicated to the start-up and expansion of technology-based, high-growth enterprises and enabling the commercialization of university and under-utilized corporate intellectual property. The organization provides opportunity assessment; strategic partnership design; technology acquisition, management and licensing; business development; and technology transfer support activities for entrepreneurs to commercialize intellectual property emanating from basic research at Kansas State University and other intellectual property portfolios.

The Pet Food Program at Kansas State University was started in 2012 and has established degree programs, short courses, and research concerning pet food and nutrition.

Petfood Innovation Workshop is organized and hosted by Petfood Industry magazine (www.petfoodindustry.com). Both are owned by WATT Global Media, a content company founded in 1917 that provides exceptional business content and solutions to the agribusiness industry. As an industry innovator, WATT Global Media has connected buyers and sellers in the poultry, pig, animal feed and pet food industries through its media channels for more than 99 years (www.WATTGlobalMedia.com).

Registration is now open and expected to sell out quickly, as there are a limited number of registrations offered to ensure quality of the workshop activities and seating in the research sessions. After the event, you can stick around in Manhattan to attend the FIRST HOME FOOTBALL GAME OF THE SEASON Sept. 17 at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.

New Arrivals/Recent Departures

Lifelines is published each month by the Marketing and Communications Office at the College of Veterinary Medicine. The editor is Joe Montgomery, jmontgom@vet.k-state.edu.

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