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Faculty Select Candidates for Students Training in Advanced Research

What's New Image Forty veterinary students have been selected to participate in the 2008 Students Training in Advanced Research (STAR) program. STAR participants met at a lunch event Friday, May 2, when they and their mentors received an introduction to the program from two STAR "alumni" and two experienced research mentors. After classes finished in June, the students went through orientation and found their places in a variety of laboratories in the school.

Veterinary students compete for selection into the program and develop their own research projects with faculty mentors. The students work full-time on their projects, which may be basic laboratory research or more clinically-oriented studies, during 10 weeks in the summer. The program familiarizes participants with specialized laboratory skills, library research, ethics and other aspects of biomedical research, including scientific communication. Participants earn a $6,000 fellowship. The funding total of $240,000 this year comes from gifts, sponsorships and training grants.

Student projects reflect broad applications of veterinary medicine and science, including companion animal or livestock health, veterinary aspects of human disease and public health, and ecosystem health topics concerning wildlife genetics, infectious disease or environmental contamination.

Kent Lloyd, associate dean of research and graduate education, explains STAR program goals. "We hope to identify and nurture research interests among our students. The STAR initiative offers an important strategy for recruitment of veterinarians considering the research path."

Students appreciate that research ultimately helps all animals, even when a STAR project is small in scope. In 2007, Amanda Irish studied population genetics in red-shouldered hawks. "I did a microcosm of a project," she recalls. "Eventually, the results will be published. If the red-shouldered hawk becomes differentiated [from its Eastern relatives], it will impact [the bird's] conservation in California." Students are encouraged to submit their results for publication. At the end of the session, each student creates a scientific poster to share with peers and professors at scientific meetings and other presentations.

See below for the names of STAR students, their mentors and projects scheduled for Summer 2008:

Student's Name	Mentor's Name	Project Title
Leonard, Brian	Bevins, Charles; Marks, Stan	A Characterization of ß-defensin Expression in Canine Skin and Intestinal Tract
Bird, Brian	MacLachlan, N James	Acute Induction of Tissue Specific Inflammatory Mediators in Bovines following Foot & Mouth Disease Virus Aerosol Challenge
Wiggans, Kenneth Tomo	Chen, Xinbin	The Role of the p53 Pathway in Canine Sarcomas and Osteosarcomas
Kuo, Kendon	Kent, Michael	The Role of Telomere Associated Proteins in the 3'Telomeric G-Overhang (G-tail) and Telomere Stability
Wieman, Lani	North, Tom; Sparger, Ellen	The Use of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Integrase Inhibitors for Suppression of Feline Immunodeficiency Virus In Vitro
Cates, Charles	Angelastro, James	Inducing Selective Apoptosis of Glioblastoma Cell Lines through Transfection of Dominant Negative Activating Transcription Factor-5 Truncated at the Leucine Zipper Polypeptide Sequence
Keating, Theresa	Dickinson, Peter	Characterization of Stem Cells in Canine Primary Brain Tumors
Wade, Jessica	Yellowley, Clare	The Role of Lipid Rafts in Osteoblast Mechanotransduction
Trott, Kristin	Luckhart, Shirley; Abel, Kristina	A Rhesus Macaque Model for Human co-Infection with HIV-1 and Malaria
Cummings, Bethany	Havel, Peter	Treatment of Type II Diabetes Mellitus by lleal Transposition Surgery in a Novel Diabetic Rat Model
Ochoa, Jennine	Baumgarth, Nicole	Characterization of the Lymph Node B cell Response to Borrelia burgdorferi
Young, Aisha	Raybould, Helen	The Role of Diet in Glucose Sensing in the Proximal Gastrointestinal Tract
Bruno, Laura	Bevins, Charles; Baumler, Andreas	Investigations on the Transcriptional Response of Bovine Small Intestinal Crypt Epithelial Cells to Infection with Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium
Reid, Patrick	Ilkiw, Jan	Investigating the Clinical Use of Gabapentin for Analgesia in Cats
Wyckoff, Chris	Ziccardi, Mike	Impact of Rehabilitation on Innate Immune Function of Common Murres (Uria aalge)
Colopy, Anika	Krubitzer, Leah	Cortical and Thalamic Connections of the Primary Somatosensory Area (S1) in the Short-Tailed Opossum
Lewis, Kristin	Wilson, Dennis	Environmental Particulate Matter Induced ROS and Endothelial Cell Barrier Dysfunction
Reed, Aimee	Goldstein, Tracey; Mazet, Jonna	Molecular Identification of a Herpesvirus in Free-Ranging Northern Sea Otters in Alaska
Waffarn, Elizabeth	Baumgarth, Nicole	The Role of IL-1 in Directing the Antiviral B-1 Cell Response
Karmi, Nili	Bannasch, Dannika	Identifying the Dalmatian Hyperuricosuria Mutation in non-Dalmatian Breeds
Edwards, Ingrid	Klasing, Kirk	Role of CD36 in Yolk Resorption in the Egg-laying Chicken
Blum, Alissa	Wilson, Dennis	Rat Endothelial Progenitor Cell Isolation and Characterization from Peripheral Blood and Bone Marrow
Levine, Jessica	Yilma, Tilahun	In Vitro Characterization of Andes Virus Pathogenesis
West, Eric	Lyeth, Bruce	Role of Sodium-Dependent Co-Transporters in Astrocyte Pathology in an in vitro Traumatic Brain Injury Model
Wood, Jason Foster	Pesavento, Patricia	Junctional Adhesion Molecule and Feline Calicivirus
Colamussi, Lauralea	Kapatkin, Amy	Kinematic Gait Analysis Differences between Healthy Large and Small Dogs
Ryan, Christopher	Stover, Sue	Effect of Exercise History on the Humeri of Thoroughbred Racehorses: A Microscopic Approach
Dodd, Kimberly	Pedersen, Niels; Pesavento, Patricia	Feline Infectious Peritonitis in Two Populations: Evaluation of Associated Feline Enteric Coronavirus Strains
Johnson, Elizabeth	Stanley, Scott	Characterization of Members of the CYP3A Family in Horses
Uhl, Justin	Stover, Sue; Kapatkin, Amy	Biomechanical Comparison of Canine Radial Fixation using a 3.5mm LCP Cranially vs. a 2.7mm LCP Medially
Wegner, Seth	Conley, Alan	The Influence of Maternally-Deposited Estradiol on the Sex-Determining Mechanism of Alligator Mississippiensis
Simison, Kelby	Pypendop, Bruno	Evaluation of Ketamine Used for Analgesia in Surgical Patients
Williams, Crystal	Le Jeune, Sarah	Effect of Acupuncture on Heart Rate Variability in Horses
Valentine, Robert	Ramsey, Jon	Membrane Fatty Acids and Metabolism
Sylvia, Charles	Hyde, Dallas	Airway Remodeling in Asthma: Role of VEGF and Immunostimulatory Molecules on Airway Vasculature in Rhesus Monkeys
Woodworth, Sarah	Boyce, Walter	Determining the Distribution of Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases in the Rural Communities of Kikongo and Kimbuma, Democratic Republic of Congo
Kwiatkowski, Anna Elizabeth	Barter, Linda	Thermal Threshold Testing to Evaluate the Efficacy of Analgesics in Rabbits
Lam, Lydia	Ernest, Holly	Development of Genetic Markers to Test the Correlation of Kin Relationships with Disease in Southern Sea Otters
Lieberman, Mia	Byrne, Barbara	Isolation of Lytic Phage against Streptococcus equi subspecies equi
Jones, Krista	Chomel, Bruno	Evaluation of Jackals and Hyenas as Hosts for Bartonella Species on the Laikipia Plateau in Kenya