On July 17, College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) students participated in the first annual Research, Innovation, Discovery, and Education (RIDE) Summit.

As both a reimagining of the College’s former Research Day and the capstone event to the first season of the RIDE Seminar Series, the day-long celebration brought together members of the CVM community to learn from one another, share their discoveries, and discuss innovative approaches to research through panels, talks, and social activities.

Students were central to the festivities. The day began with an informal breakfast for graduate students, postdocs, and residents to meet this year’s Distinguished Alum Awardee, Dr. Chand Khanna. Khanna took questions and shared wisdom that he’s gleaned from his time at CVM and beyond. The vibrant discussion included balancing life as a clinician and researcher, being open to multiple career paths, and ditching perfectionism in favor of trying new things. 

Mentorship was also a crucial theme of the morning.

“Find someone who is worthy of being followed and follow them,” Khanna said. “By following people, you learn who you are.”

Breakfast was followed by the CVM Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) competition, where students from the College’s two graduate programs competed to advance to the Saint Paul Science in Seconds competition—the final stop on the way to the University-wide 3MT contest. The event challenges students to communicate the significance of their research projects without the use of props or industry jargon, in just three minutes, using a single static slide.

From the Comparative and Molecular Biosciences program, Julia Baker (advisor: Kim VanderWaal) received first place and Ismael Karkache (advisor: Elizabeth Bradley) received second place. 

From the Veterinary Sciences program, Nuttha Hengtrakul (advisor: Jody Lulich) received first place and Shelby Krebs (advisor: Maria Pieters) received second place. Baker and Hengrakul will advance to the Science in Seconds competition this fall.

Student research also was showcased during the afternoon poster session, where students and residents shared posters and discussed their research to a full house in the lobby of the Animal Science/Veterinary Medicine building. 

The 24 posters were judged by CVM faculty members, with first place going to Melissa Khaw (advisor: Jeff Miller), second place to Colleen Hickey (advisor: Erin Wendt-Hornickle), and third to Manojkumar Narayanan (advisor: Maxim Cheeran).

The winners of both contests were celebrated during the day’s closing awards ceremony, as were the achievements of the following 19 students who received scholarships and fellowships totaling $226,000: 

• Weber DVM/PhD Scholarship: Julia Baker
• PIC Fellowship: Julia Baker
• Maheswaran Graduate Fellowship (21 CM): Estefany Cotto-Lopez
• Dr. Carl Osborne Fellowship: Nuttha Hengtrakul
• RK Anderson Fellowship (21 CM): Emma Hilby
• Moe Fellowship: Jacob Jensen
• Dr. Mike Murtaugh Graduate Science Fellowship: Ismael Karkache
• Bob Morrison Fellowship: Shelby Krebs
• Hanlon/Schmidt O'Brien Residency Fund: Haeree Park Lang
• Vaughn Larson Memorial Scholarship: Emily Leonard
• Fang Li - Basic Science: Jillian Marlowe
• WTS Thorp Memorial Scholarship: Mariana Meneguzzi
• Carlos Pijoan Fellowship: Mariana Meneguzzi
• Fang Li - Clinical Science: Sierra Palmer
• Don Hunter Memorial Fund: Kelsey Rayment
• RK Anderson Fellowship (21 CM): Erica Schmidt
• Pritchard Fellowship (21CM): Freya Powers Stein
• Hanlon/Schmidt O'Brien Residency Fund: Phoebe Strell
• Weber DVM/PhD Scholarship: Jared Young

Check out the photo gallery below for even more student research.