Researchers at the College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) are changing the world one discovery at a time, and that impact was celebrated recently at the inaugural Research, Innovation, Discovery, and Education (RIDE) Summit. 

As both a reimagining of the former Research Day event and a capstone to the recently launched RIDE Seminar Series, the day-long celebration recognized research achievements made by faculty, staff, students, and alums and 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.

The RIDE Summit also provides graduate students and residents—also known as trainees—the opportunity to practice skills for communicating their work through a poster session and 3-Minute Thesis presentations.

“Our mission of research, education, and service at the College is highly intertwined,” CVM Dean Dr. Laura Molgaard said during an address to summit attendees. “And while we talk a lot about research today at this summit, I really like that the RIDE Summit—research, innovation, discovery, and education—highlights how much of our tri-part mission is interlaced.”  

Faculty and alum awards

As part of the day’s activities, awards recognizing research excellence by faculty members and alums were announced during the event’s awards ceremony. 

Kim VanderWaal, an associate professor in the Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, received the 2024 Zoetis Award for Veterinary Research Excellence. The award recognizes researchers whose innovative studies have advanced the scientific standing of veterinary medicine. (Read more about VanderWaal’s award here.)

Yuying Liang, a professor in the Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, received the 2024 Mark of Excellence award, which recognizes faculty members who generate new knowledge related to the veterinary profession that has been shared with others through means such as publication or presentation at a scientific meeting. (Read more about Liang’s award here.) 

Dr. Chand Khanna, DVM, ’97 PhD, received the Distinguished Research Alum award for his contributions to research in the field of veterinary oncology. Khanna is the president of Ethos Discovery, a nonprofit organization created to conduct nonprofit scientific research that will advance veterinary and human medical science. This is Khanna’s second time winning this award. (Read more about Khanna's award here.)

Student presentations and awards

Trainees are an integral part of the summit. This year, students participated in a poster session and 3-Minute Thesis (3MT) presentations. The poster session asks students to condense their research onto a poster or infographic while the 3MT challenges students to encapsulate their thesis in a three-minute presentation aimed at a lay audience.  (Read more about student awards and presentations here.) 

Student award winners of the 3-Minute Thesis presentation are divided by graduate program—Comparative and Molecular Biosciences (CMB) and Veterinary Science (VetSci)—and are as follows:

• CMB first place: Julia Baker
• CMB second place: Ismael Karkache
• VetSci first place: Nuttha Hengtrakul
• VetSci second place: Shelby Krebs

Winner of the poster session competition are: 

• First place: Melissa Khaw
• Second place: Colleen Hickey
• Third place: Manojkumar Narayanan

The RIDE Summit is made possible through collaboration between CVM's Office of the Associate Dean for Research, Office of Graduate Programs, Office of Clinical Affairs, Research Training Programs, and Research Committee.

View more photos from the RIDE Summit in the gallery below.