This program spans from May to the beginning of August each year and includes seminars, site visits, a “Summer Science” discussion series, and encourages close interactions with other mentors in the program to enhance understanding of the responsibilities and opportunities of a research career.
Attendance to the informational Prospective Scholar lunch meeting held in December is not a prerequisite for acceptance into the program. However, all interested students are encouraged to attend.
During this meeting we explain the ins and outs of the program and answer students’ questions. We are also happy to answer all student questions at any time via phone or email.
For students from other universities, participation via conference call is possible if your school has video conferencing equipment.
During the first week of the program, we host a 3-day orientation session that consists of lectures, discussions, and team-building exercises. Orientation covers topics that include responsible research conduct (including the appropriate use of animals in research), principles of biosafety, the development of hypothesis-driven research, the interpretation of scientific literature, research funding, and the exploration of various research opportunities for veterinarians. Scholars are able to interact with veterinary researchers in different areas (industry, government, basic science, academia, and clinical medicine) and have the opportunity to discuss the unique way each of these fields operates as well as the opportunities they afford to veterinarians. The orientation sessions will serve to acquaint the scholars with the fundamentals of the biomedical research so the scholars are prepared to join their labs with a basic understanding and appreciation for safety, ethics and the scientific method. We also have a lot of fun and get to know each other with a mentor-scholar breakfast, a ropes course, a welcome BBQ, and short presentations from the scholars themselves!
The Summer Science Journal Club provides an opportunity for the scholars to interact with various faculty members within the College of Veterinary Medicine. Students meet at a faculty member’s house to discuss scientific papers of their choosing over dinner in a relaxed and informal setting. Each summer, GVSP scholars pick an overarching scientific theme for their Summer Science sessions. Scholars then break up into groups and select two papers (one primary research, one review) to discuss at their assigned Summer Science evening.
GVSP scholars and mentors meet every other week to discuss various topics related to science and veterinary medicine. These meetings also serve to get everyone together as a group so scholars can share their research experiences, exchange ideas and support each other. Coffee and light refreshments will be served.
Each summer our scholars participate in a number of extramural site visits to unique area research facilities and laboratories. At each of these sites, scholars meet with veterinarians at various stages in their careers. Scholars can learn first hand how veterinarians in research and research-related fields got to where they are and what their day-to-day is like. These visits provide scholars exposure to a broad range of scientific avenues open to veterinarians, and they also provide excellent networking opportunities. Examples of visit locations include: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Emory University and Yerkes Main Station, Yerkes Field Station, and the Georgia Aquarium.
We like to get together and have a little fun outside of the lab sometimes! We start off the summer with instruction on the UGA Ropes Challenge Course, an intellectually and mildly physically challenging obstacle course that requires teamwork, leadership, and group collaboration to complete. Then we continue throughout the summer with a BBQ social, a kayaking trip, and outings around town. These help to build and foster relationships among scholars and mentors alike, plus they are just a great way to relax and de-stress from a summer busy with science. Below are a few of our scheduled adventures.
All Scholars present their research projects to the College of Veterinary Medicine in oral presentations. This event is an opportunity to showcase the summer research of the Georgia Veterinary Scholars to the entire College of Veterinary Medicine Community and it gives each scholar experience in effectively communicating their science. Scholars will be presenting a 3-minute thesis-styled presentation – we expect this to be a lot of fun for both the presenters and the audience! The audience for these presentations consists of fellow scholars, program mentors, CVM faculty and GVSP friends and family.
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