The write stuff: Veterinary students win cash prizes in national essay contest
Friday, July 8, 2022
Hadley Watson, left, and Nathan Jackson, both third-year veterinary students at Kansas State University, placed in the 2022 Smithcors essay contest. Both earned cash prizes. | Download this photo.
MANHATTAN — Knowledge of the role of veterinary medicine in American history has helped two Kansas State University veterinary students win third- and fourth-place honors in the 2022 Smithcors essay contest sponsored by the American Veterinary Medical History Society.
Hadley Watson, third-year veterinary student, San Jose, California, earned third place for her essay, "Developments in the Understanding and Treatment of Feline Infectious Peritonitis: 1963-2021." She received an $800 cash prize, a complimentary one-year membership to the society and potential publication in the journal Veterinary Heritage.
Nathan Jackson, third-year veterinary student, Friendswood, Texas, tied for fourth place with his essay, "Glanders: A History." He received a $500 cash prize, a complimentary one-year membership to the society and potential publication in the journal Veterinary Heritage.
The essays were scored blindly by a panel of American Veterinary Medical History Society judges, who, after much deliberation, determined a two-way tie for fourth place. As a result, Jackson was bumped up from honorable mention and snagged the second fourth-place slot.
The winning essays were written in fall 2021 while the students were enrolled in the elective course, History of Veterinary Medicine, taught by Howard Erickson, professor emeritus of physiology and history of veterinary medicine.
"I encourage all of the students to submit their essays for the Smithcors Student Veterinary History Essay Contest sponsored by the American Veterinary Medical History Society," Erickson said. "Students in veterinary medicine have a very comprehensive curriculum, so this is no easy task. The exercise, however, provides a unique opportunity for the students to learn about the heritage of their profession by researching and writing about a veterinary history topic of their interest."
Named in honor of veterinarian J. Fred Smithcors, Ph.D., who founded the society and authored books on veterinary history, the annual contest is open to Doctor of Veterinary Medicine students in the United States, Canada and the West Indies.
More information about the Smithcors essay contest is available at avmhs.org/essay-contest.
