Kansas State University

Phi Zeta Research Day showcases work by students and faculty in the College of Veterinary Medicine

Submitted by Communications and Marketing

One of the biggest award ceremonies happens every year at this time, but it doesn’t have a red carpet or fancy evening wear. Participants are more likely to wear lab coats and safety goggles — yet each award recipient usually has a long list of people to thank consisting of major professors, research assistants and other collaborators.

Phi Zeta Research Day shines a spotlight on the research efforts of graduate students working toward Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Master of Science, Master of Public Health and/or doctoral degrees at the university's College of Veterinary Medicine. The annual event is organized by the Sigma chapter of Phi Zeta, a professional society whose name is based on the Latin word Philozoi, which means "love for animals."

This year's event, March 4, included oral and poster presentations describing basic or clinical research as well as clinical veterinary case reports.

"Phi Zeta Research Day is a great way for the College of Veterinary Medicine to recognize the valuable research contributions by our students and faculty," said Kate KuKanich, president of the K-State Phi Zeta chapter and assistant professor of small animal internal medicine.

"The research presentations by our students this year were of excellent quality and reflected the variety, depth and value of research emerging from the college. We encourage students to get directly involved in research programs with our faculty, and we hope these experiences will inspire them to incorporate research in their future veterinary careers," she said. "The combination of a veterinary degree and hands-on research training makes our students uniquely qualified to be highly successful and valuable researchers able to provide on-going advancement of veterinary, human and public health."

Award winners were announced at an evening ceremony that included the presentation of the Zoetis Award for Veterinary Research Excellence to Timothy Musch, professor of anatomy and physiology in the College of Veterinary Medicine and professor of kinesiology in the College of Human Ecology. Some non-Phi Zeta awards also were presented, and new members of Phi Zeta were initiated.

College of Veterinary Medicine research staff earning honors included:

• Susumu Ishiguro, research associate in anatomy and physiology, research poster award for "Angiotensin II type 2 receptor (AT2R) signalling is involved in human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC)."

• Qinfang Liu, postdoctoral fellow in diagnostic medicine and pathobiology, second place in basic science research presentations for "Newcastle disease virus-vectored H5 and H7 live vaccine completely protect chickens from viral replication and shedding after challenge with the H5N1 and H7N9 avian influenza."

• Pavan Rajanahalli, postdoctoral fellow of anatomy and physiology, third place in basic science research presentations for "Derivation and Characterization of Rat IPS Cells Using a Mouse STEMCCA Reprogramming Vector."

• Ellie Nuth, diagnostic imaging and radiology resident, veterinary clinical case reports award for "Diagnostic Imaging of Canine Iliopsoas Abscess."

• Neena Kanwar, a May 2013 doctoral graduate in pathobiology, the Phi Zeta manuscript competition clinical/applied manuscript award.

Students earning awards included:

• Ashlea Berry, third-year veterinary medicine student, Goddard, Miller Pathology Scholarship Award.

• Scott Ferguson, doctoral student in physiology, Hillsboro, A.S.R. Ganta Graduate Student Award.

• Laura Constance, second-year veterinary medicine student and doctoral student in physiology, Manhattan, research poster award for "Cochlear pendrin expression is not a requirement for maintaining hearing after noise exposure."

• Megan Niederwerder, doctoral student in pathobiology, Manhattan, first place in clinical science, applied research companion animal or other presentations for "Clinical response of 4-week old pigs following challenge with porcine epidemic diarrhea virus" and first place in clinical science or applied research food animal presentations for "Characterizing the effects of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) modified-live virus vaccination on the response of 8-week old pigs to co-infection with PRRS virus and porcine circovirus type 2."

• Michelle Pavlick, third-year veterinary medicine student, Manhattan, A.S.R. Ganta Veterinary Student Award.

• Ellen Heinrich, second-year veterinary medicine student and master's student in public health, Wamego, third place in clinical science, applied research companion animal or other presentations for "Public health campaign to promote hand hygiene before meals in a college of veterinary medicine," research poster award for "Effect of Sucralfate on the Relative Bioavailability of Minocycline in Greyhound Dogs" and the Dr. Cornelius Graduate Student Travel Award.

• Jennifer Reinhart, master's student in biomedical science, Buffalo Grove, Ill., second place in clinical science, applied research companion animal or other presentations for "Mean corpuscular volume difference (dMCV) as a marker for serum hypertonicity during water deprivation in dogs."

• Aaron Schaffer, third-year veterinary medicine student, Fairbury, Ill., second place in clinical science, applied research companion animal or other presentations for "The association between calfhood BRDC and subsequent departure from the herd, milk production, and reproduction: an observational, retrospective, study."

• Shane Terrell, doctoral student in pathobiology, Gothenburg, Neb., Mahlon Vorhies Production Animal Award.

• Michael Porta, first-year veterinary medicine student, Suffern, N.Y., the Benjamin and Catherine Kurz Research Scholarship.

• Pragathi B. Shridhar, master's student in biomedical science, India, third place in clinical science, applied research companion animal or other presentations for "Prevalence and characterization of E. coli O104 in cattle feces."

• Vinay Shivanna, doctoral student in pathobiology, India, first place in basic science research presentations for "Host Factors Required for Entry of Caliciviruses into Host Cells" and received the Dr. Harish C. and Ved K. Minocha Scholarship.