AASV Veterinary Student Activities at the 2013 Annual Meeting
March 2-5, 2013 - San Diego, California

It is part of the mission of the American Association of Swine Veterinarians to "mentor students, encouraging life-long careers as swine veterinarians." To help fulfill this mission, the association encourages veterinary students to attend the AASV annual meeting and offers a variety of activities for student participation during the conference:

FREE REGISTRATION
Registration for the AASV annual meeting is FREE for AASV Veterinary Student Members. Student registration for the meeting includes attendance at the scientific sessions, a copy of the meeting proceedings, Monday luncheon ticket, Monday awards reception ticket, Tuesday breakfast ticket, and admission to the company-sponsored social events. In addition, veterinary students may register for pre-conference seminars free of charge!

$200 TRAVEL STIPEND
Each veterinary student who attends the AASV Annual Meeting will receive a $200 (US$) travel stipend, courtesy of Newport Laboratories and the AASV Foundation! To qualify, you must be a current Student AASV Member AND you must pre-register for the meeting by February 8. When you register for the meeting, you will receive an email message within a few days, confirming that you qualify for the stipend. If you don’t receive the confirmation message, contact AASV prior to the meeting to make sure you are registered! Pick up your check in person at the meeting registration desk in San Diego.

VET HUNT
This fun activity provides the opportunity to network with veterinarians at the conference. Look in your registration packet for the list of participating vets, then introduce yourself, visit with, and collect the business cards of at least ten of them to qualify for the prize drawing, held during the Merck Student Reception on Sunday evening. Merck has generously donated an Apple iPad, a custom necropsy kit, and a copy of Diseases of Swine for the drawing!

STUDENT BREAKFAST
Enjoy breakfast, compliments of the AASV, on Sunday, March 3 at 6:30 am in Manchester D at the Grand Hyatt. Meet and visit with students and faculty advisors from veterinary colleges from across the country and around the world.

STUDENT PRE-CONFERENCE SEMINAR
For several years now, the AASV has offered a very popular pre-conference seminar designed especially for new and soon-to-be veterinarians. Registration is free for veterinary students and '11 and '12 DVM graduates. Here is this year's program, designed and chaired by Drs. Jeremy Pittman and Angie Supple:

Seminar #9: Swine Med for Students
Sunday, March 3
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Location: Elizabeth F

This year’s student pre-conference seminar is a continuation of last year’s session, which focused on differentials and diagnostics. Now that you know what “bugs” are there, we will explore the “drugs” that can be used to treat and prevent them. Areas we feel are opportunities for veterinary students and recent graduates include getting familiar with what products are available, how to select and develop antibiotic and vaccine protocols, and common “field” mistakes and tricks encountered. The first half of the session will be focused on these aspects, while the second half of the session will be a set of interactive case studies where groups of students will develop treatment or vaccine protocols based on a provided case example, using the knowledge gained in the first half.

8:00 Introduction
Angie Supple and Jeremy Pittman

8:05 Antibiotics
Jana Grauerholz-Morgan

9:00 Vaccines and programs
Deb Murray

10:00 BREAK

10:30 Interactive case studies
Angie Supple and Jeremy Pittman

12:00 Seminar concludes

PRE-CONFERENCE SEMINARS
Students may register for the numbered pre-conference seminars free-of-charge. Please indicate your selections and mark N/C in the fee area on the registration form so space and materials can be reserved for you. You may register for one seminar on Saturday and one on Sunday.

STUDENT POSTER SESSION
Fifty veterinary students will present research and case studies in poster format in the Litrenta Foyer on Sunday, March 3. The display begins at 12:00 noon on Sunday, with the poster authors available for discussion until 1:00 pm. The posters will be available for viewing until 5:00 pm, and again on Monday from 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM. Pfizer Animal Health and AASV provide a $250 stipend to each participating poster author. Additionally, posters #1 - #15 will be judged by a practitioner panel for the awarding of scholarships sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc.

STUDENT SEMINAR
Some say the best presentations of the meeting are made during the AASV Student Seminar on Sunday afternoon (March 3, 1:00 pm in Manchester AB). On the basis of submitted abstracts, 15 students have been selected to make presentations of research, case studies, and literature reviews. Pfizer Animal Health sponsors this session and provides a $750 travel stipend to each student presenter. The students' oral and written presentations are judged, and a $5,000 scholarship, funded by Pfizer, is awarded to the top presentation. Elanco Animal Health provides $20,000 to fund 14 additional scholarships of varying amounts to the runners-up.

SPEED INTERVIEWS
This opportunity for 3rd and 4th-year students provides an opportunity to learn about externships and job openings, while networking with swine veterinarians. It will take place Sunday, March 3, from 5:00 - 7:30 PM in Manchester D (2nd level of the Hyatt). Contact AASV Student Delegate Joshua Duff to sign up for this activity.

STUDENT RECEPTION
Don’t miss the Student Reception sponsored by Merck Animal Health on Sunday, March 3 in Manchester DEF from 8:30 - 11:00 pm. You’ll find plenty of snacks & beverages along with truly magical entertainment. Make the most of this opportunity to interact with students, swine veterinarians, researchers, and industry representatives in an informal setting – who knows, you might line up your next externship or identify a potential job opportunity!

STUDENT SCHOLARSHIP PRESENTATION
The announcement of the recipients of the AASV Foundation Veterinary Student Scholarships, funded by Pfizer Animal Health and Elanco Animal Health, takes place during the AASV Luncheon at 12:30 pm on Monday, March 4 in Elizabeth DE. Join the AASV in recognizing and congratulating all of the Student Seminar participants!