AASV Foundation Chairman Dr Warren Wilson is constantly thinking of fun new ways to generate support for the AASV Foundation. His latest brainstorm gives everyone attending the AASV Annual Meeting the opportunity to participate.
We have 500 “Dig Deep and Reach High” buttons and we will sell them at the meeting – while they last – for $10 each. Buy a button – or 10 – and show your support for the AASV Foundation!
But that’s not all – each button is numbered. At the conclusion of the AASV Foundation Live Auction on Monday evening, we will draw numbers to award three prizes: $250, $150, and $100. You must be present at the raffle drawing with the winning button to claim the prize. So dig deep, buy a button, and we will see you at the AASV Foundation Auction!
Six veterinary students to receive NPIF internship stipends
The AASV Foundation and AASV Student Recruitment Committee are pleased to announce the recipients of the 2011-2012 National Pork Industry Foundation (NPIF) veterinary internship stipends. Six first- and second-year veterinary students were selected from a pool of 103 applicants to receive the $3300 stipends. Each NPIF intern has been linked with a volunteer practitioner-mentor with whom they will spend a 1-month internship during the summer of 2012. The interns and their mentors are:
• Derek Adams, Iowa State University
Mentor: Dr Nathan Schaefer, Iowa Select Farms
• Brett Boyum, University of Minnesota
Mentor: Dr Paul Armbrecht, Lake City Veterinary Service
• Heather Kittrell, Louisiana State University
Mentor: Dr Aaron Lower, Carthage Veterinary Service
• Sarah Lackay, University of Georgia
Mentor: Dr Scanlon Daniels, Circle H Headquarters
• Brent Pepin, Iowa State University
Mentor: Dr Megan Nemechek,
Rensselaer Swine Service
• Valarie Ujazdowski, University of Wisconsin
Mentor: Dr Mark Engle, PIC
The NPIF Veterinary Internship Stipend Program is now in its fourth year. The stipend of $3300 per student defrays the cost of travel, lodging, and compensation during the 1-month internship. Additionally, the interns are encouraged to utilize their practitioner-mentor as a resource throughout the year and to attend the AASV Annual Meeting and the Leman Swine Conference in an effort to increase their knowledge and exposure to swine medicine. Each intern submits a written report and evaluation upon completion of the program.
The AASV Student Recruitment Committee developed the NPIF Veterinary Internship Stipend Program in an effort to attract veterinary students to swine medicine and to provide interested students with exposure to the life of a swine veterinarian. The $20,000 funding for the program is provided by the National Pork Industry Foundation, a charitable corporation that promotes activities in the swine industry related to research and education. The funds are administered by the AASV Foundation.
Financial support available for swine externships
The AASV Foundation encourages veterinary students with an interest in swine medicine to gain extra-curricular “hands-on” experience working with swine practitioners in a private practice or production company. The foundation’s Swine Externship Grant Program, now in its eleventh year, provides financial support to veterinary students who participate in a qualifying externship. The grants are available year-round and range from $200 to $500 per student, based upon the actual expenses incurred during the externship.
Veterinary students who plan to complete an externship of at least 2 weeks’ duration in a swine practice or a mixed practice with a considerable swine component may apply for the grant. Both the student and at least one member of the hosting practice must be members of the AASV. Members who are willing to host students are encouraged to provide their contact information to AASV for inclusion on the list of externship opportunities on the AASV Web site. Access to the externship listing, found at aasv.org/students/only/internships.htm, is limited to student AASV members.
In addition to student information, the grant application requests a letter from the hosting practice containing details of the planned externship. After the externship has been completed and the practice has confirmed the student’s participation, the student submits a brief report of his or her experiences along with expense receipts to the AASV Foundation before the funds are disbursed.
The foundation has awarded grants to more than 85 students from the United States and Canada since the program’s inception in 2002.
The grant application is available at aasv.org/students/externgrant.htm and should be submitted prior to the start of the externship. There is a limit of one grant per student. For more information, contact the AASV Foundation: Tel: 515-465-5255; Fax: 515-465-3832; E-mail: aasv@aasv.org.