A group of WCVM graduate students gather together after winning awards at the college's research poster day
Back row (l to r): Dr. Lynn Weber (associate dean, WCVM research and graduate studies), Ulises Barron-Castillo, Kira Mudrey, Dhinesh Periyasamy, Victoria Gonzalez, Nima Khalili Tanha and Narsimha Pujari. Front row: Mathieu Paulin and Dylan Farmer. Photo: Myrna MacDonald.

WCVM graduate research celebration attracts record number of entrants

The 2024 Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) Graduate Student Research Poster Day on April 3 attracted 52 entrants — a record number for the college's annual celebration of graduate research.

By WCVM Today

The college's poster day competition is an annual opportunity for graduate students to present their research work to their peers, college faculty and other scientists at the University of Saskatchewan.

The WCVM’s Research and Graduate Studies Office awarded prizes in three categories: immunology I and infections; immunology II and vaccines; and clinical and basic research. First place winners received $500, second place $300 and third place $100. 

The WCVM Graduate Students Association also awarded its inaugural "People's Choice" award that was based on votes from attendees at the poster day. 

Immunology I and infections

  • First place: Victoria Gonzalez (supervisor: Dr. Arinjay Banerjee). Research title: "Canonical and non-canonical features of the bat interferon response."
  • Second place: Radwa Asar (supervisor: Dr. Antonio Ruzzini). Research title: "Arthrobacter citrus biotransformation of bile acids."
  • Third place: Danilo Wadt (supervisors: Drs. Murray Jelinski and Tony Ruzzini). Research title: "Isolation and antimicrobial susceptibility profiling of Mycoplasma bovis isolates from environmental sources in a commercial feedlot, and its predictive value for clinical isolates.” 

Immunology II and vaccines

  • First place: Dhinesh Periyasamy (supervisor: Dr. Janet Hill). Research title: "Bovreproseq — bovine reproductive pathogen sequencing panel."
  • Second place: Kira Mudrey (supervisor: Dr. Tim Dumonceaux). Research title: "Molecular diagnostic methods for Brucella abortus infection in wood bison."
  • Third place: Ulises Barron-Castillo (supervisor: Dr. Yan Zhou). Research title: "A monovalent elastase-dependent live attenuated influenza virus vaccine provides protection against drifted IAV H3N2 in swine."

Clinical and basic research

  • First place: Narsimha Pujari (supervisor: Dr. Adelaine Leung). Research title: “Flirty flies to funky physiology: feeding response in mated drosophila females is regulated by NUCB1 in the nervous system.”
  • Second place: Nima Khalili Tanha (supervisors: Drs. Behzad Toosi and Gillian Muir). Research title: "Acute intermittent hypoxia and neuroplasticity after spinal cord injury."
  • Third place: Mathieu Paulin (supervisors: Drs. Elisabeth Snead and Suraj Unniappan). Research title: "Plasma arginine vasopressin and serum copeptin concentrations under hypo-, iso- and hyper-osmolar conditions in dogs."

People’s Choice Award, WCVM Graduate Students Association

  • Dylan Farmer (supervisor: Dr. Jaswant Singh). Research title: "Effects of cetrorelix on the growth pattern of the dominant follicle and follicular wave emergence in cattle."
Graduate student Narsimha Pujari, whose supervisor is Dr. Adelaine Leung, won first place in the poster day's clinical and basic research category. Photo: Myrna MacDonald.