WCVM graduate research poster day draws record high participation

The college’s annual research poster day competition gives graduate students the opportunity to showcase their research to their peers, faculty members and scientists from across the WCVM and the University of Saskatchewan.

The WCVM Research and Graduate Studies Office presented awards across three categories: basic science; clinical and wildlife; and immunity, infections and vaccines. First-place winners were awarded $500, while second- and third-place recipients received $300 and $200 respectively.

Basic science

• First place: Maria Janser (supervisor: Dr. Sarah Wood, Department of Veterinary Pathology). Research title: “Honey bees as a social animal model for fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.”
• Second place: Mohammad Umar (supervisor: Dr. Gurpreet Aulakh, Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences). Research title: “Selective tuning of ATP synthase by BTB06584 regulates extracellular ATP signalling and neutrophil migration.”
• Third place: Manuela Pereira (supervisor: Dr. Arinjay Banerjee, Department of Veterinary Microbiology). Research title: “Characterization of cortisol-dependent antiviral response in New World bat cells.”

Clinical and wildlife

• First place: Bree Bilton (supervisor: Dr. Sarah Wood, Department of Veterinary Pathology). Research title: “Evaluating the safety and efficacy of fenbendazole as a proposed treatment for nosema disease in overwintered honey bees in Saskatchewan.”
• Second place (tie): Julia Tregobov (supervisors: Drs. Sarah Wood, Department of Veterinary Pathology and Janet Hill, Department of Veterinary Microbiology). Research title: “Quantifying Paenibacillus larvae spore loads via germination and outgrowth dynamics: a novel diagnostic framework for American foulbrood.”
• Second place (tie): Suzana Stubert (supervisor: Dr. Matheus Costa, Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences). Research title: “Exploring a free radical neutralizer as a novel non-antibiotic therapy for swine dysentery.”
• Third place: Jessica Lam (supervisor: Dr. Liz Snead, Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences). Research title: “Comparison of the efficacy of transmucosal glucagon with subcutaneous glucagon administration with increasing blood glucose in insulin-induced hypoglycemic cats.”

Immunity, infections and vaccines

• First place: Camiryn Kardal (supervisors: Drs. Michael Wu, Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences and Tony Ruzzini, Department of Veterinary Microbiology). Research title: “Investigating host-associated bacteria as a source for antiparasitic ivermectin resistance.”
• Second place: Asha Ranaraja (supervisor: Dr. Susantha Gomis, Department of Veterinary Pathology). Research title: “Serum metabolomic biomarkers for early detection of avian reovirus infection in broiler chickens.”
• Third place: Taslimun Jannat (supervisor: Dr. Tony Ruzzini, Department of Veterinary Microbiology). Research title: “Discovery of antimicrobial resistance determinants in a One Health framework.”