MISSISSIPPI STATE – Only in its second year, a student association at Mississippi State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine was awarded top honors at the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior conference this summer in Seattle.

The society sponsors veterinary student chapters in efforts to enhance knowledge of animal behavior. Student chapters are responsible for arranging events and speakers to share knowledge about animal behavior with their fellow students and the public.

MSU’s chapter was honored with the Student Chapter of the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior award for demonstrating a commitment to holding frequent meetings, providing educational activities and being involved in community outreach. The club was chosen from a group of 14 other chapters at veterinary colleges across the country.

“Our group stood out for a number of reasons, but mostly because of the variety of topics we covered throughout the year,” said Dr. Jennifer Burgess, CVM clinical instructor of animal behavior and welfare and the group’s faculty adviser. “Most of the chapters focused on small animal behavioral medicine, but we also covered food animals, horses and zoo animals. Our chapter arranged to have speakers from around the country come to our university to cover these different topics.”

MSU’s chapter was also recognized for its participation in community outreach and public education. Club president Emily Stewart gave a presentation to children on dog bite prevention. The presentation included basic information on dog bites and the steps to avoid getting bitten by dogs.

“The most gratifying part was that the kids really listened and learned something from the presentation,” Stewart said.  “Children were rewarded with a small stuffed animal if they could demonstrate one thing they learned from my presentation. It was nice to see that everyone there was able to tell me something.”

Some group members participated in other successful public education and community outreach efforts. Students presented on topics about responsible pet ownership, and they volunteered their time with organizations such as Homeward Bound and AKC Canine Good Citizen classes.

The MSU student chapter has accomplished a lot in a short time and looks forward to many years of engaging fellow students and the community in their activities, Burgess said.

“We were up against a lot of really well-established student organizations,” she said. “It was really rewarding to show the other programs what we have here at CVM.”

Writer: Karen Templeton
Contact: Dr. Jennifer Burgess, (662) 325-3712