The American Association of Swine Veterinarians (AASV) encourages veterinary students to attend the AASV annual meeting and offers a variety of activities for student participation during the conference to help fulfill part of AASV’s mission: “mentor students, encouraging life-long careers as swine veterinarians.”
Once again, the AASV Annual Meeting offered excellent opportunities for students to learn about swine medicine, network with each other, connect with swine faculty, and meet veterinarians and mentors.
Registration to the Annual Meeting is free for student members and includes access to all educational sessions and activities, including the preconference seminars on Saturday and Sunday. As expected, AASV’s Student Engagement committee offered several conference activities designed specifically for veterinary students, including the Swine Medicine for Students preconference seminar, a vet hunt, speed networking, and the Swine Student Trivia event.
Preconference Seminar: Swine Medicine for Students
An always popular preconference seminar was designed especially for new and soon-to-be veterinarians. Veterinary students and recent (2023-2024) veterinarian graduates received free registration. New co-chairs Drs. Kimberlee Baker and Brandi Burton planned a session that featured a panel discussing “The real life of a swine vet,” efficient and effective vet-to-vet communications, and interactive case studies.
Vet Hunt
The Vet Hunt encouraged veterinary students to network with veterinarians. Students introduced themselves to and visited with at least ten veterinarians who voluntarily participated in the Vet Hunt for a chance to win swine swag or other prizes, sponsored by Merck Animal Health. Thank you to the 54 veterinarians that participated in the Vet Hunt and welcomed students to the Annual Meeting.
Speed Networking
Speed networking during the Annual Meeting provided a fun way to meet swine-savvy students and mentors, future interns, or even potential new employees or employers. Seventeen veterinary students met with 13 veterinarians from eight different companies, spending three minutes visiting each other in speed-dating style.
Students made meaningful connections and appreciated the opportunity to practice their interviewing and networking skills even if participating veterinarians were not hiring. In addition to helping students become more proficient at discussions with potential employers, veterinarians also used the opportunity to screen potential candidates for jobs or preceptorships.
Student Trivia
Merck Animal Health hosted and sponsored prizes for a “pub-style” trivia event. Students (47) from 16 veterinary schools participated in the friendly competition. AASV student delegates Mallory Wilhelm and Molly Jones coordinated the sign-ups, Dr. Jeremy Maurer welcomed the students, reviewed the benefits of AASV student membership, and emceed the event. While only student teams were eligible to participate, anyone attending the Annual Meeting was welcome to observe and cheer on the teams. Prizes were awarded for the top three teams. The first-place team (Johnny Berlinger, Hannah Cotterman, Ben Hollis, Patrick Jung, and Emma Mannery) received Stanley cups and Merck Animal Health hats. The second-place team (Bryn Anderson, Jameson Bell, Hunter Grams, Amber Vegter, and Mattie Wheeler) received padfolios and hats. The third-place team (Maggie Cronk, Sloane Murray, Ben Polo, Nicole Seebach, and April Stich) received hats.
Podcasts
AASV provided an opportunity for students to earn a $200 stipend by conducting a recorded interview of an AASV speaker for podcasting. Thirty students from nine universities participated. Students selected a speaker, prepared questions in advance, and interviewed speakers during the Annual Meeting. The end products are 5 to 15-minute MP3 audio recordings available to members in the AASV Audio Library at aasv.org/aasv-podcasts/annual-meeting-interviews/.
Student Reception
Always a favorite, the Student Reception, sponsored by Merck Animal Health, drew a large crowd on Sunday evening. Students, veterinarians, researchers, faculty members, and industry representatives spent the evening interacting with each other in an informal setting. The reception was filled with plenty of snacks, beverages, and delightful entertainment.
