PEER Welcomes Cub Scouts For ‘Pets, Vets’ Day

student explaining concepts to kids

Veterinary students with the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences’ (CVM) PEER Program welcomed around 70 families for their “Pets and Vets Day” on Sept. 15.

The activity, designed specifically for local cub scout troops, began with a welcome by CVM director of recruiting and student services Dr. Glennon Mays, who, along with several veterinary students, presented on the many “faces” a veterinarian may have as they prevent disease, diagnose, and treat animals.

In a good exchange between veterinary students and the scouts, veterinary students discussed the different roles small and large animal veterinarians might have, including managing individual and heard health, treating exotic animals such as a lion or elephant, or conducting research to advance the field of veterinary medicine.

The morning was split into two, seven-station rotations.

The first rotation focused on pet safety and health, allowing scouts to visit various stations as the vet students explained how to properly care for a pet, with topics including dental health and animal nutrition.

Vet student explain how to properly take care of your pet

The second set of rotations highlighted the anatomy of large and small animals, with scouts examining plastinated anatomical specimens and learning the function in the body.

“Everyone is super happy with what we experienced,” said Cyntia Paladines, committee chair with Pack 802, as she thanked PEER for “the amazing opportunity.”

Veterinary students who shared their knowledge and time at the station rotations included Erin Eads, Shelby Stephens, Kate Rowatt, Melanie Pearson, Kaitlyn Upton, Jaye Chasteen, and Anna Joy Jackson.

PEER, funded by the National Institutes of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)  Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) program, is committed to promoting veterinary science and its careers as part of STEM.

PEER’s “Pets and Vets Day” allowed both Cub Scouts and the veterinary students to benefit from this continued commitment.

For more information on PEER, visit http://peer.tamu.edu or on the SEPA program, visit https://nihsepa.org.

Story by Molly Pruitt, undergraduate PEER fellow


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