Last week, We had our first Tick Identification Wet Lab sponsored by Merck! Dr. Tiana Sanders and Ian Daniel (both tick experts in the Verocai Lab) gave presentations about common ticks one might see at their veterinary clinic and how to identify them. The lab also had an interactive component where students went from station to station looking at tick specimens and becoming familiar with their traits. This was a great collaboration with Dr. Jennifer Scata and Merck and we hope to continue this supplemental learning for students in the future!

The Verocai Lab attended First Friday, a community street fair held in Bryan, TX once a month, where we educated the community on common parasites of companion animals and livestock! Our booth featured specimens of heartworm, a microscope with bison parasites, and a “guess how many worms are in this jar” game! The community was very engaged and we were pleased to hear how many pet parents have their animals on prevention, especially during the winter months! Stay on the look out for our Parasitology Booth at the next First Friday!

For our November AAVP Student Chapter meeting we hosted a mental health and wellbeing event featuring cookie decorating, coloring, Christmas music, and more! This time of year can be stressful for everyone and we encouraged our students to slow down and relax a bit! Thanks to everyone who came out!

Happy Darwin Day! The TAMU Parasitology Club and members of the awesome Criscione Lab had a great time interacting with the Texas A&M and College Station community. We had games, prizes, and, of course, the best parasite specimens you could ask for! Take a look through our photo album to see how much fun we had communicating science and parasitology to our wonderful community. We would also like to especially thank Jenna Hulke, Ryne Maness, and Chelsea Thorn for helping us put together this really cool event.

…By the way, did you know that Charles Darwin could have been infected by a parasite on his famous Beagle voyage!? Check it out!

We are thrilled to announce the launch of the AAVP Student Webinar Series: “We Are Veterinary Parasitologists”. These parasite-centric seminars are intended for the student chapters of AAVP (like our own AAVP TAMU Parasitology Club!) and all students who wish to be apart of AAVP. Our first talk will be from Dr. Jairo Alfonso Mendoza Roldan entitled, “Slithery Parasites: why and how to study zoonotic parasites of reptiles?”. See the images below for more information and, as always, check out the home page (scroll to bottom) for updates on your TAMU Parasitology Club and how to join for this (and more) great opportunities!