Field Trips

The Summer Research experience is enhanced by a number of field trips to other research institutions, where students meet other scientists and witness other aspects of veterinary and biomedical research.

Regenerative Medicine Research & Center for Cell and Organ Biotechnology, Texas Heart Institute (Houston, TX). The Center for Cell and Organ Biotechnology is a new collaboration between the Texas Heart Institute and the Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences. The Center draws from expertise at both institutions to position it as a world leader in adult stem cell research, organ transplantation, and personalized medicine. The Center includes scientists, engineers, physicians, veterinarians, and business managers from both organizations, other colleges affiliated with Texas A&M University, and affiliates in the Texas Medical Center.                                           

Students visit with scientists and tour the rodent and large animal facilities at THI, where translational research on ventricular assist devices and vascular stents is conducted. Students are introduced to veterinarians’ roles in translational research.
 
     
 
 
Keeling Center for Comparative Medicine and Research group pictureKeeling Center for Comparative Medicine and Research, MD Anderson Science Park (Bastrop, TX).
Students observe aspects of laboratory animal care (primates) and learn about auxiliary service roles for veterinarians in biomedical research, for example, as veterinary pathologists and laboratory animal scientists. This visit includes tours of four primate colonies: rhesus, chimpanzee, owl monkey, and squirrel monkeys.
After a lunch meeting with the veterinarians, students tour the pathology support laboratories.   
 
                                                                                  

Houston Methodist Research Institute,  Department of Comparative Medicine (Houston, TX). The students visit both the rodent and large animal areas for housing, surgical and state-of-the-art large animal imaging facilities that include teaching stations for surgical procedures. Next, the students learn about collaborative large animal orthopedic research projects between the Houston Methodist Research Institute and VMBS research faculty aimed at improving fracture healing. The objective is to introduce students to state-of-the-art imaging, surgery and GLP technologies for large animal research and demonstrate veterinarians’ roles in translational orthopedic research.                                                             
 

Texas A&M University Global Health Research Complex (College Station, TX). The mission of the GHRC is to be a global health leader in the forefront of educating and preparing the next generation of public, animal, environmental health and science professionals to meet emerging health challenges. We are excited about the opportunity to expose our research scholars to the new Texas A&M University Global Health Research Complex, in >12,000 ft2 of large animal BSL3-Ag research space with state-of-the-art equipment for molecular, cell and organismal analyses. This new facility will enable research in emerging infectious zoonotic diseases, and provide students with the opportunity to train in procedures that would enable them to work safely in these research environments.