13 September 2007
Veteranary Medicine Research Internship
Through the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM); the College of Art Architecture and Design; the Bageley College of Engineering; and the College of Forest Resources, Studio Students will participate in Research internships.
Dr. Phil Bushby, Professor and Problem Based Learning Theorist, has offered the following example of how an Internship in the CVM will embed core content area studies in the real research world through internship work. The College of Veterinary Medicine’s Humane Ethics and Animal Welfare Fund supports the operations of a mobile veterinary unit that goes to animal shelters that do not have surgical facilities, greatly expanding the capacity to perform spays and neuters which facilitates adoptions at these shelters.
CVM students are involved in all aspect of operating the mobile unit from hitching the Mobile Veterinary Clinic to the back of a pick-up truck to performing spays and neuters of animals eligible for adoption at shelters statewide.
Focused on early age spays and neuters, the shelter program is aimed at helping reduced the problem of overpopulation of unwanted dogs and cats, providing educational experiences for veterinary students, and increasing the adoptability of pets at the shelters. Students get valuable practical experience, and provide a community service as well.
With up to 6 million dogs and cats euthanized in shelters each year due to overpopulation and lack of homes, the Shelter services provided by this mobile veterinary clinic greatly assists shelters. One on-going, mathematics PBL might be for Studio Students to generate a logarithm which would calculate how many dogs lives would be saved over a ten year period after having assisted with a given number of actual spays and/or neuters in a day. The real puppies and kittens receiving surgery in one day will not produce more puppies and kittens to return to the shelter.
Important mathematics, social science, economic, and language arts content is embedded in the design case and problem based learning that this kind of Studio Based Learning internship will provide for Studio Students.