Volume 13, Number 3, 2005
College students sometimes wonder if they ever will be able to take the knowledge they are gaining in the classroom and put it to practical use.
But, for one recent animal science graduate in particular, there is no doubt about the tangible value of the skills she learned in her equine science courses.
Kimberly Terry, AG ’05, says those skills, acquired in such classes as “Equine Reproductive Physiology and Management,” have served to widen her career horizons and give her confidence in her abilities.
During the summer of 2004, just before her senior year, Terry began shadowing an equine veterinarian in Georgetown, Del. Impressed by the young woman’s skill and enthusiasm, Dr. Brittany Hazzard, owner of the Cokesbury Equine Clinic, hired her to replace a staff person who had left the practice.
For a while, Terry spent long days cleaning stalls and grooming horses, but when presented the opportunity to artificially inseminate a racehorse, she accepted the challenge.
“I had learned the technique of artificial insemination in class with Dr. David Marshall [assistant professor of animal and food sciences and an equine veterinarian himself], and I was eager to put that knowledge to work,” she says. “Of course, I was apprehensive at first, because there’s a lot of money involved when dealing with racehorses.”
Despite her concerns, Terry’s first artificial insemination trial outside the classroom environment was successful. She says the experience has given her more confidence to pursue her passion for horses, a desire that may be genetic—her grandfather was a veterinarian for legendary racehorse Seabiscuit.
“Kimberly’s work ethic is extraordinary,” Hazzard says of her summer protégée. “She did a lot of work beyond what was expected and came to the clinic with good instincts and practiced skills. I think she’s going to go far.”
Marshall, who taught Terry in several of his equine classes, says the students learned not only the technique of artificial insemination but also how to perform neonatal evaluations.
“Because of Kim’s dependability and high skill level, I was able to trust her with oversight foaling responsibilities, foal health-care responsibilities and more,” Marshall says. “One of our foals was born with suppressed breathing, along with depressed responsiveness to the neonatal evaluation tests. The foal required emergency oxygen supplementation.”
As one of the instructional leaders in the resuscitation exercise, Terry immediately intervened, Marshall says.
“Without appropriate leadership and intervention, this foal may well have died,” he says. “Thanks to Kim’s quick actions, he did not. By the time I arrived at the birthing scene, the foal was off oxygen and breathing on his own.”
Terry also took part in an independent study class with Marshall, in which she studied the developmental behavior of foals.
Marshall says he has enjoyed watching Terry mature as a student through hands-on experience in her equine studies.
Terry had some exceptional achievements as an undergraduate, but her experience in putting her classroom knowledge to practical use is nothing new for students majoring in animal science. The program is designed specifically to combine classroom lectures and hands-on work with animals, beginning in the freshman year, when students start working in the animal science laboratory and on the UD farm as part of their courses.
The animal science major offers students four areas of focus, in addition to the universally required core that includes such courses as animal diseases, physiology, nutrition, genetics and production.
The four concentrations are in general animal science, the most flexible choice for students with a broad interest in the field; animal biotechnology, for those interested in molecular biology and genetics as they relate to animals; applied animal science, which focuses on preparation for careers in hands-on work with animals in such areas as health, nutrition and breeding; and preveterinary medicine, which provides the academic foundation required by most veterinary schools. In addition, many students interested in nondomesticated animals choose a double major in animal science and wildlife conservation.
The animal science program offers numerous opportunities for students to enhance their education through internships, research, part-time work and study abroad.
Graduates go on to careers with biotechnology firms, government agencies, animal health industries, research laboratories, zoos, aquariums, equine centers and numerous other types of employers. Many also continue their education by pursuing graduate degrees.
As for Terry, she was considering three job opportunities at the time of her graduation this spring. One was with a pharmaceutical company, another with a surgical veterinary practice and the third with a worldwide equine breeding company. She decided to work for the equine veterinarian.
“I am willing to work hard to find what I know is out there for me,” she says. “The other jobs paid well, and there was room for advancement, but it wasn’t the direction I wanted to go. I’m young, and I feel I have to follow my instincts, especially when it comes to working with something I am so passionate about.”
—Christina Hernandez, AS ’06 and Susan Morse Baldwin, AS ’95M