Open House 2024: Milking Cows, Studying Science and Stoking Veterinarian Dreams
Among myriad fun exhibits, community members of all ages checked out the anatomy lab, tried their hand at laparoscopic surgery or learned about the science of nerve firings at the “Unraveling the Puzzles Behind Ouch and Itch” stop.
For high schooler Shelby Koenig of Maryland, Open House 2024 at the NC State College of Veterinary Medicine was everything she could have hoped for.
She and her parents traveled hours to the event Saturday to meet Dr. Carmella Britt, NC State’s expert in canine sports medicine and rehabilitation. Britt’s demonstration of how a dog uses an underwater treadmill was just one of scores of experiences that thousands of visitors could explore at the CVM throughout the day.
“I’ve always dreamed of becoming a veterinarian, and where I’m from, we don’t have a lot of places like this that are just open to people to come and see,” said Shelby, who realized she wanted to work specifically in rehab after her own recent physical therapy. “Dr. Britt has been amazing already. She gave me so many good tips for how to finish out my schooling, and I already love it.”
Community members of all ages, many in colorful raincoats and rubber boots on the mostly gray day, followed tour paths through the halls of the College of Veterinary Medicine, the Terry Companion Animal Veterinarian Medical Clinic, the Large Animal Hospital and the Research Building. They could check out the anatomy lab, try their hand at laparoscopic surgery or learn about the science of nerve firings at the “Unraveling the Puzzles Behind Ouch and Itch” stop.
Planning for the event – which offers the community a chance to glimpse how a top-ranked veterinary school engages students, faculty and staff and the world through its expertise and research – had been in full swing since October.
Outside, visitors could meet with local animal rescue groups, check out a horse corral or try milking a cow, among other things.
“Open House is the day that we get to share everything we love about NC State, from showcasing our student clubs to showing everything that we do in the small animal hospital,” said Ly Le, a second-year student and the junior Open House coordinator with the NC State Student American Veterinary Medical Association. “Open House is really good for everyone, whether it’s prospective students who are interested in school or people in the community who want to learn more about veterinary medicine, and they get to learn how much NC State contributes to their community, whether it’s from the milk that they drink or the vaccinations they receive.”
Also available at the event were seminars with NC State College of Veterinary Medicine admissions staff talking about the best paths to take to get into veterinary college and with students sharing a day in the life of a veterinary student.
Alda Royal, a veterinary technician in Greensboro, North Carolina, attended both seminars. Royal, who has a degree in biology from Campbell University, has spent a lot of time working and volunteering in animal shelters and hopes to become a veterinarian.
“I came because I just want to learn more about NC State’s program and what it was about because I like both the vets I work with, and they are both NC State grads,” Royal said. “They told me all about it, and I just had to see it for myself.”
For the younger crowd, the Teddy Bear Clinic, where surgery students repair injured stuffed animals, put smiles on the faces of a steady stream of children.
Joshua Neuman of Jacksonville, North Carolina, brought his giraffe Danny, a prized possession that the 13-year-old received as a gift while hospitalized at age 2.
“I’m not sure how he got damaged,” Joshua said as first-year student Samantha Scott stitched up Danny’s cheek. “I’ve just had him so long, I guess.”
After a stint in the clinic, Scott also took a turn talking with children about organs and organisms in the anatomy lab, where she stood before a display of fossilized animal hearts. Last year, she attended the Open House as a recently accepted DVM student and was thrilled to be on the other side of the tables this year.
“With the surgery club at the Teddy Bear Clinic, that was my first time getting to talk to the little kids about their teddy bears that they had for years and years and years,” she said. “Some of them are like family heirlooms, so it was really special getting to know these families and talk to some of them about what they want to be when they grow up. Now, being in the anatomy lab and getting to talk about what I’ve been learning this year is really, really special.”
Find a gallery of photos from the day here.
The day was also a chance for members of the college’s veterinary community to rekindle sweet memories.
Rosemary Hill was a unit manager at the college’s Teaching Animal Unit in the 1980s.
“I got a little emotional coming here this morning because all of a sudden, it was like I was coming to work here,” she said. “It feels great to be here. We all got to be involved in the growth of the CVM.”
Karen Allen, standing in the hall of composite pictures of all the classes that have received their Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degrees at NC State, pointed to the top left of the first picture and told her young grandchildren, sitting in a wagon, to look at Grandpa.
Grandpa is Dr. Dan Allen, the first class president of the NC State College of Veterinary Medicine from the first class in 1985.
“Today has been very exciting,” Dan Allen said. “It’s an honor to have been practicing veterinary medicine as long as I have and to be able to share this experience with my grandchildren.”
