AASV Veterinary Student Activities at the 2010 Annual Meeting
March 6-9, 2010 – Omaha, Nebraska

It is part of the mission of the American Association of Swine Veterinarians to "mentor students, encouraging life-long careers as swine veterinarians." To help fulfill this mission, the association encourages veterinary students to attend the AASV annual meeting and offers a variety of activities for student participation during the conference:

FREE REGISTRATION
Registration for the AASV annual meeting is FREE for AASV Veterinary Student Members. Student registration for the meeting includes attendance at the scientific sessions, a copy of the meeting proceedings, Monday luncheon ticket, Monday awards reception ticket, Tuesday breakfast ticket, and admission to the company-sponsored social events. In addition, veterinary students may register for pre-conference seminars free of charge!

$200 TRAVEL STIPEND
Each veterinary student who attends the AASV Annual Meeting will receive a $200 (US$) travel stipend, courtesy of Newport Laboratories and the AASV Foundation! To qualify, you must be a current Student AASV Member AND you must pre-register for the meeting by February 12. When you register for the meeting, you will receive an email message within a few days, confirming that you qualify for the stipend. If you don’t receive the confirmation message, contact AASV prior to the meeting to make sure you are registered! Pick up your check in person at the meeting registration desk in Omaha.

STUDENT BREAKFAST
Enjoy breakfast, compliments of the AASV, on Sunday, March 7 at 6:30 am in the Grand Central Ballroom DE on the second floor of the Hilton. Meet and visit with students and faculty advisors from veterinary colleges across the country and around the world.

STUDENT PRE-CONFERENCE SEMINAR
For several years now, the AASV has offered a very popular pre-conference seminar designed especially for new and soon-to-be veterinarians. This year’s program features presentations by young veterinarians who understand the challenges facing new graduates entering the swine industry today. Registration is free for veterinary students and '08 and '09 DVM graduates. Here is this year's program, designed and chaired by Drs. Brian Payne and Larry Firkins:

Seminar #9: Deciphering Case Studies in Swine Medicine and Production
Sunday, March 7, 2010
8:00 am – 12:00 noon
Location: Grand Central C (Hilton, 2nd floor)

By request, this session will be case studies that are interactive throughout the program, so come ready to participate and contribute.  Learn what actions you can take today to allow you to be better prepared for your first years in practice. Swine veterinarians will be presenting practical information and providing useful resources to veterinary students in the areas of both swine production and swine medicine. The objective of this session is to allow all students to become familiar with many basic aspects of swine practice by introducing the day-to-day decision making that will be required of them upon graduation.

Deciphering Case Studies in Swine Medicine and Production
8:00     You have to know “Y” – Larry Firkins
8:45     Working through a case study – Brian Payne
9:30     BREAK
10:00   Respiratory case study – Cary Sexton
10:45   Neurologic case study – Jeremy Pittman
11:30   Roundtable Q & A – All speakers
12:00   Seminar concludes

PRE-CONFERENCE SEMINARS
Students may register for the numbered pre-conference seminars free-of-charge. Please indicate your selections and mark N/C in the fee area on the registration form so space and materials can be reserved for you. You may register for one seminar on Saturday and one on Sunday.

STUDENT POSTER SESSION
Twenty-six veterinary students will present research and case studies in poster format in the Qwest Center on Sunday, March 7 and Monday March 8. The display begins at 12:00 noon on Sunday, with the poster authors available for discussion until 1:00 pm. The posters will be available for viewing until 5:00 pm Monday. Alpharma Animal Health generously provides a $250 stipend to each participating poster author.

STUDENT SEMINAR
Some say the best presentations of the meeting are made during the AASV Student Seminar on Sunday afternoon (March 7, 1:00 pm in Qwest Center Room 211/212). On the basis of submitted abstracts, 15 students have been selected to make presentations of research, case studies, and literature reviews. Alpharma Animal Health sponsors this session and provides a $750 travel stipend to each student presenter. The students' oral and written presentations are judged, and a $5,000 scholarship, funded by Alpharma, is awarded to the top presentation. Elanco Animal Health provides $20,000 to fund 14 additional scholarships of varying amounts to the runners-up.

VET SCAVENGER HUNT
When you arrive at the meeting, you’ll find a list of veterinarians in your registration packet. It’s your job to find as many of the vets as you can, visit a bit, and get a business card from each of them. The students obtaining the most business cards are entered in a drawing for some very nice prizes.

INTERVET/SCHERING-PLOUGH STUDENT RECEPTION
Don’t miss the Student Reception sponsored by Intervet/Schering-Plough on Sunday, March 7 in the Hilton Grand Central Ballroom from 8:30 - 11:00 pm. You’ll find plenty of snacks & beverages along with great entertainment. Make the most of this opportunity to interact with students, swine veterinarians, researchers, and industry representatives in an informal setting – who knows, you might line up your next externship or identify a potential job opportunity!

STUDENT SCHOLARSHIP PRESENTATION
The announcement of the recipients of the AASV Foundation Veterinary Student Scholarships, funded by Alpharma Animal Health and Elanco Animal Health, takes place during the AASV Luncheon at 12:30 pm on Monday, March 8 in the Qwest Center Ballroom B. Join the AASV in recognizing and congratulating all of the Student Seminar participants!