Standing in the laboratory where she has learned how to extract
DNA from a virus, Elizabeth Bukowski, Class of 2008, describes
how veterinary medicine addresses public health as well as
animal disease. "I've wanted to become a vet to help animals and
people." She explains, "Rift Valley fever is a zoonotic disease,
which means it can make animals and people sick" The World
Organization for Animal Health (OIE) describes Rift Valley
fever, found in many African countries, as a sometimes deadly
viral disease of cattle, sheep, goats, wildlife—and humans.
Bukowski's original goal in becoming a veterinarian involves the
rewards of working one-on-one with animals as a private
practitioner, but her DNA project has helped her see a broader
role in veterinary medicine. She says, "Doing research to
develop a vaccine or a better diagnostic test may allow me to
help more animals and people." Bukowski is one of more than 40
students who spent Summer 2005 performing a research as part of
the Students Training in Advanced Res