News from College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, CSU

Bob Ellis, Ph.D., received the 2020 Arnold G. Wedum Distinguished Achievement Award from the American Biological Safety Association. The award is given to a current association member for outstanding contributions to biological safety accomplished through teaching, research, service, or leadership.

CSU researchers identify promising model for studying human aging

Researchers will use the translational model to study interventions to prevent or slow the decline in overall musculoskeletal function with aging in humans.

Why did the chicken cross Drake Road? To get heart surgery at the CSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital

"Our service prides itself on offering the highest quality medicine regardless of the species. We know about the snickers and comments, and I hope that people are able to recognize how the human animal bond exists for ANY species." -Dr. Matt Johnston

Video: 2020 Retrospective

The CSU community looks back on our response to the events of 2020 to find the resilience that embodies what it means to be a Ram.

CSU In Photos: 2020 in review

Amidst the uncertainty that was 2020, the CSU community remained stalwart, blazing new trails in research, scholarship and social justice. Take a look back at the images of an unforgettable year.

CSU scholars discuss COVID-19’s impacts on the food system and ag workers

"Perhaps the most important thing to understand is that it changed how consumers purchase food, almost overnight... As social distancing measures took hold, households immediately shifted away from food away from home purchases and spend a much larger share of their food budget on food at home venues such as grocery stores.” -Assistant Professor Becca Jablonski

The college in the news

U.S. News: Cancer Diagnosis Might Be Wrong for Many English Bulldogs

"This could save some dogs from being misdiagnosed, treated for cancer or even euthanized when they shouldn't be," said Dr. Anne Avery, professor of microbiology, immunology and pathology at Colorado State University.

Yahoo Finance: Daniel Smeak, DVM, ACVS, Joins Inotiv as Vice President, Surgical Models

Before joining Inotiv, Dr. Smeak enjoyed a thirteen-year career at the Colorado State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital as Professor and Chief of Small Animal Surgery and Dental/Oral Surgery.

CBS4 Denver: Studying COVID-19: CSU Biobank Researchers Hope To Answer Questions About ‘Long Haulers’

Answers to questions yet to be raised about COVID-19 are already being compiled at Colorado State University’s “biobank.” CSU’s Elizabeth Ryan, Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, is leading the team of researchers who are overseeing the biobank.

The Horse: How To Manage Horses With Back Pain

Back pain is an extremely common and performance-limiting problem in horses. When managing it, veterinarians have two main goals: stopping the pain and strengthening the horse.

IGN: Scientists Confirm the Negative Health Effects of Humans Traveling to Space

"Going forward, our goal is to get a better idea of underlying mechanisms, of what's going on during long-duration space flight in the human body, and how it varies between people," said Susan Bailey, a biologist from Colorado State University. "Not everybody responds the same way."

Colorado Politics: The Colorado links with Tom Vilsack, Biden’s pick for ag secretary

Since 2017, Tom Vilsack has been a strategic adviser of food and water initiatives at CSU's National Western Center and was on hand in May for the groundbreaking for the first building on the CSU "Spur" campus, it includes an equine center, a clinic for companion animals in conjunction with the Dumb Friends League, and will help educate CSU’s veterinary students.

Denver Post: The Street Dog Coalition provides care to pets who have people but not homes

For the students, it’s an opportunity to take a lead role in treating an animal and talking about treatment options with concerned owners, Dr. Janelle Scott, a CSU veterinary school faculty member, said.

Coloradoan: COVID-19 testing capacity can’t keep up with demand in Larimer County

High community demand for COVID-19 testing is lengthening wait times for test results and taking a toll on Larimer County’s ability to trace and isolate the contacts of people who test positive.

Impact Magazine

Beyond the basics: "Foundational science is the point of discovery"

I’ll give you a current example – the outbreak of a novel coronavirus in China. Foundational science asks: Where did this virus come from? How does it relate to the other viruses we already know about? Within weeks, the scientific community sequenced the entire genome of the novel strain and determined its relatedness to other coronaviruses.

High exposure: Class of 2019 alumnus climbs for cancer

In May 2019, Grant Haley graduated from Colorado State with a bachelor’s degree in cellular and molecular neuroscience and a fierce longing to be part of something bigger than himself. His long-term goals included medical school and a career in oncology or psychiatry, but he wanted to do something unforgettable with his last summer in Colorado.

Class of 2020: How will you care for your world?

We polled a cross-section of our graduating students about their hopes and dreams, and even though the coronavirus pandemic has changed commencement plans, their futures look bright!

Walking in beauty: A Navajo scientist confronts the legacy of uranium mining

"Walk in beauty" is a Navajo phrase that I heard a lot growing up. When you walk in beauty, you are in harmony with yourself and with everything around you. You are doing the best you can. I am trying to do the best I can as a Navajo woman and a scientist, to strive for harmony and balance in my work, but the journey is long, complicated, and full of difficult questions.

First person: Journey to the stars

My journey started in 1969, as I – and the whole world – stood still and watched Neil Armstrong walk on the moon. Fast forward 50 years, and Christina Koch and Scott Kelly spend nearly a year in space on board the International Space Station. These out-of-this-world events bring my own, very earthly path into perspective.

Wild bison: Education and ecology for the benefit of all

Traditional knowledge and current experience demonstrate that bison are a keystone species with a critical role in ecosystem health. They know how to manage the land and continue to do so once they are reintroduced to the landscape.

Microscopic genius: The big potential of the very small

“From the farm where you produce your food to whoever is going to eat it, microbes play an essential role. It’s a holistic – and necessary – way of looking at things. And now we have the tools to finally look at this bigger picture.” -Zaid Abdo

People

Applications now open for Fall 2021 InTERFEWS traineeship

The Interdisciplinary Training, Education and Research in Food-Energy-Water Systems program is open to CSU Ph.D. students who have applied to or been accepted into their department’s program.

2020 GradShow award winners embrace new virtual platform

Award winners were announced Nov. 18 by the Graduate School and the Office of the Vice President for Research following three days of professional development events, a keynote, and a virtual networking session.

Microbiology professor honored for trimming costs for students

Medora Huseby was honored by Gov. Polis for making textbooks and learning materials affordable for students through use of open educational resources.

Buttercup the rescue bison survives Cameron Peak Fire

After being evacuated because of the Cameron Peak Fire, Dr. Amy MacNeill received good news: her bison, Buttercup, survived the fire.

Video and photos of snow day at CSU

The flakes started falling on Fort Collins late on Oct. 24, and by the time the storm ended on Monday, the area had received more than 14 inches of snow.

Classified Personnel Council names two new Everyday Heroes

The Everyday Hero is a special program sponsored by the Classified Personnel Council to recognize the day-to-day achievements of all CSU employees.

Animal Health

Banjo fights cancer, like his owner before him

VIDEO: When Ellie Wagley learned that her beloved dog, Banjo, had cancer, it brought her back to her own battle.

Wildfires focus attention on air quality and equine athletes

Veterinarians and epidemiologists study the health impacts of air pollution, including wildfire smoke, on performance horses.

First-ever stem cell treatment on a non-human primate a success

Johnson said these findings will be helpful for veterinarians and medical doctors who use stem cell therapy.

Veterinary Teaching Hospital still open; providing critical services

The hospital is open, providing care to large and small animal patients for emergencies, critical follow-up appointments, and pharmacy orders.

Events

National data science expert to discuss holistic study of COVID-19 in free Oct. 16 seminar

To explain how researchers are harnessing big data to understand more about the coronavirus, Dan Jacobson, a computational systems biologist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, will deliver a virtual talk, followed by a panel discussion with Ray Goodrich, director of CSU’s Infectious Disease Research Institute, Professor Carol Wilusz, and other CSU faculty.

COVID-19 Impacts: Perspectives from Women in Science

Sept. 29: Moderated by professor emerita Carol Blair, CSU scientists with diverse expertise will provide their perspectives on a broad array of topics regarding COVID-19. The conversation will stretch from thoughts about the origin and transmission of corona viruses, testing strategies, human and community health impacts, and behavior changes noted during the pandemic.

National Academies workshop will address airborne transmission of COVID-19

The two-day virtual workshop will delve into the rapidly evolving science around how the virus spreads.

Denver Museum of Nature & Science Webinar: Zoonotic Spillover and Emerging Viruses

8:30 a.m. Monday, Aug. 3: Brian Foy, PhD, and Tony Schountz, PhD, Professors in the CSU Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology at Colorado State University will discuss the science behind animal-to-human transmission and how COVID-19 has played out thus far, followed by a live Q&A session.