Student assistants added to IIAD team
As part of their commitment to developing the next generation of leaders in the agriculture industry, the Institute for Infectious Animal Diseases (IIAD) recently added three new undergraduate student assistants to their team.
__________
A Fort Worth, Texas native, freshman Biomedical Sciences major Victoria Cruz hopes to one day work in the public health industry. Victoria will be supervised by program director Jessica Cargill, MPH, and will assist with program and project evaluation across the Institute – including survey development, data entry, editing reports and creating tables and charts.
__________
Sangeetha Puthigai grew up in Sugar Land, Texas and is a sophomore biomedical sciences major with a minor in bioenvironmental sciences. She hopes to become involved in either the public health or veterinary field upon graduation and was interested in this position because it presents the opportunity to learn more about these industries.
“I am excited to learn more about ‘less traditional’ careers I can pursue,” Sangeetha said. “I hope to learn more about careers and research in the One Health field and gain first-hand experience.”
Puthigai will be assisting IIAD program director Matt Cochran, DVM, MIA, in supporting and contributing to grant development, coordinating reporting on federal portfolio projects, researching topics and providing citations, and scoping out potential new work for IIAD.
__________
Originally from Fresno, California, Micaela Rivera is a junior animal science major with a minor in business. Rivera is also working towards an equine science certificate and plans to pursue a master’s degree in equine physiology and nutrition. After graduation, Rivera hopes to work with sports horses and is looking forward to learning more about how IIAD helps veterinarians across the country.
“I hope to learn more about the work IIAD does and to see a different side of the agricultural industry,” Micaela said. “I’m also interested in working with others who help the ag industry grow.”
Micaela will be working under IIAD program manager Sarah Caffey, MPH. She will primarily work with the industry portfolio’s programs and assist with the development, maintenance and on-going support of the mCVI app.
