Pre-Veterinary Medicine

As a Summer Scholar at Roanoke, Tyler Barnes '14 worked with Dr. Chris Lassiter on "Estrogen Activity in the Roanoke River." Estrogenic compounds pose a threat to wildlife by acting as endocrine disruptors, causing hormonal imbalances within exposed organisms. This imbalance can cause a decrease in organismal reproductive success. Her project examined if detectable estrogenic activity was present in the Roanoke River by exposing zebrafish embryos to collected water samples and measuring the activity of an estrogen-sensitive gene using qPCR (quantitative polymerase chain reaction).

Barnes, a biology major, had been interested in veterinary medicine since childhood. She was always around animals and developed a deep interest for them, but it was not until her senior year in high school that she decided to pursue a career in veterinary medicine. Barnes was salutatorian of her class and is currently a doctoral student at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine.

Two years into veterinary school at the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine in Blacksburg, Kayla Muncy '13 said she couldn't imagine pursuing another career.

"This is what I was meant to do," said Muncy, a biology major and co-valedictorian of her Roanoke class, who plans to specialize in small-animal care. 

Muncy's path to veterinary school was paved with enormous support from several Roanoke professors, including Dr. Tim Johann, a chemistry professor, with whom Muncy conducted research through the Undergraduate Research Assistant Program. Other professors conducted mock veterinary school interviews with her.

Additionally, Muncy, a self-described animal lover, logged countless volunteer hours at vet clinics and at Roanoke's Mill Mountain Zoo.