NC State CVM debuts undergraduate research symposium

NC State’s College of Veterinary Medicine has launched its first undergraduate research symposium, giving students in its Centennial Biomedical Campus research training program a dedicated, judged venue to present their work. The April 21 event featured 19 students delivering flash talks and poster presentations on biomedical research completed under faculty and lab mentorship, with three winners and three honorable mentions recognized for both scientific quality and their ability to explain real-world relevance. College leaders framed the event as part of a broader push to expand undergraduate access to research at the graduate-only veterinary college. (cvm.ncsu.edu)

Why it matters: For veterinary professionals and academic leaders, the symposium is a small but notable signal of how colleges are building earlier research pipelines into veterinary medicine and comparative biomedicine. NC State’s undergraduate research program already places qualified students into CBC labs, where they work with faculty, graduate students, postdoctoral associates, and research technicians; adding a dedicated symposium gives those students more formal training in scientific communication, which is a practical skill for future clinicians, researchers, residents, and faculty. (cvm.ncsu.edu)

What to watch: Watch whether NC State turns this first symposium into an annual recruiting and training tool, and whether other veterinary colleges expand similar undergraduate-facing research pathways. (cvm.ncsu.edu)