Alexandra (she/her/hers) is a senior in the College of Agriculture, Health, and Natural Resources, double majoring in Pathobiology and Animal Science (Honors) on the Pre-Veterinary track. She serves as the First Vice President of the Professional Agricultural Sorority Sigma Alpha and is a member of the Pre-Veterinary Club.
Ally’s experience in research began during her freshman year under Dr. Sheila Andrew in Animal Science, in which she assisted in collecting and evaluating ultrasonic images of mammary tissue from pre- and post-partum dairy heifers in order to develop a quantitative method to detect and prevent mastitis infections in cattle. Later in her sophomore year, she worked on a separate project with Dr. Andrew and another undergraduate student evaluating the efficacy of the robotic milking system and its effects on milk quality at the Kellogg’s Dairy Center on Horsebarn Hill. In order to further pursue her interest in lactation physiology, Ally later joined the laboratory of Dr. Sarah Reed in Animal Science, and is currently conducting an Honors thesis studying the effects of poor maternal nutrition on nutritional composition and IgG concentrations of colostrum and milk in sheep. Ally also pursued an independent study during her junior year at the Connecticut Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory in the necropsy laboratory working alongside veterinary anatomical pathology residents.
As an aspiring large animal veterinarian, Ally has spent thousands of hours over the past several years working alongside veterinarians at general practice clinics, specialty veterinary hospitals, ambulatory veterinary services, and in laboratories. In 2019, she also spent her spring break assisting in providing voluntary veterinary medical care to exotic animals in Roatan, Honduras through the World Vets Organization. Throughout her experiences, Ally has realized the vital role of research to the One Health movement, and in improving the connection between human, animal, and environmental health worldwide.
Feel free to contact Ally with questions about getting started in undergraduate research, STEM research, or Pre-Vet questions, as she would love to hear from you and help in any way that she can!
Student Research Blog Posts by Alexandra: