Food Animal Scholars

I am a Food Animal Scholar at NCSU and plan to enter veterinary school in Fall 2009. In regards to species, I am interested in bovine, but my general interests are herd/flock health management, and epidemiology of diseases that affect or may potentially affect animal agriculture. The Food Animal Scholars program is for students majoring in Animal Science of Poultry Science that have an interest in food-animal agriculture and Veterinary Medicine.
Quick Facts:
-Students apply to this program during their junior year.
-Six scholars (and 2 alternates) are accepted each year and enter the “Food Animal Scholars Pool”. One seat is reserved for poultry, one for swine, one for a student from NC A&T University, and the remaining seats are available for any food animal species.
-Students who meet the minimum GPA requirement at the time of application to veterinary school (Fall of senior year), will be reviewed by the admissions committee and accepted to the College of Veterinary Medicine at NCSU as a Food Animal Scholar.
-Students still have to complete the supplemental application and the VMCAS Application (Veterinary Medical College Application Service).
-Students are also assigned an advisor at the College of Veterinary Medicine and will meet with the advisor each semester prior to entering veterinary school.
For application and full details, visit the FAS Website.

I would love to answer any questions you may have about my experiences or the program.
Posted by: Justin Jornigan

Howard Hughes Undergraduate Research Scholars

Every year through the department of Zoology, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute will fund a certain number of students interested in research in the life sciences for two years. If you are awarded as a Howard Hughes Research Scholar, HHMI will pay you a stipend throughout the school year and during the summer so you can get research experience. Students generally apply during their sophomore year, as this is a 2-year contract with HHMI. This is an excellent opportunity for students interested in undergraduate research, and HHMI will also fund for you to go to various research symposia so you can display your research along with fellow undergraduate researchers. If you are already working in a lab, I encourage you to talk to your Principal Investigator about possibly applying for this great opportunity.
Posted by: Lauren Hysong

Thomas Jefferson Scholars Program

I’m in a unique dual degree program between the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and College of Humanities and Social Sciences which is called the Thomas Jefferson Scholar program. This means I must obtain a major from the life sciences, as well as the social sciences (my two majors are Biological Sciences and Psychology, respectively). Having two majors may seem intimidating at first but it’s really not! A lot of classes tend to overlap, especially if you pick two majors from the same college because the general education requirements are similar. Because I came into college with over a semester of AP credit and community college credit, it has only taken me an extra semester to complete both degrees. The nice thing about the way electives are set up is that most of my Psychology courses have fulfilled my Biology electives and vice versa. So, there is not as much flexibility in my schedule with free electives, but I’m graduating in December with two degrees and have been successful in both. If you’re interested in a double major, I suggest tackling only one at first to make sure you can handle two and the course work that accompanies it. Look at the course requirements for each and see what overlap there is among classes. Remember, having two majors within the same college allows for more class overlap, but if you want to obtain degrees in different colleges it’s definitely not out of reach. Posted by: Catherine Casey

WISE Program

The Women in Science and Engineering living and learning village is located on the 7^th, 8^th, and 9^th floors of Lee Hall on campus. The WISE Village is a great opportunity for female students in the sciences and engineering to network with other students in their majors. WISE offers a great many opportunities that you could not find elsewhere, such as mentors. The mentors are sophomores who lived in the WISE Village the year before and want to share their positive experience with others, as well as tutor twice a week for students in classically challenging classes. WISE also provides female speakers who have succeeded in male-dominated careers, and also fun social events to help unwind. As a WISE alumnus, I can honestly say that being in the WISE Village was a very positive experience, and I would not have been able to meet many of my closest friends had it not been for the WISE Village.
Posted by: Lauren Hysong

WISE (Women in Science and Engineering) is a living/learning village for freshman and sophomore women majoring in science and engineering. It is a great way to get involved first thing when you start here at NC State. You will meet a great group of women who share similar interests and goals. Many of the girls are also in your classes and you will become very close with your suite mates and other girls in the program. Being involved in WISE also allows you to hear presentations from professors as well as from different professionals. It is a great program to help you build connections and start networking!
Posted by: Karen Payne