Page 12 - Eclipse - Autumn 2015

General news
8th Meeting of the Young Generation of Veterinary Anatomists in Poznan, Poland
Samantha Saunders, Anatomy demonstrator in comparative Biomedical sciences and RVC Alumnus (2013) writes:
The Young Generation of Veterinary Anatomists (YGVA) is a branch of the European Association of Veterinary Anatomists (EAVA), with the purpose of facilitating open discussion
and exchange of ideas in a friendly, informal environment. All researchers and educators in the eld of anatomy, embryology or histology are welcome to the biennial meetings, but they are particularly aimed at students and people in the early stages of their career.
We were lucky enough to attend the 8th meeting of the YGVA in Poznan, Poland as representatives of the RVC and the Online Veterinary Anatomy Museum (OVAM). Our trip began with an early start and a smooth ight to Poznan Airport. A quick taxi ride took us to the campus of the Poznan University of Life Sciences (we were a few hours early for registration
so made our way to the dormitory for a nap and change of clothes).
The conference opened with registration and inaugural speeches at the impressively grand Kolegium Rungego. Delegates had travelled from all over the world – Turkey,
Italy, America – to be there, and the room was buzzing with conversation. After collecting our registration packs and enjoying some tea and cake, we settled down in the main hall to hear about the history of YGVA, the university and current research in canine and bovine reproduction. We were then invited to tuck in to a magni cent buffet and experience some live music. After a long day we decided to turn in early after a nibble and a glass of wine.
Day two began at 9am with a series of short research presentations, held in the modern and spacious University Centre of Veterinary Medicine. We heard about ground-breaking research on a diverse range of topics including an app to help students learn skeletal anatomy, the lymphatic drainage of the cranial thoracic mammary gland of the cat and sti e angle in various dog breeds. The afternoon consisted of poster presentations, followed by a guided walk around the town and a dinner of soup, bread, pierogi and salads at a traditional Polish restaurant, Chłopskie Jadło.
Day three started similarly with presentations including the success of podcasts at Leipzig University and
the anatomy of gilthead seabream. We then gave
our presentation about OVAM to inform and update delegates about the progress of the online museum, which was well-received and generated a lot of queries from potential contributors and collaborators. We were delighted to learn shortly after the presentation that OVAM is to receive funding for the coming year from EAVA! Histology workshops took place in the afternoon.
After a quick break, we boarded a bus to the beautiful and newly-renovated Rogalin Palace and Gardens, historic home of the Raczynski family. We took a tour of the grounds and explored the wonderfully opulent palace interior before a short journey to the nearby Warta River, where we ate delicious barbecued food and enjoyed the breathtaking surroundings with a few beers and some Europop on the sound system.
We experienced a new city, made some new friends and learnt a lot. All in all, we had a fantastic time in Poznan and would encourage any interested students and staff to attend the next YGVA conference in 2017.
For more information about the YGVA and EAVA, please visit eava.eu.