Page 35 - Eclipse - Autumn/Winter 2024
P. 35
STUDENT NEWS
Out of this world: RVC Veterinary Medicine
student enjoys externship at NASA
ourth-year student, Ian Alexander professional experience, he considered at NASA. Naturally, as I progressed
Alvarez, who is currently studying the applications that veterinary medicine through my professional path, I
for his Bachelor of Veterinary could have alongside the scienti铿乧 imagined the applications that veterinary
FMedicine Degree (BVetMed), ingenuity of NASA. The professional medicine could have alongside the
at the 51吃瓜网 (RVC), trajectory of Dr. Richard M. Linnehan 鈥� scienti铿乧 ingenuity and prowess of
recently undertook an externship at a veterinarian in space 鈥� was another NASA. Moreover, the idea of deep
NASA, focused on veterinary medicine source of inspiration for Ian, which led to space exploration fascinates me. The
and laboratory research in the context him seeking out the externship. professional trajectory of Dr. Richard
of space. M. Linnehan has also been a source
While there is currently no structured
Growing up in Costa Rica, Ian鈥檚 veterinary externship programme at of inspiration for me in pursuing this
opportunity. As a veterinarian in space,
role model was astronaut Franklin NASA, Ian reached out to various he represents the endless possibilities in
Chang and, from a young age, he departments and contacts at NASA in our magni铿乧ent profession.
had a deep respect and interest for 2021, before being put him in touch with
the work carried out at NASA. As he the current CVO, Dr. Chad Foster, who These projects have given me valuable
progressed through education and his offered him an externship in August 2024. insight and knowledge into the
intangibles of the veterinary profession.
During the externship, Ian worked To many, the idea that veterinarians
closely with the Of铿乧e of the CVO, and play a pivotal role in advancing space
contributed to research and documents, research and exploration might sound
including some of which formed part of unlikely, yet they are paramount to the
the astronauts鈥� itinerary for an upcoming success of NASA.
launch mission. After witnessing a rocket
launch at the Kennedy Space Centre, 鈥淭he Chief Veterinary Of铿乧er, the
he also met with various astronauts, Institutional Animal Care and Use
members of the Of铿乧e of the Chief Committee (IACUC), and the 铿俰ght
Health Medical Of铿乧er, and was given veterinarian all play pivotal roles during
a veterinary-oriented brie铿乶g on the missions to space. Working alongside
current work carried out by NASA, these brilliant professionals taught me to
including wildlife conservation efforts at hone skills such as strategic leadership,
The Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center. attention to detail, thinking outside the
box, team collaboration, and awareness
Following this, Ian participated in and outside my experience. All these skills
learned about the iconic and fascinating will follow me through the remainder of
aspects of NASA such as rocket my academic career and successfully
engineering, astronauts, and 铿俰ght translate into pro铿乧ient decision-making
launches. He visited the Mission Control as a veterinary clinician.
Center, saw the laboratory for crop
production in space, and spent time 鈥淭his externship was remarkable, one-
at the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility of-a-kind and exhilarating. It certainly
which included scaled replicas of the challenged the idea of what I thought
International Space Station, Orion, and would be my future career and I now
Starliner, as well as the Cold Stowage hope to mix various disciplines including
Facility which makes the collection small animal surgery and space
and maintenance of scienti铿乧 samples medicine application.鈥�
possible in space.
Ian Alexander Alvarez, fourth-year
student, Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine
Degree (BVetMed) 3 at the RVC, said:
鈥淎s a young boy growing up in Costa
Rica, astronaut Franklin Chang was
a role model and point of inspiration,
generating in me a deep respect
and interest for the work carried out
35
