Phi Zeta Research Day Offers Faculty/Student Collaboration, Honors Society Induction

The annual Phi Zeta (National Veterinary Honor Society) Research Day, sponsored by the University chapter of Phi Zeta, was held at Midwestern University on December fourth and fifth on the Glendale Campus. Students, under the guidance of their faculty mentors, gave presentations on their collaborative research.

The students were recommended via faculty vote to either give their presentations orally or in a poster format and went over a variety of topics. One of the presentation topics examined if ischemic stroke (caused by blockage of blood flow to the brain) affected the level changes of 1C enzymes (involved in several roles of cell production) on the female and male brains. Another topic analyzed single-use hypodermic needles after vaccination. A further project demonstrated the impact of associations of geographic location, demographics, and clinical signs on shelter cats affected by COVID-19, and another detailed recent research on chlamydia pathology.

At the end of the event, students were inducted as new lifelong members of Phi Zeta with an additional induction to come upon graduation. Mark Acierno, M.B.A., D.V.M., DAVIM, Professor and Associate Dean, College of Veterinary Medicine, said, “The object of the Phi Zeta Society is to recognize and promote scholarship and research in matters pertaining to the welfare and diseases of animals. Veterinary students can be inducted either in their third or fourth year based on academic merit and moral character.”

Phi Zeta is one of many honor societies and organizations at Midwestern University that increase the knowledge and skill set beyond the classroom setting. For aspiring veterinarians, the University offers a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M.) degree program on the Glendale Campus.