On Friday, August 11, the Michigan State College of Veterinary Medicine hosted its 33rd Annual Phi Zeta Research Day, a colloquium in conjunction with the veterinary honor society, Phi Zeta, that showcases the research and scholarship of students and faculty from the College and other affiliated MSU departments and colleges.

This year's program featured poster and oral presentations, as well as the Jaqua Foundation's Symposium keynote address from Dr. Steven Friedenberg, an associate professor of small animal emergency and critical care medicine and genetics at the University of Minnesota's College of Veterinary Medicine. In addition, the College awarded Dr. Margaret Petroff the Zoetis Award for Veterinary Research Excellence, which recognizes researchers whose innovative studies throughout the past few years have made significant scientific advances.

This year’s keynote speaker is sponsored by the Jaqua Foundation Symposium in Memory of Dr. Samuel Pollock, which honors the name and career of an esteemed alumnus of Michigan State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, Samuel Pollock, DVM. In 1996, MSU conferred the Distinguished Veterinary Alumnus Award upon Pollock, citing his remarkably productive career. Upon graduation in 1941, Pollock served with the Bureau of Animal Industry as a cattle tester.

His interest in the humane care of research animals attracted the attention of the Jaqua Foundation, a philanthropic organization, which named him as a trustee in 1982. From this position, he helped carry out the founder’s wishes to benefit the veterinary profession and animals. To honor his memory, the Jaqua Foundation established an endowment at MSU to sponsor symposia that feature leaders, scientists, and scholars from the veterinary profession and the biomedical community.