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Posts Tagged ‘Australian Veterinary Schools in Australia’

Tuesday, April 3rd, 2012

UQ Veterinary School Veterinarians Save Poisonous Snake’s Life

UQ Veterinary School veterinarians saved the life of a venomous tiger snake.

Did you just get chills up your back, too?

A Tiger Snake

Ian Jenkins, of Snakes Downunder Reptile Park in Childers, brought his eight year old Tiger Snake, Aggro, into the UQ Veterinary School clinic after being referred by the veterinarians at Childers Veterinary Clinic for a tumour on its head.

The UQ Veterinary School Gatton Medical Centre is an advanced veterinary clinic and teaching hospital that services South East Queensland and Northern New South Wales and is equipped to handle unusual cases.

UQ Veterinary School’s Head of Service of the Small Animal Hospital Dr. Bob Doneley and Specialist Anaesthetist Dr. Martin Pearson operated on Aggro.

Dr. Doneley is a specialist avian vet, with extensive experience in reptile and small mammal medicine and surgery. “Surgery on snakes is uncommon and surgery on venomous snakes is very uncommon,” Dr. Doneley said. “At the UQ Veterinary School Medical Centre we have the resources and trained staff to be able to handle unusual cases with avian and exotic animals.”

“My colleague Dr Pearson anaesthetised Aggro while I removed the tumour using a skin flap to cover the area. The surgery was a complete success and Aggro has made a full recovery,” he said.

The tumour turned out to be benign, and it is not expected to re-occur. We wish Aggro a full recovery (so long as it stays very far from us).

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Learn more about the UQ Veterinary School

Apply now to Australian Veterinary Schools in Australia!

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Thursday, December 8th, 2011

University of Queensland Veterinary School Alum Takes on Antarctica

A University of Queensland Veterinary School alum takes on Antarctica, carrying out environmental management projects and research programs.

And while experiencing two weeks without sunlight while withstanding average temperatures of -20°C would be enough to send most Australians packing, for Ivor Harris, it’s all part of the challenge of living and working on the coldest, driest and windiest continent on Earth .

Kind of like Canada, eh?

Ok, not really.

Whether it’s travelling on quad bikes along sea ice, getting up close to the largest royal penguin colony in the world, or catching baby fur seals for tagging, the veterinarian and former University of Queensland Veterinary School staff member has come to call the isolated continent his second home.

UQ’s Contact Magazine recently profiled Mr. Harris, who has completed three tours as manager for three of the four Australian Antarctic Division’s stations, spending up to one year at a time at each base.

“Going to Antarctica had always been an ambition of mine and the idea of spending a year down there in such a challenging role and in such extreme environmental conditions was very attractive to me,” he says. “Even though I’ve now spent just under three years in total living there, I can confidently say I’m still not sick of it.”

Often referred to as “the freezer”, Antarctica has been visited by fewer than 200,000 people. Mr. Harris is one of only a small number of Australians who live there in any given year.

AAD staff venture to Antarctica to carry out environmental management and research programs that are critical to understanding global change and human impacts on the continent.

Summer is the busiest time for researchers, with much smaller numbers staying to see out the harsh winter. With a mere four hours of twilight a day for two weeks and temperatures falling to -40°C on the coastline and -80°C inland, the season is considered the most difficult time of year in Antarctica.

“It was certainly challenging, not only because of the climate, but also due to the confinement and isolation of a small community,” Mr. Harris explains.

He has witnessed firsthand spectacular scenes that most of us only see in wildlife documentaries, including the “extraordinary experience” of standing amongst colonies of hundreds of thousands of emperor and king penguins.

One aspect of his work on Macquarie Island involved catching and handling fur seals to tag, micro-chip and retrieve skin scrapings for DNA analysis.

“Fur seals are one of the dominant predators of the Antarctic ecosystem. Understanding their health helps us understand whether the environment is under stress,” he says.

Early in his career, Mr. Harris worked as a lecturer at the University of Queensland Veterinary School before taking on the role of Director at the central animal breeding house at the Pinjarra Hills farm, before his work with AAD.

Selection for a station manager role is very competitive and involves a number of steps including a week-long selection process in Tasmania focusing on survival skills, leadership exercises and psychological training.

“They really want to make sure you have the physical, emotional and mental attributes to cope with the isolation and confinement, as well as any people challenges that may emerge during the year,” he says.

When asked about plans to return to “the freezer”, his response is telling.

“I’d love to go to the Davis station to complete all four of the Australian bases,” he says. “Preferably in winter.”

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Learn more about the University of Queensland Veterinary School

Find out how to apply to Australian Veterinary Schools in Australia

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Friday, August 12th, 2011

James Cook University Professor Named to National Committee

James Cook University’s Professor Helene Marsh has been appointed chair of the national Threatened Species Scientific Committee (TSSC).

The TSSC, established by the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, advises Federal Environment Minister Tony Bourke on amendments to the national lists for threatened species, threatened ecological communities, and key threatening processes.

Together with conservation advice, it advises the Minister and government on the development and adoption of recovery plans and threat abatement plans.

Professor Marsh, an internationally recognised conservation and environmental scientist, is currently Dean of Graduate Research Studies and Professor of Environmental Science at James Cook University. She is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering.

Professor Marsh has extensive experience in conservation biology with a particular focus on establishing a sound ecological basis for the management of marine and terrestrial environments in tropical Australia and has won several international awards for her research and conservation activities.

Professor Marsh said she was surprised when the government approached her, saying the Minister would like to talk to her about the role, which is nation-wide.

She said she was looking forward to working co-operatively with states and communities to develop a sense of ownership about conservation problems.

Fostering relationships between the TSSC and the Environment Department’s Indigenous Advisory Committee will be a priority in order to strengthen the role of Indigenous landholders in biodiversity conservation, she said.

“I consider biodiversity conservation to be a vital source of jobs for Indigenous people in remote regions of Australia,” she said

“We need to reduce the feeling that it is peoples’ lifestyles that are threatened. Good conservation outcomes should be everyone’s business.”

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Learn more about James Cook University!

Interested in learning about the popular James Cook University Pharmacy School? Apply now to the James Cook University Pharmacy School.

 

 

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Friday, February 11th, 2011

Need to Find a Spot on the University of Melbourne Campus? There’s an App for That

Keeping up with the mobile lifestyle, the University of Melbourne has developed a “Unimelb” iPhone app for staff and students.

In its first month of operation, more than 1,200 people downloaded the app, which provides maps of each University of Melbourne campus, a staff directory, a web portal and an RSS news feed.

The University of Melbourne decided to create the app, after learning that 650 staff have iPhones and a recent snapshot of the university’s homepage showed that 4,000 of the 4,5000 visits were from iPhones.

The app, developed by long-time telecommunications partner, Optus Business, and mobile applications specialist, Philology, aims to provide productivity gains and greater efficiency to the full time University community as well as casual visitors on campus for lectures and special events.

Michael Carolan, the Director of Application Services at the University of Melbourne, says the app while help staff and visitors alike.
(more…)

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Friday, January 28th, 2011

University of Queensland Veterinary School Takes in Animals from Flooding

UQ Veterinary School

The sick, injured and lost animals that survived the Lockyer Valley flood found refuge at a temporary Noah’s Ark – The University of Queensland‘s Veterinary Medical Centre at the Gatton campus.

A dedicated veterinary team fed, washed, provided medical treatment and comfort to 35 dogs, 20 birds, 10 cats, seven horses, 2 rats, 2 quails, 5 guinea pigs and 2 Siamese fighting fish during the past week and is still receiving animals. There was no mention of a partridge.

The UQ Veterinary School relocated to the Gatton campus last year, and its new Veterinary Medical Centre was well placed for providing assistance to the flooded Lockyer Valley.

Senior veterinarian at the UQ Small Animal Hospital, Adjunct Professor Bob Doneley, the only small animal vet left on the Gatton campus on Monday night when the flood hit, offered the Lockyer Valley Council the services of the hospital to provide shelter and medical care to animals on Tuesday due to the electricity and water supply at the council’s pound being unreliable.
(more…)

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Friday, January 21st, 2011

University of Queensland to Host Info Sessions in Toronto, Vancouver

Pristine campus grounds. World-renowned professors. Amazing city. Find out how you can become a student at the University of Queensland!

The University of Queensland will host information sessions in Toronto and Vancouver in the coming weeks, giving you the opportunity to learn more about life at UQ, and the programs on offer.

UQ International’s Stephen Lewin will travel to Canada from Brisbane, and he will outline the qualities that make the University of Queensland one of the most respected university in Australia and around the world.

Stephen Lewin will host the following seminars:

Toronto
Saturday, January 29
Event: UQ Information Session
Time: 2.30pm – 4.30 pm
Venue: Toronto Marriott Eaton Centre, Carlton Room
(more…)

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Friday, December 17th, 2010

Melbourne Veterinary School – A Photo Tour

While attending the University of Melbourne‘s Representatives’ week, OzTREKK‘s Cathy James got the chance to visit the school’s Werribee campus, which is where the University of Melbourne Veterinary School is located. Cathy was so impressed by just how much clinical experience the students receive. Here are some pictures she took from the tour:

Melbourne Veterinary Clinic

This is the front entrance of the veterinary hospital. Werribee residents, can bring in their pets to this hospital for treatement. There are practising veterinarians who work at the clinic, and University of Melbourne students get practical experience working at the clinic, too!

Melbourne Veterinary Clinic

Students also have the opportunity to work with licensed veterinarians, getting to be a part of regular check ups, as well as surgery.

(more…)

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Friday, December 3rd, 2010

University of Queensland School of Veterinary Science staff help homeless kittens

Stray kittens currently calling The University of Queensland home will benefit from an innovative program to get them socialised, desexed and rehomed into loving families.

Passionate staff at the St Lucia Small Animal Teaching Hospital, the Gatton Clinical Studies Centre and the Centre for Companion Animal Health, for the UQ School of Veterinary Science are keen to make a positive impact on the lives of these kittens and prevent them from being euthanized.

Led by Dr Sarah Zito and Professor Jacquie Rand from the UQ School of Veterinary Science, in collaboration with Rebekah Scotney, Manager of the Clinical Studies Centre and assisted by many of their colleagues including vet nurse Nicole Laird, this project will provide an opportunity for the stray kittens to be socialised and find homes.

“We are passionate about helping these kittens and look forward to being able to rehome as many as possible,” Dr Zito said.

Professor Jacquie Rand from the Centre for Companion Animal Health has a major research focus around preventing euthanasia of homeless and unwanted pets, and sees this project as one strategy that can make a real difference.

“We are now entering the kitten season, so it is vital that we get support for this project as soon as possible. Preventing litters of kittens being born is absolutely essential otherwise they will sadly face certain death because shelters are overwhelmed with kittens,” Professor Rand said.

The Centre has committed start-up funds to ensure the program gets off the ground, but very urgently needs on-going support to ensure all the homeless kittens are socialised, desexed and rehomed.

“Eventually we will put in place a longer-term desexing plan to reduce the ongoing problem of adult cats on campus having unwanted litters of kittens,” Dr Zito said.

“But we really need funds to make this happen so we urge any staff who want to help to donate today.”

Support has already been gratefully received from Hill’s Pet Nutrition who will provide food for the kittens, and Novartis who are donating vital worming medications.

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Learn more about the University of Queensland Veterinary School

Learn more about Australian Veterinary Schools

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Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009

OzTREKK Fair Circuit – Study in Australia

Throughout October, OzTREKK will travel across the country in order to meet with students and discuss their study options in Australia.

We will be available to talk with students interested in studying in Australia, especially at some of our popular programs, including:

-Australian Medical School
-Australian Veterinary School
-Australian Pharmacy School
-Australian Dental School
-Australian Teachers College

Here is where we will be this fall:

West

Monday, Oct.19, 2009 – University of Alberta, Professional and Postgraduate Fair, Dinwoodie Lounge, SUB, 11am – 2pm

Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009 – University of Calgary, Professional and
Postgraduate Fair, Jack Simpson Gym Upper Track, 2 – 6pm

Central

Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2009 – University of Toronto, St. George Campus, Professional and Postgraduate Fair, Careers Centre, 11am – 2pm

Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2009 - University of Toronto, Mississauga, Professional and Postgraduate Fair, Recreation, Athletics & Wellness Centre, 10.30am – 1.30pm

Thursday, Oct. 8, 2009 – University of Toronto, Scarborough, Professional and Postgraduate Fair, Science Wing Meeting Place, 11.30am – 2.30pm

Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009 – University of Guelph, Professional and Postgraduate Fair, University Centre Courtyard, 11am – 2.30pm

Click here for a printable schedule of events!

Click here for a printable schedule of events!

Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2009 - University of Waterloo, Professional and Postgraduate Fair, Student Life Centre, 11am – 2pm

Thursday, Oct. 22, 2009 – University of Waterloo, Professional and Postgraduate Fair,
Student Life Centre, 11am – 2pm

Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2009 - University of Western Ontario, Health Fair, Location – The Great Hall – Somerville House, 10.30am – 3.30pm

Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2009 – York University, Professional and Postgraduate Fair, Location – Winters Dining Hall and Founders Assembly Hall, 10am – 3pm

Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009 – University of Western Ontario, Professional and Postgraduate Fair, Western Student Recreation Centre, 11am – 3pm

East

Tuesday, October 27, 2009 – Dalhousie University, Professional and Postgraduate Fair, McInnes Room, Student Union Building (SUB), 10am – 3pm

Wednesday, October 28, 2009 – Acadia University, Professional and Postgraduate Fair, Fountain Learning Commons, 10am – 3pm

Thursday, October 29, 2009 – University of New Brunswick, Professional and Postgraduate Fair, Ballroom – Student Union Building, 10.30am – 3pm

*** OzTREKK will also be hosting its own Study in Australia Fairs across Canada this fall. Find out the details***

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Saturday, September 12th, 2009

Cathy’s Trip to Oz – Holding a Koala

koalaHi OzTREKKERS!

So I did it. I did the stereotypical Australian tourist thing – I held a koala.

While in Brisbane for the day, I booked an afternoon tour to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, located about five minutes away from the city centre, and there are more than 130 koalas. There, the crew also takes care of kangaroos, tazmanian devils and exotic birds.

When I entered the Sanctuary, which has been in operation for 82 years, I was pleasantly surprised. It’s not a commercialized setting, instead it’s this natural, calm environment, where the employees take pride in their work with the animals.

I cruised through the Sanctuary for an hour, and I kept swinging around to the photo area- this is where visitors can pay to have their photo taken with a koala. I thought to myself, “As a tourist, this photo opp seems so predictable. Obvious. Stereotypical.”

The next thing I knew, I was in line to take the shot. And it was totally worth it. The koala, Rodney, was so adorable, and as you can see in the picture, he treated me like a tree- just hanging around. I love the photo keepsake, and though it may be the predictable Aussie experience, I wouldn’t have it any other way!

Brisbane is a beautiful city, and home to the University of Queensland.

The university offers an amazing veterinary science program! Learn more about the UQ Veterinary Science program.

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