Students filed into the West Jessamine Middle School library, whispering to one another about what was hiding under tablecloths. Uneeda Bryant, DVM, a veterinary pathologist from the University of Kentucky Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (UKVDL), was about to present an interactive learning experience to teach students about the lab’s role in safeguarding animal health in Kentucky and about career options in veterinary medicine.

“Many people don’t realize the work we do at the UKVDL actually saves the lives of other animals,” Bryant said. “A big part of what we do in the pathology section of the lab is determining why animals die. If an owner knows that his cow died of pneumonia for example, they can go back to the farm and check their other animals and use the antimicrobial susceptibility report provided to them to guide them to the appropriate treatment regimen to use to prevent the disease from spreading.”

Bryant started each class with a video of a lab submission. Students watched as necropsy technician Sara Welsh performed an equine necropsy to determine the cause of the horse’s death. A few students looked away, but most watched in amazement as things they had learned about animal anatomy came to life on the screen. It spurred questions about animal disease, treatments, and even jobs associated with pathology.

West Jessamine Middle School agricultural exploration teacher Anna Campbell said her intent when inviting Bryant was to spur discussion about things they were learning in class and for them to discover ways to create a sustainable future as they grow up and choose vocations