Page 35 - Eclipse - Autumn/Winter 2024

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 scientific imagined the applications that veterinary
FMedicine Degree (BVetMed), ingenuity of NASA. The professional medicine could have alongside the
at the Royal Veterinary College (RVC), trajectory of Dr. Richard M. Linnehan – scientific ingenuity and prowess of
recently undertook an externship at a veterinarian in space – 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’s 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 magnificent 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 Office 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’ itinerary for an upcoming success of NASA.
launch mission. After witnessing a rocket
launch at the Kennedy Space Centre, “The Chief Veterinary Officer, the
he also met with various astronauts, Institutional Animal Care and Use
members of the Office of the Chief Committee (IACUC), and the flight
Health Medical Officer, and was given veterinarian all play pivotal roles during
a veterinary-oriented briefing 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 flight translate into proficient decision-making
launches. He visited the Mission Control as a veterinary clinician.
Center, saw the laboratory for crop
production in space, and spent time “This 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 scientific samples medicine application.”
possible in space.
Ian Alexander Alvarez, fourth-year
student, Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine
Degree (BVetMed) 3 at the RVC, said:
“As 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