From the Director
Fall 2019
Dear Friends,
The fall semester began after Labor Day with a rush here at the Equine Science Center. I hope everyone had time over the summer to relax a bit and to spend quality time with your horses!
For the first time in over 40 years I find myself coteaching a formal full semester course “Topics in Equine Science” with Ken McKeever. The students are all majors in Animal Science but few have extensive horse experience.
I find myself enjoying “talking science” with the very engaged students and Professor Ken McKeever. Ken and I have broadened the scope of the class beyond exercise physiology and have included several outside speakers, as well.
On August 2, the Center hosted an alumni reunion event in conjunction with the annual Hambletonian Veterinary Conference dinner. The event was hosted by RUBEA co-chair Amy Butewicz and featured special guests Governor Richard Codey and Jeff Gural, Chair and CEO of New Meadowlands Racing and Entertainment. Mr. Gural welcomed the group of over 30 Rutgers alumni and friends of the Equine Science Center.
Once again the weather cooperated and we had a lovely summer evening on the Upper West Deck of the racetrack watching top quality horses compete on the day before the Hambletonian. To see some of the great photos from the night, take a look at our Facebook.
On September 21, Center faculty, students, and staff joined the Landy family at Freehold Raceway for the 8th annual Open Space Pace Parade and Festival of Horses. As they did last year, the Rutgers Seeing Eye Puppy Raising Club marched in the parade and spent the day with us tabling at the racetrack.
Graduate students Ellen Rankins and Jen Weinert, and undergraduate student Jenna Lorippo were all winners of $1,000 scholarships; and the Equine Science Center also received a $1,000 check in recognition for its work to ensure that horse racing remains a sustainable part of agriculture in New Jersey.
On November 14 the Center will host its annual “Evening of Science and Celebration” sponsored by Mid-Atlantic Equine Medical Center. This year’s keynote address is by our own Ken McKeever and is a must hear for anyone involved in horse racing. The talk is titled “A New Treatment for EIPH: The Effects of Phosphodiesterase Inhibitors on Pulmonary Artery Pressure in Horses.
We also will be presenting the “Spirit of the Horse” award to Dr. Michael Fugaro, and the Gold Medal Horse Farm award to Fair Winds Farm.
On the following Saturday, November 16, the Center will host its second wet lab for the New Jersey Association of Equine Practitioners. Sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim and Universal Imaging, the day-long program at the Equine Exercise Physiology Lab will feature hands on training in joint injections. These wet labs qualify for continuing education credits for veterinarians, and the first wet-lab last year was well received.
I look forward to seeing you all soon at the “Evening of Science and Celebration”!
All the Best,
karyn
Karyn Malinowski, Ph.D.
Director, Equine Science Center