Vanessa Grunkemeyer is a lecturer in animal science at the University of New Hampshire, where she has worked since 2015. As a veterinary specialist, her training and experience span the medicine and surgery of exotic pet, minor agricultural, zoo, and wildlife species, with expertise in avian medicine and surgery. She has acted as a clinical mentor before, and Alison is her first undergraduate research mentee. Dr. Grunkemeyer enjoyed seeing Alison’s “enthusiasm for both the study and the research process” and found this experience to be a “wonderful introduction” to the many undergraduate research programs offered through the Hamel Center. She views writing for Inquiry as a valuable experience for an aspiring veterinarian, noting that “decisions regarding animal care often hinge on how effectively veterinarians can communicate.”
