CVM Aquatics Club Friday Harbor Laboratories Tour

About Us:

The WSU CVM Aquatics Club focuses on all aspects of aquatic animal medicine, including fisheries, aquaculture, research, wildlife, zoo and aquarium medicine. Our goals are to generate an interest in aquatic and semi-aquatic species by providing various lectures, hands-on opportunities, and field trips to students who are interested in pursuing an aquatic veterinary medicine career. 

We also provide to club members resources for internships, externships, and summer workshops. Wet labs and field trips include necropsies, trips to behind-the-scenes tours of aquariums, fish anesthesia labs, and tours of local hatcheries. 

Objective:

Washington state veterinary students are in the unique position of being located in a coastal state, but limited by the fact they are in the inland portion of it. This makes building connections and gaining experience with current Aquatic Veterinarians difficult, as the travel required to have those hands-on opportunities is extensive. Friday Harbor Laboratories is located on San Juan Island, a 385 mile drive from Pullman that includes a ferry ride and takes 7.5 hours. Due to the lengthy travel time, overnight housing will be needed. To offset the hardship of these costs we are turning to our community to support us on this educational endeavor. 

Impact:

The UW Friday Harbor Laboratories are located on a biological preserve on San Juan Island. They have multiple research labs, including one focused on sea star wasting disease, which has significantly impacted sea star populations in Puget Sound over the last decade. Veterinary students will participate in tours, wet labs and lectures from current aquatic professionals. Aquatics are not covered in our core curriculum and there is limited time to participate in elective lectures on it, leaving the WSU CVM Aquatics Club to fill in the gaps. This opportunity has been months in the making and planning, and we don't want the financial burden of housing, food and travel to prevent students from attending.

Cost Breakdown:

Shared dorm rooms for 30 veterinary students: $2,080.32

Dining Hall meals for 30 veterinary students: $1,787.76

Lab Tour: $162.53

Wet Lab and Lecture: $433.40

Ferry Fare for 6 Vehicles: $374.10

Total: $4,407.80

Donate today and help WSU veterinary students get one step closer to touring Friday Harbor Laboratories!