AQUAVET® - A Program in Aquatic Veterinary Medicine

Presented by the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University, the AQUAVET® program currently consists of three courses, AQUAVET® I - An Introduction to Aquatic Veterinary Medicine (four-week course), AQUAVET® II - Comparative Pathology of Aquatic Animals (two-week course), and AQUAVET® III  which is presented at the Georgia Aquarium, the University of Georgia, and Dolphinaris in Cancun, Mexico. Applications are due in mid-January each year. For more information see the AQUAVET® website. The courses also are briefly described under the courses link on the right side of this page.

Health and Colony Management of Laboratory Fish

Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory, Salisbury Cove, Maine
This course is a 1-week educational opportunity for individuals with maintenance, management or research responsibilities in which fish are used as laboratory animals. The course is offered at the Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory, Salisbury Cove, Maine, typically during the third week of August. Topics to be discussed will include general system design and water quality management, anatomy and histology of fish, general fish diseases and disease management strategies. Infectious and non-infectious diseases common to laboratory-maintained fish such as zebrafish will be discussed. The course will consist of lecture, laboratory exercises and discussions. During the course there will be an opportunity for students to discuss unusual and/or unsolved diagnostic case experiences from their home laboratories as problem-solving exercises. The course should be particularly valuable to technical staff, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, junior faculty and investigators needing skills to monitor the health of a colony of aquatic organisms. This course is approved by the AAVSB RACE (American Association of Veterinary State Boards Registry of Approved Continuing Education) to offer a total of 35 CE (Continuing Education) Credits to veterinarians and veterinary technicians.

Field Wildlife Forensics

This one-week summer course is held at the Shoals Marine Laboratory, located on the Isle of Shoals near Portsmouth, NH. The Shoals Marine Laboratory is jointly operated by Cornell University and the University of New Hampshire. Application is made through the Shoals Marine Laboratory. Forensic science represents the unique merging of scientific insight and the law. Forensic Science for Marine Biologists provides a field-oriented introduction to the forensic science domain and the utilization of marine biology within the justice system. Students receive comprehensive instruction concerning the recognition, documentation, collection, and preservation of physical evidence. Additionally, students develop practical incident response, scene management, and forensic teamwork skills. See the Summer Courses web page on the Shoals Marine Laboratory website for specific information on dates and tuition. 

Aquatic Medical Education Program

The Aquatic Animal Health Program at the University of Florida presents four short courses that focus on various aspects of aquatic animal health. Diseases of Warm water Fish provides instruction in the methodology of diagnosis and treatment of parasitic, bacterial, viral, nutritional and environmental diseases of warm water fish and aquarium species. It is a two-week course offered during the summer of even years. SeaVet Clinical Training is an intensive nine-day course designed to teach veterinary medical students and veterinarians through didactic lecture, case-based problem-solving and practical experience, including an educational and interactive swim session with dolphins. SeaVet Clinical Training has been offered every summer since 2009. Specific information on these courses may be found on the Aquatic Medical Education Program website. For further information contact: Dr. Ruth Francis Floyd - email.

Engineering Design of Recirculating Aquaculture, Hydroponic, and Aquaponic Systems

This course is sponsored by the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering at Cornell University. This four-day course is intended to give a thorough coverage of the design, operation and management of water reuse systems for finfish with a focus on hydroponics. A combination of "hands on" laboratories and classroom presentations will be offered. At the conclusion of the workshop, individuals should be able to design their own water reuse systems and have a fundamental knowledge of the principles influencing design decisions. For more information, refer to the Aquaculture Short Course website.

Salmon Disease Workshop

This workshop is designed for professionals working in the fish health field and will emphasize recent advances and developments in our understanding of salmon diseases. The workshop is limited to 20 participants on a first come, first serve basis. The workshop took place in July 2017. More information about the workshop can be found here.

MARVET

MARVET is intended as a broad, conceptual course that acquaints the student with a range of directions a veterinarian can take within the marine mammal field, by putting students in contact with several marine mammal veterinarians and researchers. It tries to highlight marine mammal medicine both in the context of animals under human care (e.g., in oceanaria) and in free-ranging populations (i.e., habitat issues). MARVET has no university ties, although it does work with veterinary schools to assign academic credit, where desired. The only requirement for participation in the course has been completion of at least two years of the professional veterinary curriculum. Students interested in this program should view the information on the Marvet website and workshops.