June 2011

Bill Lacy, network administrator in the department of Information and Instructional Technology, is named an Auburn University Employee of the Year. He accepted the award at the employee recognition program held May 26 at the Auburn University Hotel. The program recognized employees with 5, 10, 20, 25, 30, and 40 years of service at Auburn University. Lacy is also the Spirit of Excellence Award winner for March.

“I believe you would be hard pressed to find an employee who works harder for the college,” said Ashley Burt, IIT interim director. “Bill is on the clock 24 hours a day, 365 days a year." He regularly pulls 12-20 hour shifts upgrading servers, replacing equipment, or setting up software for faculty, staff, and students. And more importantly, he does this without being asked. Many nights he has grabbed an hour of sleep on the couch in his office so he could be here at 7:45 a.m. in case any of the changes he made the night before caused problems.

Bill has done an amazing job keeping the CVM network up and running.  Few people realize how easy it is to break things. One typo or one click in the wrong window, and the entire network could go down for hours at a time. It is only with a very high level of training, a desire to excel, and years upon years of experience, that he is able to accomplish this amazing feat,” said Burt.

Dr. Pat Rynders has accepted the position of director of the Division of Laboratory Animal Health (DLAH) effective July 1. “Dr. Rynders brings a wealth of experience and a strong vision for the growth of the division,” said Interim Dean Calvin Johnson.   Having served as associate director for the Division of Laboratory Animal Health since 2004, Dr. Rynders has filled key roles as interim director, unit attending veterinarian,project veterinarian, clinician, and as lead person for AAALAC re-accreditation in 2006 and 2009.  

Dr. Vitaly Vodyanoy, a professor of physiology and director of the biosensor laboratory, is named a real-life superhero by Edmund Optics, a global organization that supports R&D, electronics, semiconductor, pharmaceutical, biomedical, and military markets. Edmund Optic's real-life super heroes are using optics to foster innovation, drive cutting-edge research, and benefit industry.

The “superpower” Dr. Vodyanoy possesses enables real-time imaging of living cellular structures. Peering down the tube of his microscope, Dr. Vodyanoy, along with collaboration from academia and industry, developed a cutting-edge microscopy technique that features increased resolution and a dual mode fluorescence imaging capability enabling unlabeled techniques for identification of viruses and observation of interactions between labeled and unlabeled nanoparticles with the use of a traditional optical transmission microscope. His invention, the CytoViva Microscope, earned a R&D 100 Award in 2006 and 2007 for its revolutionary contribution to imaging technologies newly introduced to the market.

Dr. Vodyanoy is playing a key role in development of the emerging unlabeled imaging technology that offers extraordinarily high resolving power at a lower cost; thus enabling a tremendous benefit to public health around the globe with early stage disease detection. His technological advancements allow researchers to observe living cells, without any sample preparation, in fine detail traditionally offered by electro-microscopes. This real-time observation and analysis is allowing further development in advanced sensing techniques in such diverse applications as environmental monitoring, label-free biomedical imaging, trace detection, and pathogen sensing. The high resolution attributes allow for the detection of viruses, which can be approximately 20 nanometers in diameter versus bacteria that can be more than 200 nanometers in diameter.

Dr. Janet Steiss, Professor of Anatomy, retired June 30 from the College of Veterinary Medicine. She returned to the college in 2004 to teach anatomy and to continue work in the area of canine rehabilitation. From 1986 to 1999, she was on the faculty at Auburn focusing on electrodiagnostic testing, particularly electromyography, and research on neuromuscular diseases of dogs. To pursue her interest in rehabilitation of neuromuscular disorders, she enrolled in the master’s degree program in physical therapy at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and graduated in 2000. After serving briefly on faculty in the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences at UAB, she returned to veterinary medicine in 2001 as an associate professor at the Tuskegee University School of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Steiss graduated from the Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph in 1975. After working in a mixed practice, she returned to academia to study neurophysiology and graduated with a Ph.D. from the University of Georgia in 1981. She is a licensed physical therapist and a past president of the American Canine Sports Medicine Association.

Dr. Jim Sartin, who holds a joint appointment as professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine’s Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Pharmacology and the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station, was recently elected as president-elect of the American Society of Animal Science (ASAS).  ASAS fosters the discovery, sharing and application of scientific knowledge concerning the responsible use of animals to enhance human life and well-being.

“This is a tribute to Dr. Sartin’s dedication to ASAS and to his many contributions to animal science,” said Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Studies Dr. Frank Bartol.

Dr. Sartin teaches graduate courses in endocrinology and molecular endocrinology, as well as endocrinology and renal physiology in the veterinary curriculum. His research focuses on growth hormone secretion, on the physiological consequences of disease, the effects of disease to limit normal animal growth, and the use of anabolic hormones and other molecules to help overcome the negative consequences of disease processes. 

Attending the College of Veterinary Medicine June 1 orientation session were: 

Front Row (l-r)

Back Row (l-r)

• Simon Taylor, dairy attendant, Department of Clinical Sciences
• Jeannie Peden, anesthesia tech, Department of Clinical Sciences

If you have not completed your Healthy Tigers wellness initiative screening to qualify for your 2012 Healthy Tigers discount ($25/month or $300/year savings), consider this as a reminder.  Screening clinics are held regularly in the Auburn University Pharmaceutical Care Clinic within the Harrison School of Pharmacy and the off-site roving clinic locations are posted on the calendar of appointments. You may submit a current health care provider form from your physician as long as the tests are within this calendar year. If you cover a spouse on your Blue Cross/Blue Shield insurance plan, they will also need to be screened for you to fully qualify for the 2012 discount.  

Visit the Healthy Tigers website for information and appointments:

• http://www.auburn.edu/administration/business_office/payroll/healthytigers/

Healthy Tigers at Vet Med

• Wednesday, July 13
• Noon to 6 p.m.
• 2010 J.T. Vaughan Large Animal Teaching Hospital

The groundbreaking ceremony for the addition to the Lee County Humane Society (LCHS) is scheduled for July 28 at 10 a.m. on the lawn adjacent to the shelter. The 1,000 square-foot addition will include facilities for on-site spay and neuter surgeries. The addition will aid Lee County Humane Society’s policy to ensure 100 percent spay and neuter surgeries are completed on shelter pets before adoption.

“We feel the new addition is a stepping-stone towards fulfilling our mission to eliminate pet-overpopulation in Lee County,” said LCHS Board President Pat Rynders. “We are glad this day is finally here and thrilled to see our vision move forward.” Targeted completion for the addition to the shelter is spring 2012.

“This addition to our facility will serve as a reminder to our community that our shelter remains at capacity on a daily basis and that the best step towards eliminating the pet-overpopulation problem in our community is the spaying and neutering of pets,” said LCHS Executive Director Jessica Marable.

The estimated cost of the addition to the shelter is approximately $264,000. The project has been funded entirely by private donations and has received no government subsidies or grants. An ongoing fund has been established at LCHS to fulfill construction and operating costs for the addition.

The Lee County Humane Society cares for approximately 6,000 animals each year. LCHS is a 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to serving the citizens of Lee County through animal rescue, the promotion of responsible animal companionship, and the elimination of pet overpopulation.