Sarah Masoero uses a flashlight to search for egg embryos. The CAES
senior plans to pursue a career as an avian veterinarian.
News: Southscapes Spring 2009
Student Spotlight
A Brain for Birds: Senior Hatches Plan
By Allie Byrd
From the common everyday chicken to the exotic sun conure, Sarah Masoero loves birds. She loves them so much that she’s decided to pursue a career as a avian veterinarian.
Although she has always wanted to work with animals, Masoero didn't discover her love of birds until she took a poultry science class at CAES. "I started out as [an] animal health major and switched to avian biology," she said. "I loved the hands-on poultry science classes and doing avian surgery labs."
A senior from Tyrone, Ga., Masoero plans to attend vet school to specialize in avian medicine. After spending time in animal research labs and working in an animal hospital, she knows she wants to practice animal medicine and work with patients and people.
"I've always wanted to be a vet, but now I've gotten into this bird world," she said. "I'm most passionate about clinical work and animal medicine and definitely want to work in an animal hospital."
She applied to the UGA College of Veterinary Medicine in the fall and will find out if she's been accepted in April.
In the meantime, Masoero works in one of the wildlife health labs and helps conduct tests for avian influenza. Technicians collect samples to be analyzed from wild birds across North America.
"In the lab we isolate the virus and test it by extracting it from the samples," she said. "We inoculate eggs with the bird samples to find out if they are infected with avian influenza. If the samples are positive for avian influenza they are further analyzed to determine the subtype of the virus."
These tests help researchers keep track of the avian influenza distribution in North America, learn about the different subtypes and paint a picture of what diseases are circulating in wild birds.
Last May, Masoero also traveled to Costa Rica on the avian biology Maymester trip to study and identify bird species.
"I always wanted to study abroad, but was really hesitant about the accommodations and [wondered] if I would be able to do everything," Masoero said, sitting in her motorized wheel chair. "Dr. (Adam) Davis and Dr. (Mike) Lacy helped arrange everything and made it so I could go. I probably wouldn't have gone if I hadn't felt so comfortable."
Davis and Lacy are professors in the CAES Poultry Science Department. Lacy is also head of the department.
Masoero also assists Dr. Bruce Webster in the poultry science department. They do gait scoring to study how chickens walk and evaluate bone composition for osteoporosis studies.
"Birds are such unique animals, not only in their beautiful
diversity, but also in their quirky character," Masoero said. "Birds are a perfect fit for me because they are so comfortable
for me to work with, given their size."
In addition to her class work, Masoero co-chairs the student-run organization L.E.A.D., or Leadership, Education and Advocacy for Students with Disabilities. The group promotes awareness about disabilities on campus and also meets with disabled high school students to give them an idea of what college life is like.
"We meet with the students to give them advice and let them ask questions," she said. "It lets these high school students know that it is possible for people with a disability to go to college, especially UGA."