Hannah McCarver

Author: Hannah McCarver | Major: Biology | Semester: Spring 2023

My name is Hannah McCarver, and I am a member of the Fulbright College of Arts & Sciences at the University of Arkansas. I am majoring in Biology with a minor in medical humanities. My Honors Research mentor is Dr. Adnan Alrubaye and he is a professor in the Poultry Science Department.  This semester, I conducted research with Dr. Alrubaye and his team with an interest in bacterial chondronecrosis with osteomyelitis BCO lameness. After finishing my undergraduate degree, I hope to attend a Physician Assistant program and work as a PA in either general medicine or dermatology.

This semester, I visited the research facilities multiple times weekly. During our work in the morning shift, I would feed the chickens and ensure they were getting water. I would also check to make sure the temperature was adequate and record what it was when we first got there. We would observe any birds reluctant or unable to walk were diagnosed as “clinically lame,” and then we euthanized them. We would record all dead or clinically lame birds by date and pen and then necropsied to appraise their BCO lesion distributions on the femoral head and tibial head.  At the end of the experiment, all birds were necropsied for gross evaluation of tibial and femoral lesions and identification of their lameness severity.  During my afternoon shifts, I would record and change the temperature of the house when needed, along with ensuring that the chickens had an adequate supply of water.

The research that Dr. Alrubaye, his team, and I conducted has a great impact on the real world, as lameness in broiler chicken is one of the top animal welfare issues facing our world today. As of now, there is not vaccine that has the capability to successfully reduce lameness. Therefore, finding a preventative way to handle broiler lameness is crucial.

I chose to work with poultry for my research because of my desire to work in a hands-on setting, along with my experience with animals. My father is a veterinarian, so I grew up at the veterinary clinic helping handle patients and going on farm calls. Because I grew up around animals in a clinical setting, I knew I would be comfortable handling poultry and conducting research. Through working at the veterinary clinic, I came into contact with some University of Arkansas faculty members. After hearing about my interest in biology and my agricultural background, they thought Dr. Alrubaye would be a good match for my honors mentor.

I feel fortunate to have benefited from many different aspects of this trial. Through my research, I learned a plethora of new information regarding poultry science and biology. Although I had experience working with animals, I had not worked much with poultry. It was extremely interesting to learn more about poultry, as they play such a big part in the economy of Arkansas. Along with learning more about poultry, I also learned a great deal about research practices in a university setting. I was also able to work with many juniors, seniors, and graduate students that gave me extremely useful advice regarding my experience as an honors student. Through them, I was able to gain insight into what was to come in the remainder of my college career at the University of Arkansas. Not only did my research with Dr. Alrubaye provide me with academic growth, but also personal and professional growth through new experiences.