I am Allie Bowerman, a student studying Poultry Science with a minor in Agri-Business. I had the exciting opportunity to present my honors research at a conference this past Summer of 2025. I have been working as an undergraduate research assistant in the lab of Dr. Gisela F. Erf, an avian immunologist, at the Poultry Science department at the University of Arkansas for the past three years. My research focuses on understanding how a live herpesvirus of turkey (HVT) vaccine affects tissue/cellular and systemic immune responses in the UCD 200/206 Leghorn line, which spontaneously develops scleroderma/systemic sclerosis (SSc), a condition similar to an autoimmune disorder in humans. We compared the results to the Light-Brown Leghorn (LBL) control line. For this, we utilized the growing feather (GF)-pulp bioassay, which allows for the intradermal injection of test materials into multiple GFs and the concurrent repeated sampling of injected tissues, along with blood samples, over time, without euthanizing the bird. I presented this research as a poster-style presentation at the annual Poultry Science Association (PSA) conference. It was my first time presenting an e-poster version, where everything was electronically done. There was a large monitor connected to a touchscreen device (iPad), which made it more interactive. I could change between slides or zoom in on important figures as I was having conversations. Overall, it was a positive experience to participate because I was in an environment where I could have conversations with other students and faculty from different universities and even industry professionals. It also allowed me to have in-depth one-on-one conversations about my research and ponder questions that I had never thought of before. It also helped me build relationships with others in the same field of poultry immunology with whom I could partner for future projects. For example, I engaged in a meaningful conversation with an industry professional who works for a company called Zoetis that produces the vaccine used in my study. This trip significantly contributed to my professional development by providing opportunities to network and enhance my communication skills outside of the classroom. While I was at this conference, I also got to sit through multiple presentations from other students and faculty members presenting on their research and how the poultry industry is changing and developing. The talks ranged from nutrition and health to immunology and a few other topics. It was exciting to hear about the progress that is taking place in other fields of study besides the one that I am in. There were also informational seminars. I particularly enjoyed the student development seminar. In this seminar, they discussed building a career in a specific field; some of the titles of the presentations included “the jungle gym of a career path”, “the corporation to the entrepreneurial world,” and a few other topics. Listening to these professors and industry professionals talk about how to transition from college to the poultry industry in a structured manner was very insightful and gave me a lot to think about and look into as I approach graduation. Looking forward, I would love to continue going to conferences and doing research to contribute and learn more about the poultry industry in all the different fields, such as live production and processing. Some advice that I would give other students is that if you could go and learn something new, take the opportunity and try to get the most out of it. For example, looking specifically at this conference, there was something going on at every moment, whether it was a poster session, a seminar, or students giving talks, I was constantly aiming to learn as much as possible to expand my knowledge and apply it wherever I go next. I am grateful for this grant because it allowed me to travel and share my research findings, network with scientists and industry members, and grow in knowledge.