PRIM&R is pleased to introduce the members of the Blog Squad for the 2015 Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) Conference. The Blog Squad is composed of PRIM&R members who will blog live from the conference.

We are proud to introduce you to the second Blog Squad member, Angela Craig, DVM, lab animal veterinarian and IACUC member at the University of Minnesota.

Hello! I am a clinical laboratory animal veterinarian and IACUC member at the University of Minnesota. Despite my Midwest upbringing, I am a big fan of Boston—its history, the delicious seafood, and especially the people who call it home. I cannot wait to attend the 2015 IACUC Conference in this celebrated and welcoming city as a member of the Blog Squad.
It is my second time attending this PRIM&R educational event. While reviewing the schedule, I thought it would be easier for me to select one from the many didactic sessions and workshops offered during each session series, but it was as difficult as last year! Thankfully, regardless of your research oversight role or the size and type of institution you serve, there are many informative and timely topics which will influence your perspective and impact your work in a positive way. With the pre-conference programming, keynote addresses, and other special events, I plan to have a long list of new ideas and refined processes to share and implement when I return home.
Like many of you, I am an avid reader. Frigid Northern winters seem gentler and shorter with a hot cup of tea and a good book in hand. In preparation for the Research Ethics Book Group Lunch, I have been reading Frans de Waal’s The Bonobo and the Atheist. I am anticipating lively discussion at this event and an informative presentation on primate social intelligence when Dr. de Waal presents the Henry Spira Memorial Lecture.
While I look forward to all the formal topics on the schedule, I feel especially thrilled when I consider what I will learn from other conference attendees. I like meeting new people and hearing their stories. I enjoy sharing what I have learned in my career so far and gratefully glean advice from others. Whether someone has worked in this field for a year or decades, they have gained valuable insight through similar experiences. Informal conversations before and after conference sessions are great opportunities to build community with others who share a passion for promoting animal welfare through responsible research conduct. Some of the most poignant things are said over a quick cup of coffee and great ideas can flourish from a humble sketch on a napkin.
I am grateful for the opportunity to share this conference experience with you through Ampersand, and look forward to meeting many of you during the conference.
Check back and use this link to read more of Angela’s posts throughout the conference.