Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine Baker Institute of Animal Health

Opportunities and Resources

The Baker Institute is a free-standing research unit of Cornell's College of Veterinary Medicine and maintains its own campus of laboratories, animal facilities, and support services.

Other

• Explorations Program
• Cornell Courses
• Baker Institute Tuesday Seminars
• Baker Institute Scientific Conferences

There are two main areas of research at the Institute:

• Genetics and Reproduction: inherited disease of the eye, normal and abnormal bone growth and joint diseases, gene therapy, inherited diseases of the reproductive tract, trophoblast development.
• Infectious Diseases and Immunology: canine viral and bacterial infections, structural and molecular virology, parasitic infections, mucosal immunity, cytokine regulation of immune responses, immunogenetics, and fetal-maternal immunological interactions.

Within these areas of research, there are several different types of opportunities which are described below.

Post Doctoral Fellows and Associates

Between 10 and 20 postdoctoral fellows and research associates work at the Baker Institute at a time. Post-doctoral opportunities exist in all laboratories. Applicants should contact potential faculty sponsors directly.

Click here for information on new research positions

Visiting Scientists

The Baker Institute has a long history as a site for short and long term sabbatical leaves for scientists from around the globe. The Institute offers a limited range of on-site housing and a pleasant working environment. Contact individual faculty members or the Institute Director.

Veterinary Students

There are several opportunities for veterinary students for research externships or summer fellowships. Interested students should contact faculty members directly for research externships. Two fellowship programs that currently offer positions to veterinary students at the Baker Institute include the Leadership Program and the Havemeyer Fellowship.

The Leadership Program, a ten-week summer program offered through the Cornell Veterinary College, is an intensive, research-oriented learning experience that combines faculty-guided research with career counseling, student-directed learning, and a variety of professional enrichment activities. Each year, the Institute hosts several of the 25 participants that come from veterinary colleges in the US, Canada, Europe, and Australia. Please see the Leadership Program web page for contact and other information. Application deadline is in December of each year.

The Dorothy Russell Havemeyer Foundation Fellowship Program at Cornell University provides short-term educational experiences in academic equine medicine for first, second, or third year veterinary students. Fellowships are offered at the Equine Genetics Center of the Baker Institute. The purpose of the Fellowships is to enable students with an interest in research careers to participate actively in current projects in equine medicine. Inquiries should be directed to Dorothy Scorelle, Assistant to Dr. Douglas Antczak. Click here to see the flyer for the 2010 Summer Fellowship Program.

Graduate Students

Individuals interested in applying for graduate study (MS, PhD, dual DVM-PhD) at the Institute must apply through the Office of Graduate Education, College of Veterinary Medicine, and the Graduate School, Cornell University. Most of the Institute's 10-15 graduate students are enrolled in the fields of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, Immunology, or Physiology.

Undergraduates

Opportunities for undergraduates include employment in animal care, laboratory maintenance, and laboratory research. Educational opportunities in both independent studies and honors thesis research are available. Interested individuals can contact faculty members directly or send inquiries to baker_institute@cornell.edu

Explorations Program

Several Institute professors also participate in the Explorations Program, BioG 101-104, which is aimed at introducing biology majors to the many different types and styles of biological research at Cornell. See the course roster for more details on participating in this class.

Cornell Courses

The Baker Institute faculty participate fully in the tutorial based curriculum of the College of Veterinary Medicine, and they also teach in undergraduate and graduate courses. In 1996, Dr. Judith Appleton was the recipient of the prestigious SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Baker Institute Lunchtime Seminar Series

Each Tuesday during the academic year, the Baker Institute hosts its own scientific seminars in its newly built Thaw Charitable Trust Lecture Theater. The purpose of the seminar is to allow each Institute scientist (faculty, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows) to present their research to the assembled Institute staff. Guest speakers are invited one or two times a year. If you would like to attend, please call (607) 256-5600 in advance so we can arrange to accommodate you. See the Fall 2009 Seminar Series for the list of upcoming speakers. Previous seminar series are available through the following links: Spring 2009, Fall 2008, Spring 2008, Fall 2007, Spring 2007, Spring 2006 and Fall 2006.

Baker Institute Scientific Conferences

In 1996, the Baker Institute initiated a series of periodic scientific conferences on topics relevant to Institute research interests.

1996	International Symposium on Hip Dysplasia and Osteoarthritis in Dogs Organizer: Dr. George Lust
1997	Canine Genetics: The Map, The Genes, The Diseases Organizers: Dr. Gustavo Aguirre, Dr. Gregory Acland, Dr. Kunal Ray
1999	Canine Infectious Diseases: From Clinics to Molecular Pathogenesis Organizers: Dr. Colin Parrish, Dr. Skip Carmichael, Dr. Max Appel
2000	50th Anniversary Symposium: Genetics and Immunology Invited Speakers: Dr. Peter Doherty, Dr. Jorge Galan, Dr. Claire Fraser