Summer research provides undergraduate engineering student an opportunity to work with horses
The rolling pastures, lazy fences, cool shelters, and big barns make up the picturesque home for dozens of horses at the Middleburg Agriculture and Research Extension Center. While the spot is the perfect haven for students and faculty in the animal science field, it’s also become the retreat of choice for one undergraduate engineering student.
Stefanie Pagano of Oakton, Va., a senior majoring in biological systems engineering in the College of Engineering and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, is spending her summer living at the center as part of an immersive internship and summer research project through the Scieneering program, which focuses on blending the fields of science, engineering, and law.
The 420-acre farm is an internationally recognized sporthorse breeding facility, with two faculty members who live on-site with graduate and undergraduate students throughout the year. It houses two stallions, dozens of mares, and the foals they produce.
Pagano is one of six undergraduates taking part in the center’s summer internship. All of the other students are animal and poultry science majors, but Pagano is still in her element, even as the only engineer. “I grew up around horses. I love horses. I want horses in my life,” said Pagano. “How can I intermix the two worlds – engineering and horses? I would love to look at how racehorses coming out of the starting gate, how that force effects their joints. I've read the force is similar to if a person put all of his weight on his middle finger. I would love to look at the biomechanics of that.”
The center’s summer internship doesn’t just give undergraduates an opportunity for research. The students stay busy with the care of the horses and the upkeep of the farm. “On a daily basis, we wake up and feed the horses. The mares get an ultrasound to see what day they are on their reproductive cycle to determine when to breed them. We also do foal handling in the afternoons,” said Pagano. “Many people think horse life is glamorous, but it is actually a lot of grunt work, too – moving manure, repairing fences, and other maintenance issues to make sure these girls can live the best life possible and produce the best babies too.”
Even as an undergraduate, Pagano and the other interns are actively involved in the medical and scientific procedures at the center – from the birth of foals to assisting in ultrasounds, muscle and uterine biopsies, and glucose testing. Pagano will use the muscle biopsy samples for her summer research project evaluating the impact of resveratrol – a plant compound found in red wine – on the horses’ microRNA. The data collection is not complete yet and will need to be analyzed. “What I hope to find is that the resveratrol either up regulates or down regulates the microRNAs that are involved in the metabolic functions of the body. I don’t expect resveratrol to reverse obesity, but potentially it could be a weight loss supplement to improve glucose tolerance, absorption of insulin, and the overall metabolism of the horse.”
