Animal Health Lab Internship

Does Lab work excite you??? Then come join the CO Department of Agriculture's Animal Health Lab internship this summer 2024!!!

The Animal Health Lab work unit exists to provide accurate, timely, efficient laboratory services and logistical support to the Division of Animal Health, veterinary practitioners, animal health programs, regulatory programs, and agencies. The laboratory also provides a means of conducting animal disease diagnosis and surveillance activities that facilitate the movement and marketing of livestock.

As a department, the Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) will help students gain experience in a government non-regulatory setting with exciting and hands-on work in a professional setting. We are proud to say that many previous interns leave with a good experience and future careers both within and outside of government.

Project Goal(s) or Objective(s):

To offer an opportunity for a student interested in the fields of biology, microbiology, immunology, animal science, etc. to work in a BSL-2 laboratory over the summer. This intern will assist and learn about sample and process flow in a regulatory laboratory and gain insights into quality assurance and how to test livestock samples for various regulatory diseases.

Description of the project work:

This intern will assist with receiving and unpacking samples for regulatory testing which come in via FedEx and UPS. You will be trained on handling potentially infectious blood, fecal and preputial samples from cattle, horses, pigs, sheep goats, etc.  You will enter samples into the Laboratory Information Management System.  You will assist in testing samples for various serological tests including Brucellosis, Bovine Leukosis, Equine Infectious Anemia, Small Ruminant Lentivirus, etc. This intern will learn quality assurance in a high throughput laboratory and interact with other staff with biology, microbiology and chemistry backgrounds.