Web Resources

While hemoparasites kill some rhinos, others show no signs of disease.

Laura Stokes-Greene wanted to find out more.

So Stokes-Greene, an Ohio State vet student, sought out two grants (including one through the College of Veterinary Medicine), wrote a plan to identify the parasites, and set off for a summer in Indonesia, where she spent about two months studying rhinoceros at the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary.

Stokes-Greene worked alongside six Indonesian vet students, collecting blood samples from about 230 animals, including cattle, sheep, goats, and elephants. "The idea was to identify what kind of parasites were in the animals."

Then, she compared those parasites to the ones found in the rhinos.

The verdict on the parasites is still out: A veterinarian in the Netherlands is investigating Stokes-Greene's results in depth.

Whatever the result, Stokes-Greene says, "It was great on so many levels."

“I always knew I wanted to be a vet. The fact that I'm here is really exciting to me”
—Future veterinarian Laura Stokes-Greene

The project itself was an invaluable experience: As primary investigator of the study, Stokes-Greene called all the shots.

"It was such a great learning experience, to be the one who has to make the decisions," she says. (She encourages all students who are interested in research to check with their colleges and advisors to find out how they can get funding.)

It was also a great adventure.

"It's important to see the rest of the world," she says. "The way they do surgery is totally different than the way we do it here."

"I never thought I would end up in Indonesia."

Stokes-Greene, who is originally from New York, knew she wanted to come to Ohio State the moment she set foot on campus, she says.

"I always knew I wanted to be a vet," she says. "The fact that I'm here is really exciting to me."

(text: University Marketing Communications images: Laura Stokes-Greene)

Top of page