Summer Research Comes To A Close

The time has finally come for the research team to go their seperate ways and enjoy the rest of summer. We spent the last couple of days isolating DNA and protein from our samples. A few antibiotic resistance tests were conducted. We performed a Kirby Bauer test to determine the effectiveness of various concentrations of Iodine and Didecyl Dimethyl Ammonium Chloride retrieved from a serial dilution. Our control was Dairyland Brand, CHG Teat Dip. We are confident that our research has improved the efficiency and operational procedure for Ayer Dairy! 

The research team will meet again in the fall to finalize our poster and aspire to attend the 19th Undergraduate Research Symposium in the Chemical and Biological Sciences in Baltimore, Maryland. 

Stay tuned to hear more from the team in the fall! 

Thank you Ayers Brooks Goat Dairy, Taylor Hull, and her family who helped us along the way and allowed us this amazing opportunity! 

See you in the Fall! 

Here We Goat Again in the Lab !

Time to Analyze Our Samples 

                       The Elmira College research students are back at it on campus! They made their way back to campus last Friday and started analyzing their samples. We've been busy creating slides and recording the results. A few of the tests they have conducted are Eosin methylene blue agars (EMB) , Blood agars, Bile Esculin tests and a few others! We have already been able to give some feedback to the farms out in Vermont. The preliminary results have been able to improve conditions and there is already an increase in health for a few of the goats. 

                       We aspire to isolate some of the bacteria and perform DNA and protein analysis. We are feeling positive about the contributions we can make to the farms and the scientific field with our research!

Here are a few pictures of Cory, Melody, and Dr. Bezotte in the Lab:

Look at all the slides we've made! 

Cory hard at work analyzing slides and EMB plates!

Dr. Bezotte giving us her expert advice! Thank you again :) 

Melody adding samples to the Bile Esculin tubes (below). 

More updates soon to come! 

Day 3 in Vermont!

You Goat To Be Kidding! 

There was no kidding around on our third day in Vermont! We are acquiring many new skills, muscle from lifting goats, muscle from holding the goat in one place for samples, and more muscle! 

We've plated samples from a group of goats that have sore mouth and continued gathering samples from kids and their mothers! 

3 kids were born today and we were amazed to watch the doe give birth! We've sampled some milking machinery and we look forward to see the results tomorrow! 

We hope that with all our new skills and muscle..we will start a goat farm. Just kidding! 

Tomorrow we plan on analyzing the plates and devising a plan for future testing upon our return to campus. 

Stay tuned to read about the results  

"Smiling Goat" 

Kids from Day 1! 

Dr.Bezotte with the kissing goats!

"What is this small goat?"

Day 1 in Vermont!

Ayers Brook Goat Dairy in Vermont!

Welcomed us! 

Dr. Christine Bezotte, Cory Blanchard, and Melody Ribeiro have started a new research project at Elmira College! Cory and Melody are both upcoming seniors! They will travel to Vermont to research the goat microbiome. The first step of this project is to create a foundation. They will be sampling mother and kid goat samples and comparing their microbiome! 

We were able to have a tour of the facility and collect our first 3 samples from 2 kids and a doe! The kids were about 3 hours old when we sampled them! 

We've had the chance to bottle-fed the 2 kids and learn to operate milking machinery! 

These are just a few pictures from today. 

Can't wait to see what the farm has for us tomorrow :) 

They goat this!