SciGirls 2 2014: Day 4-Novey Animal Hospital

Another busy day for SciGirls 2 is in the books! SciGirls 2 started the day off by heading to the Novey Animal Hospital; Novey staff welcomed us and made it known that they think SciGirls are PURRR-fect :) :) :) Next, SciGirls split into three separate groups and toured three different aspects of an animal hospital, reception, procedures, and different tests animals undergo. We learned how important reception is for an animal practice; they are accountants, greeters, a shoulder to cry on, medical record recorders, and so much more! The girls analyzed different animal records and even learned how to balance a day's monetary records---our girls are math wizards! The girls also got an opportunity to watch a female feline get spayed and see a canine get prepped for knee surgery. We also learned about nutrition and learned how veterinarians determine which antibiotic to prescribe when a pet has a bacterial infection. My personal favorite part of the day was seeing bacteria cultures from samples that were taken from the girls on Monday. Even though the girls washed their hands right before the sample was taken, there were still a LOT of bacteria on the cultures today---maybe we will include hand washing 101 as part of our camp next year :)We also saw the different types of parasites that our pets can get, heartworms, tapeworms, ringworms, etc...Girls tested blood serums samples of different pets to see if they were unfortunately affected by heartworms. After lunch in the vans and a quick break in the lobby, SciGirls got back to work. First, Mr. Carlos Villa showed our girls how to use spheros balls. Spheros balls are controlled with ipads; ask your girls for more details! Girls learned the basics and got a little practice in before they extracted DNA from their cheek cells. In case you were wondering what your daughters' DNA looks like, go ahead and check it out...it's hanging around their necks. After DNA extraction and condensing, the girls got back into their spheros ball teams to challenge each other to a game of tag; the competition was fierce during all five rounds; a few groups basked in their victories. Just like Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, today was another unique learning experience. We look forward to tomorrow at the Havana rock quarry and Wakulla Springs.