Where will the future take you?
That’s a hard question to answer, especially for high school students. UConn’s Pre-College Summer can help students figure it out. Offered during Sessions 1 and 3, our Pre-Vet: Animal Health and Veterinary Science course provides students the opportunity to utilize Mystic Aquarium in Mystic, CT as a living laboratory. This hands-on course will have students learning from and working alongside aquarium research scientists, veterinarians, veterinary technicians and animal rescue staff. Students will learn through case studies of animals at Mystic Aquarium including beluga whales, penguins, seals, reptiles and fishes.
Primary areas of study will include:
- Genetics: the importance of genetic diversity in marine animal populations
- Hematology: how the components of blood can be utilized to gain information on an animal’s health
- Microbiology: how common bacteria affect marine animals and their health
- Pathology and Anatomy: effects of disease, through participation in a detailed necropsy (animal autopsy)
Students will have the opportunity to:
- Learn about the wide variety of careers both at Mystic Aquarium and beyond in animal health and veterinary science, from staff in all stages of their careers.
- Work with the animal rescue team to learn how we care for and what we learn from, the seals that strand along the New England coastline.
- Participate in behind the scenes tours of Mystic Aquarium to see where the animal care and veterinary staff work every day.
- Tour the state of the art Wiederhold Animal Care Center at Mystic Aquarium.
- Tour the Mystic Aquarium research labs located at UConn, Avery Point.
Transportation: The course involves frequent off-site visits to Mystic Aquarium and the UConn, Avery Point Campus. Supervised transportation is provided by the program and is included in the course cost and fees.
Note: Parents/guardians and students will be required to submit Mystic Aquarium participation forms prior to attending this course.
2020 Pre-College Summer Dates:
Session 1: June 28 – July 4
Session 2: July 5 – July 11
Session 3: July 12 – July 18
Session 4: July 19 – July 25
Join our mailing list to stay updated. 
