Graduation 2015 prize-giving: PIC UK Award

Posted 1 October 2015

Two exceptional students received the PIC UK Award when they graduated from Harper Adams University at the end of September. 

Both Tilly Newby, 22, from Epping, Essex, and Naomi Evans, 23, from Cinderford, Gloucestershire, graduated with first-class honours degrees in Bioveterinary Science and received the PIC UK award  in recognition of the best pig-oriented dissertation or investigational project by a final year student.

Presenting the awards, senior lecturer Alan Stewart said: “This year the PIC award has been awarded individually to two exceptional students. Having completed her industrial placement at Fawley Farms, a large outdoor pig business in Dorset, award winner Tilly Newby successfully applied for a summer scholarship funded by AB Vista.  This provided an excellent opportunity to develop highly-technical laboratory skills including ICP - Mass Spectrometry, which contributed greatly to her investigational project. 

“Tilly studied the effect of Phytase on mineral digestibility in pigs and has since taken up a pig nutritionist position.

“Naomi undertook a very successful placement with West Point Vet Group studying dairy cows.  She, too, was successful in gaining a six-week summer scholarship funded by AB Vista, which gave her the opportunity to study the nutritional effect on gut immunology by measuring gene expression using Quantitative PCR techniques. 

“In her thesis, Naomi looked at the effect of Phytase on the immune function in the pig and is now studying to become a vet.  Naomi will graduate, BSc Bio-veterinary Science, with first class honours and has now commenced the Accelerated Veterinary Medicine course at the Royal Veterinary College, to become a veterinary surgeon.”