Don’t go bacon my heart: Swine studies amidst Covid-19

Written by Brandi Feehan
Hey all you posh pigs and piglets! Even with social distancing, stay at home orders and travel restrictions, The Lee Lab has been keeping busy, and I’m excited to introduce myself and share an update on my work. I joined The Lee Lab in January after rotating in the fall 2019 semester to find a good fit for my genetics PhD. I’m no stranger to KSU: I’ll be a triple crown K-State wildcat after my PhD! My passion for pigs and animal health research started in my undergraduate when I interned with Merck Animal Health. During my time at the research facility, I loved working with the pigs, and the experience fueled my enthusiasm to learn and support these animals.
Although I’m new to our lab, we already have some great news: Global Food Systems awarded The Lee Lab a grant to support my swine microbiome studies! So I’ve been lucky enough to be keeping busy collecting fecal samples. I know that doesn’t sound glamorous, but the pigs are adorable, and we are going to make some great investigations to support science surrounding swine production, digestive microbiomes and nutrient utilization. Going to see the pigs is the highlight of my weeks now that we’re home-bound (but let’s be honest the pigs are fun and cute so it’d probably be the highlight anyways). My 10 piggies are very rambunctious and curious; they love distracting me by chewing on my boots or randomly taking off running. Just writing about them has me grinning from ear to ear. Soon I’ll be done with collecting samples and onto lab work, but for now I’m counting down till I get to see my pigs again.
Stay safe everyone!