College of Veterinary Medicine sees first ever graduate Colton Nelson
Colton Nelson made history this spring as he became USU’s College of Veterinary Medicine’s first-ever graduate.
Nelson, a Vermont native, came to USU after earning a bachelor’s degree in environmental sciences with a minor in chemistry from St. Michael’s College. He had been searching for research opportunities when he found USU’s new veterinary medicine school.
Nelson said that what drew him to USU was the lab and working environment.
“It’s been very awesome here,” Nelson said.
Nelson came in contact with Mirella Meyer-Ficca, associate professor in animal, dairy and veterinary sciences. He was interested in the research Meyer-Ficca was leading in regard to toxicology, epigenetics and reproductive studies.
“He was just such a nice person. He met everyone in the lab. I think everyone felt he would be a good fit to join us,” Meyer-Ficca said.
Three years since starting his master’s, Nelson has become a trailblazer. This week, he will graduate as the first student to complete the master of biomedical sciences program, housed in the Veterinary Clinical and Life Sciences Department. His research focused on reproductive aging, a growing field of interest as more people delay parenthood into their 30s and 40s.
Working under the mentorship of Ralph G. Meyer, department head and professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine, Nelson studied how aging in men affects sperm quality.
Specifically, Nelson looked at nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, or NAD, a key metabolite and coenzyme that plays a crucial role in DNA and cellular repair.
“My hypothesis was that with declining NAD levels, you would see increased DNA damage in the sperm,” Nelson said.
While most of the lab work was done using mice, Nelson was also able to analyze a small number of human samples. The team collaborated with a clinician from the University of Washington, comparing NAD levels and DNA damage in blood and sperm samples.
Instead of moving on after his master’s degree, Nelson is staying at USU. He will be pursuing a doctorate degree in the same lab, aiming to explore NAD’s influence on a wider range of reproductive functions.
“He also, together with two other graduate students in the lab, helped write a review article that was published last year. He went on a meet at an international conference last year. He published his first article as a co-author last year, and now he’s continuing to study what processes kind of are impaired when NAD is low. Right now, he’s looking at some analysis with a new strain that potentially can show us if the mitochondria has some defects or if there’s too much oxidative stress in there,” Meyer-Ficca said.
“I’m pretty open on whether I stay in academia or whether I go into industry,” Nelson said, when asked about his future plans.
If he got the choice, however, he said he would stay in academia.
“I just want to do research. I think it’s really cool, and there’s always new techniques to learn. I’ve learned so much here. It’’s actually incredible to think where I started two years ago and where I am now knowledge-wise in my field. It’s kind of incredible, but there’s still always so much more to learn,” Nelson said.
“He is just a very, very nice person. I think everyone in our team really likes Colton and think he has gotten to be just an integral part of our lab family. So, it’s a pleasure to work with him,” Meyer-Ficca said.
According to a statement by Meyer in Utah State Today, USU’s biomedical sciences program now includes seven graduate students.
“The College of Veterinary Medicine is looking forward to graduating many more master’s, and hopefully, also its first doctor of biomedical science in the future,” Meyer said.