This Saturday, November 4th, the Utah State University School of Veterinary Medicine is hosting a seminar with the theme “Animals in Education” which will showcase the latest research about human/animal interactions and how they can be used in education. The seminar will feature Professor Aubrey Fine from Cal Poly University speaking on “The Human/Animal Interaction Uses”.
Many are familiar with animals being used for therapy or how even petting your dog can lower blood pressure, but according to Sherrie Petty, research assistant in USU’s College of Agriculture, research will be revealed how, for example, therapy animals can help children become better readers and other educational applications.
“We’re really excited to have Dr. Fine come. He’s a pioneer of animal-assisted intervention. He’s been involved since the 1970’s when he first became a professional counselor and he speaks all over the world. So it’s a real great opportunity to have him come,” Petty said.
She was a guest on KVNU’s For the People program on Wednesday and said the seminar will be of special interest for mental health professionals and for those in psychology and social work areas. But it is open to the community as well. It will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Ag Science building on campus. For ticket information visit <a href=”https://www.eventbrite.com/e/opening-up-a-new-frontier-human-animal-interventions-in-education-tickets-37748868883?aff=es2″ target=”_blank”>usu.edu</a>.