Former AQHA Youth Breaking Into Biomedical Engineering, Awarded With Research Grant
Courtney Hunter and Talkin Too Sweet. Photo courtesy of Jeff Kirkbride Photography.
By: Brittany Bevis
For University of Arkansas junior Courtney Hunter, chatting about three-part differentials, whole slide imaging microscopes, and classification of leukocytes, granulocytes, and monocytes is just another day in the life of a Biomedical Engineering major. Recently, this industrious young lady was presented with a prestigious SURF (Student Undergraduate Research Fellowship) grant to continue her research with a new microscope that’s been designed to streamline diagnostic testing for different diseases.
However, many of our readers will remember her accomplishments outside of the biology lab, most notably a 2012 Reserve Congress Championship in Novice Youth Trail 14-18 with her horse Talkin Too Sweet. Before she developed an interest in bettering healthcare, Courtney was an active AQHA youth exhibitor who competed under the guidance of the Saul family as well as Mark Dunham.
“I started showing horses when I was 11 years old,” Courtney says. “My sister and I showed in the local all-breed shows and some Arkansas Quarter Horse shows. The Saul family played an important role in integrating my family into the Quarter Horse industry. We started branching out to the regional shows in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Tennessee.”
In the beginning, Courtney competed in Showmanship, Horsemanship, and Hunter Under Saddle. After attending her first AQHA Youth World Show in August of 2008, she was eager to expand her repertoire of classes to include Trail, Hunt Seat Equitation, and Western Pleasure under the guidance of Mark Dunham.
Courtney working with a microscope in the lab. Photo courtesy of Elizabeth DeMeo, The University of Arkansas.
The most memorable title she achieved during her youth career was a Reserve Congress Championship in Novice Youth Trail 14-18 in 2012 with Talkin Too Sweet, a 2005 sorrel gelding named Newman.
“It was one of the first big accomplishments of my horse career,” she says. “Mark, my dad, and I were probably the happiest people in the Celeste Center when I saw my score. The reason this title is so memorable is because of the hard work that went along with it. My goal for the 2012 show season was to place in the Top 5 in that class. Mark and I traveled to shows all year to prepare for the Congress. It was just icing on the cake to be second!”
Towards the end of her youth career, Courtney also campaigned a junior horse that was bred and raised by her father. The Publication, aka “Chuck,” is a 2009 gelding by A Dream Remembered.
“My next most memorable show experience would be when I made the Trail finals at the 2013 AQHYA World Show with Newman,” she says. “Since I experienced my first World Show in 2008, making the finals in any class seemed like a far-away dream. This was my last World Show as a youth, and I knew I had the horse and skills to get to the finals this time. It was super exciting to see that hard work pay off, yet again, and close out my youth career on a high note!”
Courtney continued to show horses until April 2014, the end of her freshman year in college, when she decided to take a break from the show pen to focus on her studies at the University of Arkansas. Currently, Courtney majors in Biomedical Engineering and plans to graduate in May 2017. After graduation, she hopes to attend medical school and continue with her research.
Photo courtesy of Elizabeth DeMeo, The University of Arkansas.
Recently, Courtney was presented with a SURF grant for her work with a whole slide imaging microscope that she helped design in conjunction with her research mentor, Dr. Timothy Muldoon, and a graduate student, Josh Hutcheson. “We will use this microscope to identify and classify white blood cells in a three-part differential,” she says. “The three subtypes of white blood cells differentiated in this test are leukocytes, granulocytes, and monocytes. Varying concentrations of any of these subtypes can indicate different levels of disease. This work will develop a time efficient way to classify these cells and assist pathologists for streamlining routine diagnostic tests.”
Courtney’s introduction to this exciting field came from her interest in healthcare technology and its practical real-world applications. “Biomedical engineers are responsible for developing products designed for bettering healthcare,” she says. “It’s the merge between biology and engineering. I think the healthcare technology developed through biomedical engineering could also benefit the equine health industry. So many devices are carried over from human health to animal health, just a little bit bigger!”
Courtney also sees how the life lessons she learned while showing horses can be applied in an academic setting. “I still experience the competitive drive and work ethic my parents, trainer, and horses taught me,” she says. “I apply these qualities to my schoolwork, research, and daily life. I guess you could say I’m competing in a new show ring. I do plan to return to the Quarter Horse industry once I finish school and develop a career. I’m now considered an Amateur, so I will return to a whole new division!”
Photo courtesy of Jeff Kirkbride Photography.
“Growing up in the horse industry definitely molded me into the person I am today. With the support of my family and my extended horse family, I grew emotionally and intellectually. I owe so much of my work ethic and competitive drive to horse showing. Mark Dunham and his family are now like a second family to me. I made so many friends through horse showing, both adults and youth. The people in Mark’s barn are still great friends. They say it takes a village. I can’t wait to get back into showing!”
Know an AQHA, APHA, or ApHC competitor who has achieved a notable accomplishment? Let us know and they might be featured right here on EquineChronicle.com. Email b.bevis@equinechronicle.com for more details.
