NOTE:  As of 2/26 this event is almost sold-out.

Each year since 1973, top mushers and dogs have come together for Alaska's Iditarod, a 1,000-mile race through some of the toughest terrain Mother Nature has to offer. This challenging endurance test provides an invaluable opportunity to learn more about animal physiology and performance – something Oregon State University’s College of Veterinary Science animal researcher Erica McKenzie knows well.  She’s been working with sled dogs for the past six years and has been part of three Iditarods, studying what makes these canine athletes so successful at what they do, and so distinct from other dogs.

Join McKenzie at the upcoming Science Pub, "The Toughest Race on Earth: The Science Behind the Iditarod" on Monday, March 1 at the Three Creeks Brewery in Sisters, to discover what makes these canine athletes so successful at what they do and so distinct from other dogs. 

A clinical faculty member of the OSU College of Veterinary Medicine, McKenzie received her veterinary degree from Murdoch University in Western Australia in 1996. She completed a residency and Ph.D. in large animal internal medicine at the University of Minnesota in 2003, focusing on nutritional and pharmacological methods of managing muscle disease in thoroughbred horses. She then completed a 2-year post-doctoral fellowship in the Equine Athletic Performance Laboratory at Oklahoma State University where she was involved in studying the respiratory and musculoskeletal systems of exercising horses and Alaskan sled dogs. Currently, she practices large animal medicine at OSU, where she teaches students, and pursues research projects involving horses, alpacas and racing Alaskan sled dogs.

McKenzie is a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.

This Science Pub takes place from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.  Doors open at 5:30 p.m. for networking and food and beverage service, and the presentation begins at 6:00 p.m.  Science Pubs are sponsored by OSU-Cascades and the OSU Alumni Association.  Science Pubs are free and open to community members and OSU alumni. To view the full series, visit www.OSUcascades.edu/sciencepubs.   Participants are invited to RSVP on www.osualum.com.  For information call 541-737-2351 or 877-678-2837 (toll free) or e-mail osualum@oregonstate.edu.