The course also re-introduced Raymer to horses, which she rode briefly as a child and now studies in the lab. Now, she is analyzing how to best optimize in-vitro cultivation techniques for protozoans of the equine hindgut for her thesis project. Put more plainly, this research attempts to determine the ideal growing conditions for bacteria in the intestines of horses. If Raymer can establish a protocol that works, it can be used in future experiments.

Alongside other researchers, Raymer is working on UD’s Equine Microbiome Project under the supervision of Amy Biddle, associate professor of animal science.

“Dr. Biddle immediately welcomed me into her lab,” Raymer said. “I started going to lab meetings and then slowly I got more involved in projects before deciding to do my own.”

“The opportunity to participate in undergraduate research gives UD students a chance to understand what really goes into the research process,” Biddle said. “Many students are unable to persevere through the tedium, complexity or inevitable failure that is part of doing research. But then there are students like Rory, who discover that they actually thrive in the ambiguity of scientific inquiry.”

A few times a month Raymer pays a visit to UD’s Webb Farm to gather samples of horse feces for her experiment. Once she collects the sample, it is placed inside a jar, which contains a candle to soak up oxygen and create an anaerobic environment.

Raymer then brings the samples back to the lab to start her cultures, which require time that she somehow manages to find amidst her many other UD commitments. In addition to her Spanish minor, Raymer is also pursuing a One Health certificate.

“One Health is a health philosophy that states that human, animal and environmental health are inextricably connected, and it’s a concept that I hold to be true,” Raymer said.

She was first introduced to one health as a second-year student; Raymer jumped at the opportunity to add another merit to her collection.

Raymer is also an Honors College student, pursuing an Honors Degree with Distinction. When she isn’t tutoring students or reminiscing about her study abroad in Rome, she serves as the vice president of the Animal Science Club and gives tours to prospective students as an Ag Ambassador.

“I love sharing my passion for our college with other people,” Raymer said. “Sometimes, I’ll go on tours with people in other majors; I get to learn about how incredible the other majors in our college are, and then simultaneously brag about how incredible the pre-vet major is.”