PROJECT ABSTRACT This is a competing renewal application of the highly successful UC Davis T35 STAR (Students Training in Advanced Research). The program has trained 300 DVM students over the last 25 years. Students are encouraged and mentored to submit hypothesis-driven research proposals during the first and second years of their veterinary training program. The objective of the STAR program is to provide DVM students stipend support to join experienced training faculty members and their productive research teams in 10 weeks of structured research mentoring and hands-on modern biomedical research. The program emphasizes 5 fundamental research objectives: 1) how to gain knowledge and understanding of one’s field of science; 2) how to formulate a scientifically sound and testable hypothesis; 3) identify specific objectives, conduct control methodical experiments, and develop technical expertise; 4) analyze results, derive conclusions, propose additional experiments, and anticipate new directions; and 5) convey research findings succinctly and convincingly to others. Responsible conduct of research and scientific rigor are key components of the training plan. The STAR program has consistently received 48 applicants annually, with 15 positions supported by the NIH T35 mechanism for students interested in participating in NIH-relevant research. Students with broad interests ranging from molecular and cellular medicine to biomedical engineering, vector-borne diseases, and epidemiology will be trained. The program maintains 44 faculty trainers with proven successes in undergraduate, predoctoral, and postdoctoral training. Thus, students have access to research projects conducted not only on a variety of lab animal species (C. elegans, zebrafish, rodents, non-human primates) but also clinical research on companion and food animals and transdisciplinary “One Health” research experiences about disease emergence and transmission at the interface of animals, humans, and their