Students in SUNY Cobleskill Ag & Tech’s Department of Animal & Natural Sciences have completed a hands-on learning project, preserving and assembling an entire cow skeleton, complete with internal organs, to be used as an educational model.
According to a news release from the college, the project began when a polled miniature Hereford cow, known as “Old Cow,” was donated to the college by Thomas and Kimberly Tarvis in memory of Kimberly’s mother, Margaret M. Tarvis.
A student team, including Amelia Moyer, Alex Empet, Timothy Blesy, Ethan Miller, Jiles Coble and Lucy Pitoniak, spent more than 250 hours on the project, led by Kimberly Tarvis, who is a faculty adviser.
“Together, they carefully prepared, cleaned, preserved and reassembled the skeleton using a combination of traditional and modern preservation techniques,” the release stated. “From humane processing and organ preservation to bone cleaning, whitening and sealing, each step was completed with scientific precision and respect for the animal.”
The result is a full-scale teaching model that allows students to study bovine anatomy in detail, at a fraction of the cost of purchasing a comparable model, the release stated. The estimated savings to the college totals between $50,000 and $75,000, thanks to donated materials and volunteer support.
The project also contributed to the local community. All meat from the animal was donated to the First Baptist Church Food Distribution Center in Cobleskill, according to the release.
“This project gave our students a rare opportunity to learn bovine anatomy through direct, hands-on experience that simply can’t be replicated in a textbook,” Kimberly Tarvis said. “Watching them work with such care and dedication to honor Old Cow and create something meaningful for future students has been deeply rewarding, and I am proud to see how my family’s love for this animal continues to teach and inspire.”
The completed skeleton, mounted on a custom-built base, “now stands as both a teaching resource and a tribute to the students’ dedication, to the people who inspired them, and to Old Cow herself,” the release stated.