While studying for a degree in Zoology, Renee Norred was also a student worker in the OSU Department of Environmental and Molecular Toxicology, where she learned to make slides. She became so adept at it, that when she graduated, she was able to get a position at the Oregon Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (OVDL).
In her thirteen years as a histology technician at OVDL, Renee has created slides from all kinds of samples. She has processed everything from elephant skin and alligator teeth to apples and croissants. “The croissants came from researchers in food science who wanted to determine the fat content,” she says.
Most commonly, Renee prepares slides from biopsies and pieces of tissue sent by veterinarians. She embeds them in paraffin, creating small squares that are placed in a machine where a razor blade slices off a very thin strip. Renee moves the strip into a water bath, then dips a slide under it, perfectly placing the strip on top. The slides she creates get sent to pathologists for diagnosis of disease.
