Paige Tegeler, a master's candidate within the animal science graduate program, placed second in the Texas Tech University Graduate School's annual Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition, which took place on Thursday (Oct. 6) at the university's Student Union Building.

Each student in the contest was allowed to use one static PowerPoint slide to effectively explain their research in appropriate language to a non-specialist audience. A panel of judges from Texas Tech and the Lubbock community evaluated students.

“This was a university level competition with 58 graduate students competing,” said Clarissa Strieder-Barboza, Tegeler's advisor and an assistant professor within Davis College's Department of Veterinary Sciences. “Paige was the only master's student among nine other Ph.D. level students selected for the finals.”

Tegeler's presentation was titled, “Transcriptional profile and adipocyte metabolic function in intramuscular and subcutaneous adipose tissue in beef cattle.” 

Tegeler received her bachelor's degree in meat science last December from Texas Tech. The Huntsville, Texas native entered the animal science graduate program this semester. Prior to that accomplishment, she served as an undergraduate research assistant in Strieder-Barboza's laboratory. Strieder-Barboza has a joint appointment with Texas Tech's School of Veterinary Medicine. 

As an undergraduate research assistant, Tegeler received a Davis College mini grant for performing research in depot-specific differences in adipose tissues of beef cattle, which would later form the basis of her 3MT presentation.

Tegeler's project focuses on examining differences on the transcriptional profile and adipocyte metabolism in beef cattle. The hope is to better detail the mechanisms by which marbling and fatness develops in beef cattle. The goal is to identify cellular markers that could be targeted through nutritional and/or therapeutic strategies to enhance marbling, while limiting overall fatness in beef steers.

“Paige is one of the most motivated graduate students I have met,” said Strieder-Barboza. “She wants to follow an academic path for her career, and I think she's is on the right track.” Tegeler has already submitted two other abstracts for scientific meetings and is preparing her first manuscript for peer review publication.

CONTACT: Clarissa Strieder-Barboza, Assistant Professor, Department of Veterinary Sciences, Texas Tech University at (806) 834-3398 or cstriede@ttu.edu

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