Paige Tegeler, a master's candidate within the animal science graduate program, placed second in the Texas Tech University Graduate School's 2023 Graduate Poster Competition under the Biological Life Sciences II category. 

The annual event, which program officials note was the largest competition in the graduate school's history, took place on Thursday (Mar. 30) at the university's Student Union Building.

Tegeler's poster presentation was titled, “Is the anatomical location of adipose tissue of importance? Evidence of transcriptome and cellular function differences in intramuscular and subcutaneous adipose tissue of beef cattle.” 

Her research broadly focuses on addressing transcriptional and functional differences among intramuscular, subcutaneous and visceral fat in beef cattle with the major goal of improving meat quality. Clarissa Strieder-Barboza, an assistant professor within Davis College's Department of Veterinary Sciences, serves as Tegeler's advisor.

Tegeler received her bachelor's degree in meat science from Texas Tech in 2021. Prior to that accomplishment, the Huntsville, Texas native 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. Her efforts centered 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.

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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