Grateful for the opportunity to share ideas in Expanding Horizons alongside an inspiring group of faculty pushing boundaries across disciplines

Big thanks to the UTK ORIED, AgResearch, & UTIA for investing in faculty development & fostering the next generation of research leadership.

Excited to share work from our team @UTIAg.👇

utianews.tennessee.edu/utia-researc...

We’re integrating host genetics, rumen epithelial biology, & microbiomes to better understand beef cattle feed efficiency.

This work is supported by the USDA National Institute of Food & Agriculture.
#NIFAimpacts

🏆We have a champion!🏆

The winner of Animal Science March Madness is:

🐴 Horses & Horsepower (Dr. Yanqiu Yang)

Thanks to everyone who made Animal Science March Madness a success!

16 Animals. 16 Faculty Programs. One Champion.

Animal Science March Madness - 🏆Championship Match! 🥇

Horses & Horsepower – Dr. Yanqiu Yang
vs
Laying Hen – Dr. Xiang Li

Who will win it all? VOTE HERE:

tiny.utk.edu/march-madness

Animal Science March Madness - #Final4

Laying Hen – Dr. Xiang Li
vs
Spotted Salamander – Dr. Daniel Mathew

Which advances to the next round? VOTE HERE:
tiny.utk.edu/march-madness

Animal Science March Madness - #Final4

Horses and Horsepower – Dr. Yanqiu Yang
vs
Bearded Vulture – Dr. Blair Downey

Which advances to the next round? VOTE HERE:
tiny.utk.edu/march-madness

Animal Science March Madness - #elite8

Dung Beetle – Dr. Katie Mason
vs
Spotted Salamander – Dr. Daniel Mathew

Which advances to the next round? VOTE HERE:
tiny.utk.edu/march-madness

Animal Science March Madness - #elite8

Laying Hen – Dr. Xiang Li
vs
Ribeye – Dr. Kelly Vierck

Which advances to the next round? VOTE HERE:
tiny.utk.edu/march-madness

Animal Science March Madness - ELITE 8

Bearded Vulture – Dr. Blair Downey
vs
Yakalo – Dr. Neal Schrick

Which advances to the next round? VOTE HERE:
tiny.utk.edu/march-madness

Animal Science March Madness - ELITE 8

Horses and Horsepower – Dr. Yanqiu Yang
vs
Archerfish – Dr. Jennie Ivey

Which advances to the next round? VOTE HERE:
tiny.utk.edu/march-madness

Animal Science March Madness - Final Matches of the Sweet 16!

Spotted Salamander – Dr. Daniel Mathew
vs
Great Horseshoe Bat – Dr. Saulo Zoca

Which advances to the next round? VOTE HERE:
tiny.utk.edu/march-madness

Animal Science March Madness - Final Matches of the Sweet 16!

Kangaroo – Dr. Kyle McLean
vs
Ribeye – Dr. Kelly Vierck

Which advances to the next round? VOTE HERE:
tiny.utk.edu/march-madness

Animal Science March Madness — Matches 5 and 6 are here!

Match 6 is live:

Dung Beetle – Dr. Katie Mason
vs
Guinea Pig – Dr. Troy Rowan

Which advances to the next round? VOTE HERE:
tiny.utk.edu/march-madness

Animal Science March Madness — Matches 5 and 6 are here!

Match 5 is live:

Laying Hen - Dr. Xiang Li
vs
Indian muntjac – Dr. Jon Beever

Which advances to the next round? VOTE HERE:
tiny.utk.edu/march-madness

Animal Science March Madness — Matches 3 and 4 are here!

Match 3 is live:

Archerfish – Dr. Jennie Ivey
vs
Anglo-Nubian Goat – Dr. Liz Eckelkamp

Which advances to the next round? VOTE HERE:
tiny.utk.edu/march-madness

Animal Science March Madness — Matches 3 and 4 are here!

Match 4 is live:

Yakalo – Dr. Neal Schrick
vs
Broiler Chickens – Dr. Jun Lin

Which advances to the next round? VOTE HERE:
tiny.utk.edu/march-madness

Animal Science March Madness — Round 1 Begins!

Match 2 is live:

Bearded Vulture — Dr. Blair Downey
vs
Okapi — Dr. Phillip Myer

Which advances to the next round? VOTE HERE:
tiny.utk.edu/march-madness

Animal Science March Madness — Round 1 Begins!
Match 1 is live:

🐺 Mutant (Chernobyl) Grey Wolf — Dr. Elizabeth Shepherd
vs
🐴 Horses & Horsepower — Dr. Yanqiu Yang

Which advances to the next round? VOTE HERE:
tiny.utk.edu/march-madness

Animal Science March Madness | Department of Animal Science 6 Animals. 16 Faculty Programs. One Champion. March Madness isn’t just for basketball. This spring, the Department of Animal Science is launching the 3rd An ...

Animal Science March Madness starts March 9!

16 Animals. 16 Faculty Programs. One Champion.

Follow along and vote for your favorites!

#UTIAg #UTAgResearch #AnimalScience

tiny.utk.edu/march-madness

Complete genome sequence of Ligilactobacillus animalis strain NP51 | Microbiology Resource Announcements The genus Ligilactobacillus was established following recent reclassification of the Lactobacillus genus (1). Accordingly, the probiotic strain previously designated Lactobacillus acidophilus NPC 747 ...

Excited to share Katie Feldmann's publication on the first complete genome sequence of Ligilactobacillus animalis NP51. Having a fully closed genome provides a useful reference for future probiotic functional/applied work in beef cattle.

journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...

Application of the solvent effect on bioluminescent reporter bacteria as a real-time membrane toxicity assay Bioluminescent bioreporters are widely used across various scientific disciplines due to the well-characterized bacterial bioluminescence mechanism. However, solvent-induced membrane perturbations may...

Excited to share our article on testing molecular mechanisms using a constructed #bioluminescent reporter. The fundamental knowledge gained from this work now underpins our research into developing beneficial microbes for #rumenhealth and #probiotics.

go.shr.lc/49bKye6

🎉 2026: Vol-Powered. Microbe-Driven. Impact-Focused! 🎉

✨ Feed efficiency
✨ #Microbiome - host interactions
✨ Training future leaders in #AnimalScience

Grateful for the people & partnerships that power our #land-grant mission.

#GoVols! 🍊

#UTAgResearch #UTIAg

🎶On the 12th day of #microbes, the #rumen gave to me...

Happy holiday wishes to you and your family!

🎶On the 11th day of #microbes, the #rumen gave to me...
 
Rumen Fluid Metabolites!
 
Rumen fluid metabolomes differ in steers of varying feed efficiencies, providing insight on contributing factors in feed efficiency.

doi.org/10.1007/s113...

🎶On the 10th day of #microbes, the #rumen gave to me...

Protozoa, which can influence feed efficiency!

Rumen protozoa community diversity has been suggested to be associated with feed efficiency in #beef steers!

doi.org/10.3390/ani1...

🎶On the 9th day of #microbes, the #rumen gave to me...

Microbes important for growth!

We demonstrated how the action of growth promotion supplements & different concentrations of protein impact the rumen microbiome.

doi.org/10.1371/jour...

🎶On the 8th day of #microbes, the #rumen gave to me...

Microbes important for fescue toxicosis!

Our group has shown that clover isoflavones reduced microbes associated with #fescue toxicosis.

doi.org/10.1093/tas/...
doi.org/10.3390/data...

🎶On the 7th day of #microbes, the #rumen gave to me...

Biomarkers for feed efficiency!

Flavobacteriia and Pantothenate may potentially serve as novel biomarkers to predict or evaluate feed efficiency in #Angus steers.

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

🎶On the 6th day of #microbes, the #rumen gave to me...

Patience!

Following significant dietary changes, the rumen #microbiome can take up to 9 weeks to stabilize.

nature.com/articles/s41...

🎶On the 5th day of #microbes, the #rumen gave to me...

Gut microbe changes during pregnancy!

Our group uncovered key changes in the rumen microbiome during pregnancy & their correlation to previously established feed efficiency status!

doi.org/10.3389/fani...