Graduate Students

Taylor Fielden

(Graduated Fall'07)

M.S. student, associated with the Center for Wildlife Health

Email: gfielden@utk.edu

Taylor Fielden is a Graduate Research Assistant working on a Master’s degree in the Center for Wildlife Health in the Laboratory of Prof. C.A. Speer.  He earned a B.S. in the Biological Sciences with a concentration in Microbiology from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville in the Spring of 2005.  

Taylor’s thesis work involves the use of the Flow Cytometry Method (FCM) developed in the Speer Lab to detect antibodies that bind surface antigens of the etiological agent of Johne’s disease - Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP).  Johne’s disease can devastate an infected herd with a drastic loss in overall health and production and is a suspected cause of Crohn’s disease in humans.  Currently, the FCM test has been validated in Cattle and Taylor is expanding the testing to various other species including, sheep, goats and wild ruminants.  Application of this test to several species will enable wildlife managers and farmers to practice effective management techniques and prevent herd infection and eventual dissemination of the disease. 

 When Taylor is not pippeting his heart away in the lab he enjoys competing in distance running events, hiking the Appalachians, outdoor photography, frisbee golfing, and reading about political happenings.