Animal Science is fortunate to have dedicated and talented professional staff that assists our faculty in their research and programs. We would like to take the opportunity to let you get to know them. Today we will meet Juan Cantet.
Questions
Who are the team of faculty you work with and what is the primary research areas performed by you in the lab?
I work in the Nutritional Physiology Lab of Dr. Agustin Rius. The main objective of the Lab is focused on investigating nutrition and intestinal physiology in ruminants. In recent years, the laboratory has aimed to have a better understanding of how certain stressors, in particular heat stress, affect the intestinal membrane structurally and functionally, at tissue, cellular and molecular levels.
What lead you to your research interest and what is your favorite procedure to do in the lab?
Since I was a little child, I was attracted to nature and biology. I studied Veterinary Medicine because I was fascinated about how the organism works. Since my undergraduate studies, I have been interested in Animal Nutrition, Dairy Production, and Ruminal Metabolism. A year after I graduated, I met a great team in the School of Agriculture of the University of Buenos Aires, in Argentina, with which I could achieve my doctoral degree. I love working in the lab, but also to be in contact with farm animals, especially calves and dairy cows.
What is the best part of your job?
I believe that to do research you need to have curiosity about how things happen or function, to identify problems and try to solve them or improve inefficient procedures. I think that the best part of my job is when I can share my experience, my results, and (why not) my doubts with others.
What is your favorite activity outside of lab/work that makes Friday a day to look forward to each week?
I came from Argentina, South América to USA almost two years ago, so every day my family and I discover something new. With my wife, María Inés , and our three kids (Fran, Lucia and Pilar) we love the outdoor life. We usually to go to parks in Knoxville, cook barbecue, play tennis and rest under the trees. Also, we go to the Smoky Mountains and enjoy the beautiful landscape as much as we can.