< Previous NEW C OMER Q&A: ZYKEIV OUS W ALKER 71 Q: What is your first football memory? A: When I think of the game of football it’s really something special. My high school career was interesting because we made it to the Final Four three years in a row and we lost to the same team every year. I had my first college football game two weeks ago and it was special to be out there. It was a different stage, but it was a stage I had always dreamed of being on. Q: Who is your football idol? A: I watch Aaron Donald a lot. He’s one of the best defensive linemen in the league. I study him a lot. I’m a positive person and I try to stay humble and more to myself. Because of that, I think my personality gravitates more towards Aaron Donald. Q: Why did you ultimately choose Auburn? A: With Marlon Davidson and Derrick Brown graduating, I knew that there was a big opportunity to come in and get some playing time right away to help my team. Coach Garner is known for putting good defensive linemen in the league and he is a good man. He’s going to work you hard. But at the end of the day, he loves you and wants to put you in a place to take care of your family one day. I came here because this was a big opportunity for me and my family. I prayed about it and God led me here. Q: How has your transition to Auburn’s brand of football been? A: When we first started having fall camp, it was hard dealing with the heat and longer practices. After weeks went by, I started getting into great shape and hanging out with some of the veterans on the team. I developed a routine and started adjusting to things; now everything has really smoothed out for me. Q: Biggest lesson in fall camp? A: One thing I have learned since I’ve been back here is hard work and dedication pay off. In high school, you never had to go through fall camp or long meetings and long practices. I really have a new definition of hard work. Q: Has anyone on the team come out as a role model? A: I would say Big Kat Bryant. Big Kat is a huge leader for us. He tries his best to get us to know the plays and gets after us at practice to make sure we are being physical. He’s a great leader and he’s going to teach you and put you in a situation to have success on the field. Q: Biggest goal athletically and academically? A: Athletically, I want to work to become a starter and a role model on this team and help lead Auburn to championships. Academically, my first semester I made the Dean’s List so I want to keep my grades up and stay on track to graduate in three years. Q: What got you interested in studying business? A: I have always wanted to be a businessman. After football is over, I hope to own my own business and manage my own money. I’m a such a people-oriented person that owning a business where I can provide people with something to help them would be really fulfilling. Q: How have you been adjusting to life around Auburn? A: It’s a blessing for me. I come from a small family and I’m the only one that’s ever made it to a major college like this and I’m the second one to go to a D-1 school. Coming out of Ellaville (Georgia), a town with only one red light, I just thank God every day for the opportunity. Q: Favorite Auburn tradition? A: Whenever I think about Auburn traditions, I think about people rolling the trees at Toomer’s Corner. It’s really a special moment. I had the dream of playing college football since I was four years old. Riding by the trees after a win is truly a blessing. I’m living out my dream. Q: Favorite homecooked meal? A: I love my mom’s mac and cheese and homemade fried chicken. It’s the best soul food ever. Q: Do you have any hobbies and what do you do with free time? A: I use my off days to go home and hang out with my family. I just kick back and usually go fishing with everybody when I’m home. Q: How was your first home game experience as a Tiger? A: It was the best feeling ever. People say all the time that there is nothing like Friday nights and high school football. And that’s true. There is nothing like it. But Saturdays are something else. When I got out on the field for the first time, all I could do was look up and smile and thank God. It just felt good being able to hear the band and the crowd. It was truly a blessing. NEWCOMER Q&A BY WILLIAM FINNEY A UBURNTI G ERS.C O M ZYKEIVOUS WALKERAlabama Contract Sales, Inc. Auburn, Alabama P: 334.821.4500 www.alabamacontractsales.com COMMERCIAL • INDUSTRIAL • INSTITUTIONAL SIDES DRYWALL, INC. 1937 WHATLEY ROAD, BLDG. C |AUBURN, AL 36830 | OFFICE: (334) 826-3264 Capt Shaun Chaplin Phone: 334-844-4355 Email: sdc0039@auburn.edu ROTC BUSINESS FRIENDS WORKING FOR THE FUTURE OF AUBURN Approximately 9 people die and 1,000 are injured every day in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers. Sending or reading a text message takes your eyes off the roadway for 5 seconds. At 55 mph, that is the equivalent of driving the entire length of a football field with your eyes closed. No text is worth a life. LeeCountyDA.org Discipline Drives the Process Finding Value is the Art www.brightinvestmentsllc.com 570 Devall Drive Suite 303 | Auburn AL 334.321.2321 Auburn FB 20.indd 4Auburn FB 20.indd 48/17/20 11:39 AM8/17/20 11:39 AMUNIVERSITY NEW S 73 A bird can migrate hundreds of miles in a day unimpeded, but an average human can run for just 30 minutes and feel exhausted. An interdisciplinary team of researchers at Auburn is trying to determine why this is so, and they’re moving toward an answer with Auburn’s mobile mitochondria lab, deemed the MitoMobile. Before tackling those questions, though, the MitoMobile made its maiden voyage to Moscow, Idaho, last fall to study dairy cows’ milk production at the University of Idaho. The mobile lab allows scientists to travel the country to research bioenergetics, studying the difference in energy sources among certain animals and humans and ultimately pinpointing where they believe the answers to their questions lie—our mitochondria. Team members include professors and students from Auburn’s School of Kinesiology, the Department of Biological Sciences, and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Known as the powerhouse of the cell, mitochondria are responsible for releasing energy from food. The ways in which mitochondria do this for different species may answer ques- tions about energy sources. “The MitoMobile is a mobile laboratory where we can ac- tually measure bioenergetics in a variety of different species, including birds, mammals, insects, and reptiles. We collect the animals in the wild and we can isolate mitochondria,” said The study of mitochondria involves using fresh and live tissue, so researchers only have about two hours to work with the material. Having a lab on wheels allows the team to go out and collect material in a variety of locations, not just those areas that are within a few minutes of the permanent labs in Auburn. Wendy Hood, associate professor of biological scienc- es, went on the inaugural trip, as one of her former doctoral students is now working at the University of Idaho. “I’ve been interested in the energetic cost of lactation for a long time,” Hood said. “My former student had done a previous study in dairy cows where she found that there were effects on mitochondrial performance when lactating cows were under heat stress.” That stress oftentimes re- duces milk synthesis, so Hood performed mitochondrial measurements to further the research. The first project, Kavazis said, could provide infor- mation with implications for humans, too. “We can use the information for agricultural purposes and to potentially improve milk production in dairy cows, and use it as an experiment for female reproduction,” he said. “Moms who give birth and breastfeed their young can lose weight much more quickly and also have less chance of developing cardiometabolic diseases down the road.” Future trips will focus more on migratory bird research. Next year, the team will study a migratory subspecies of birds as well as a local subspecies. Comparing the results will allow researchers to identify differences in mitochondrial function and how those differences impact bioenergetics, or the trans- formation of energy in a living being. professor of kinesiology and part of the MitoMobile team, is an expert in lactate metabolism and its relationship to mitochondrial function. His primary interest with the MitoMobile is differences in red blood cell energetics. Professor Geoffrey Hill of the Department of Biological Sciences said the MitoMobile will enable him and his students to pursue “the most important and cutting-edge questions related to mitochondrial function in birds.” “I’m interested in the role of mitochondrial function in bird evolution, but I have had no ability to measure mitochondri- al function,” he said. “My colleagues in the Department of Kinesiology are experts in measuring that function in birds, mammals, and even insects. With the MitoMobile, we can now do work with birds at field locations anywhere in North Amer- ica that has paved roads. We are no longer tied to projects near our lab.” To learn more about the MitoMobile and why it matters for a wide variety of health and human research questions, read sors Kavasis and Gladden. A UBURNTI G ERS.C O M Auburn’s MitoMobile allows scientists to travel the country to research bioenergetics. UNIVERSITY NEWS MitoMobile Expands University’s Research Opportunities on the Road BY MIRANDA NOBLES B AND, CHEER & TIGER P A WS 75 BAND, CHEER & TIGER PAWS A UBURNTI G ERS.C O M Marching Band Marching Band Director — Dr. Corey Spurlin Assistant Director of Athletic Bands — Dr. Nikki Gross Percussion — Dr. Doug Rosener Director of Bands — Dr. Rick Good Graduate Assistants Josh Singleton Natalie Smith Daniel Rodriguez Hayden Upperman Tiger Eyes Instructors Beth Bowman (coordinator/flagline) Jessica Coleman (majorettes) Lydia Mitchell (danceline) Tricia Skelton (flagline) Percussion Instructors Andy Martin Aaron Locklear Drum Majors Peyton Flowers Trace Johnson Millie Livingston T.J. Tinnin Tiger Eyes Captains Kelly Reynolds (danceline) Madeline Whitmer (majorette captain) Sydney Turner (flagline captain) Erin Greer (flagline co-captain) 2020-2021 Auburn Cheerleaders Anthony Bostany Elli Bradley, Co-Head Charlotte Dayton Cody Diemont Casey Doerer Gary Gray, Mic-Man Kacie Griffith Tanner Hendrix Caleb Kennefick Kathryn Lusk Rachel Lusk Murphy McCammon Cooper Monistere, Co-Head Cameron Monistere Caleb Moses Emmalyne Phillips Miracle Scott Nic Smith Izzy Smoke Matthew Tuttolomondo Britt Ware Latisha Durroh, Spirit Coordinator 2020-2021 Tiger Paws Catelyn Alexander Rae Brown Olivia Couchot - Captain Abigail Coleman Darby Hines Mary Hanlon Hunton Skylar Johnson Abbey Jones Ellie Korotky Evie Ann Owen Virginia Macoy Mary Hinson Mims Kate Richardson Lucy Rogers Emma Sanders Abby Smith Megan Smith Jessie Stevens Brooke Tarrant Amy Vaporis Helen Baggett - Coach2020 AUBURN TIGERS A UBURNTI G ERS.C O M PAYTON ANDERSON 37RB5-11 n 225 n RFr. Fyffe, AL MALCOLM ASKEW 16DB5-11 n 185 n Sr. McCalla, AL DEVAN BARRETT 10DB6-0 n 200 n Sr. Tampa, FL KAMAAR BELL 79OL6-2 n 325 n RFr. Moultrie, GA TANK BIGSBY 4RB6-0 n 204 n Fr. LaGrange, GA JACKSON BILLINGS 27WR5-10 n 175 n Fr. Huntsville, AL CHRIS BOBO 39DB6-0 n 193 n Sr. Alpharetta, GA NICK BRAHMS 52OL6-3 n 299 n Jr. Navarre, FL GABE BRINSON 73DT6-5 n 305 n So. Lorton, VA K.J. BRITT 33LB6-0 n 243 n Sr. Oxford, AL O.C. BROTHERS 48LB6-1 n 236 n RFr. Titusville, FL KAMERON BROWN 43LB6-0 n 237 n RFr. Sugar Hill, GA BIG KAT BRYANT 1DE6-5 n 250 n Sr. Cordele, GA MARQUIS BURKS 92DT6-3 n 312 n Jr. Chicago, IL DRE BUTLER 49DT6-5 n 304 n So. Covington, GA ELIJAH CANION 17WR6-4 n 213 n Fr. Hollywood, FL ZE’VIAN CAPERS 80WR6-4 n 194 n Fr. Alpharetta, GA ANDERS CARLSON 26K6-5 n 215 n Jr. Colorado Springs, CO 2020 A UBURN TIGERS 77ARCHITECTS, ENGINEERS & BUSINESS FRIENDS WORKING FOR THE FUTURE OF AUBURN Substation Engineering & Design Corporation David R. 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Adelaide, Australia BRENDEN COFFEY 55OL6-5 n 279 n Jr. Paradise, CA SAMMY COHEN 12DB6-1 n 210 n RFr. Marietta, GA BRANDON COUNCIL 71OL6-4 n 325 n Jr. Tar Heel, NC NICK CURTIS 95DE6-4 n 197 n RFr. Birmingham, AL LUKE DEAL 86TE6-6 n 247 n RFr. Greenwood, SCNext >