The University of Missouri Board of Curators has named Ron Mittler, professor of plant science and technology, as a Curators’ Distinguished Professor. A Curators’ Distinguished Professorship is the highest and most prestigious academic rank awarded by the Board of Curators. It is awarded to a select few outstanding scholars with established reputations.
Mittler holds a joint appointment in the Department of Surgery in the MU School of Medicine, and he is also a principal investigator in the Christopher S. Bond Life Sciences Center. His research interests are focused on the role Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) play in the regulation of different biological processes and has been on the cover of various journals, including Plant Physiology, Science Signaling, New Phytologist and Trends in Plant Science. His work was most recently published in Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology, a journal of Nature, showcasing a new way of measuring stress in plants. The project was supported by funders including the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.
He joined Mizzou in 2018, and has received awards for being a highly cited researcher and for teaching. Mittler is part of the editorial board for The Plant Journal, and is a member of the American Society of Plant Biologists. He received his Ph.D. from Rutgers University.
Rob Myers, adjunct professor of plant science and technology and director of the MU Center for Regenerative Agriculture, was awarded the Agronomic Education and Extension Award from the American Society of Agronomy. The Agronomic Education and Extension Award recognizes career excellence in education and/or extension. The emphasis of the award is on the individual’s educational innovations or unique approaches developed and used successfully to encourage learning. This includes demonstrated ability to communicate ideas clearly, influence attitudes, and motivate change in audience action.
Jianfeng Zhou, assistant professor in plant science and technology, co-edited a book titled Unmanned Aerial Systems in Precision Agriculture.The book presents the technological progress of UAV applications in precision agriculture and provides multiple UAV application cases in precision agriculture in Europe and the United States.
The CAFNR Dissertation Research Improvement Grants (C-DRIG) are offered through the CAFNR Office of Research. The C-DRIG grant supports up to $2,000 or partially support dissertation research projects proposed by doctoral students in the College. Eligible students will have completed their coursework and have advanced to candidacy or will advance to candidacy within six months of the C-DRIG awards.
The 2022 C-DRIG recipients are as follows:
Colby Redifer, advised by Allison Meyer, How does nutrient restriction during late pregnancy affect circulating amino acids in beef cows?
Tayaton Pongspikul, advised by Laura McCann, Transaction Costs of Establishing a Desalination Plant
Jose Costa Netto, advised by Felix Fritschi, Soybean Genetic Gain: How did breeding for higher yields change plant hydraulic pathway characteristics?
Jessica Wilson, advised by Alba Argerich, Impacts of legacy mining on stream functional processes in an urban stream
Katy Stoecklein, advised by Sofia Ortega and Randy Prather, Cytokine supplementation to improve developmental competence of bovine embryos following slow-rate freezing
Michelle Brooks, greenhouse coordinator, was honored with the 2021 Mumford Award for Outstanding Faculty during CAFNR’s Celebration of Excellence ceremony, held April 19.
Brooks manages the Sears Greenhouse complex, the greenhouses on
the roof of the Bond Life Sciences Center, the Ashland Road greenhouse complex, and the new East Campus Plant Growth Facility (ECPGF). In addition to her responsibilities of managing greenhouses, Brooks played a crucial role in the planning and design of the East Campus Plant Growth Facility, from the initial proposal draft to design with the architectural firms. The ECPGF features highly specialized construction and systems.
She has spent more than 20 years in CAFNR, keeping the greenhouse structures up to date through her keen technical knowledge, while providing consultations with the many faculty across campus who use these spaces for their research and teaching.
“Michelle is also a world-class problem solver! She is able to juggle multiple requests for plant growth space that exceed the space that is available,” says David Braun, director of the Interdisciplinary Plant Group. “She has the knowledge and experience to recommend which faculty research projects would be compatible with growing their plants in the same greenhouse room, and importantly, under similar climatic conditions.”
Brooks also provides guidance to student organizations who use the facilities, and she teaches Tiger Garden students how to care for their plants and greenhouse.
“Michelle Brooks is a dedicated, reliable and collegial staff member who is on call 24/7. It’s not uncommon for Michelle to work on holidays so others can enjoy time off,” says Mary Ann Gowdy, assistant teaching professor in the Division of Plant Science & Technology. “She is highly driven and service minded, extremely knowledgeable and happy to help others succeed. Michelle Brooks embodies who and what CAFNR stands for.”
Felix Fritschi, C. Alice Donaldson Professor in Bioenergy Crop Physiology and Genetics in the Division of Plant Science and Technology, received the 2022 Roger L. Mitchell Fellow Award at the CAFNR Celebration of Excellence awards ceremony April 19. Fritschi is the interim director of the Missouri Soybean Center and the Missouri Plant Transformation Core Facility known for its wide-ranging plant transformations. He has taught both undergraduate and graduate courses and has advised 26 graduate students and 39 postdoctoral researchers and visiting scholars.
Fritschi has received $28.1 million in grants in the last five years, and served on the organizing committee for the International Society for Root Research 11th International Symposium. Fritschi is a member of the American Society of Agronomy and the Crop Science Society of America and has held leadership positions in both organizations. He was named Outstanding Associate Editor for Agronomy Journal in 2020. He has published 125 total refereed publications.
He has been awarded the Chancellor’s Award for Outstanding Research and Creative Activity and received the 2020 Distinguished Research Award from CAFNR.
“Felix richly deserves the Roger L. Mitchell Award,” said John Boyer, Distinguished Research Professor, Plant Science and Technology. The award honors Roger L. Mitchell, a former dean of the MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, by recognizing those who elevate the College through collaboration and innovative thinking. The fellowship is awarded annually to a ranked CAFNR faculty member to recognize academic excellence and leadership in one or more areas of the College’s core mission of outreach, research and teaching.
Eduardo Beche, research scientist in Plant Science & Technology, was selected to receive the 2021 Soy Innovation Scholarship through the Foundation for Soy Innovation. The scholarship will help fund the recipients’ education and research. Beche’s research centers on yield and adaptability of soybean traits.
Beche plans to use the $1,000 scholarship to attend the World Soybean Research Conference 11 in Novi Sad, Serbia.
William R. Lamberson Distinguished Graduate Student Awards Announced
The William R. Lamberson Distinguished Doctoral Dissertation and MS Thesis Awards have been announced. In the fall, each division can submit one nomination for a doctoral dissertation and MS thesis for this award. This year’s award winners are listed below:
Thesis Award
Student Name: Destiny N. Johns
Thesis Title: Conceptus Interferon Gamma is Essential for Pregnancy Maintenance in the Pig
Advisor Name: Rodney Geisert
Division: Division of Animal Sciences
Dissertation Award
Student Name: Eric Oseland
Dissertation Title: Research to advance our understanding of off-target dicamba movement in United States Agriculture
Advisor Name: Kevin Bradley
Division Name: Division of Plant Science and Technology
The CAFNR Research Council reviews nominations and makes the final selection. The recipients receive an honorarium of $1,000 and a certificate. Each student’s advisor will also receive a certificate.
Katie Harris, PhD student in the Division of Plant Science and Technology, was selected for the 2022 Katherine S. McCarter Graduate Student Policy Award (GSPA) through the Ecological Society of America (ESA)
This award provides graduate students with the opportunity to participate in a virtual Congressional Visits Day. These students learn about the legislative process and federal science funding before meeting virtually with their members of Congress to discuss the importance of federal investments in the biological and ecological sciences. GSPA recipients will also explore policy career options.
