In recognition of nearly two decades of work creating rice varieties resistant to certain types of bacteria, Bing Yang, professor of plant sciences, was named as a 2022 American Association for the Advancement of Science fellow. “There is so much diversity within the Society, and it is an honor to be among them,” Yang said. “The recognition of my work…
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Scott Peck Receives Mumford Award for Outstanding Faculty as Part of 2022 Celebration of Excellence
Scott Peck, professor of biochemistry and member of the Interdisciplinary Plant Group (IPG), received the 2022 Mumford Award for Outstanding Faculty during CAFNR’s Celebration of Excellence ceremony held April 19. Peck’s research focuses on plants’ recognition and response to bacterial pathogens, as well as how plants adapt to grow under drought conditions. He was named a fellow of the American…
CAFNR Joy of Discovery Seed Grant Program Winners Announced
The first batch of proposals funded by CAFNR’s Joy of Discovery Seed Grant Program has been announced. The Joy of Discovery Seed Grant Program supports nascent, collaborative, multi transdisciplinary research with the goal of developing a competitive proposal for federal funding. The following proposals were selected (listed by the PI, Co-PI/s and title of the project): Antje Heese, David Mendoza-Cozatl…
Remembering the Legacy of Dr. William Danforth
Dr. Danforth helped build partnerships that have strengthened the field of plant sciences in Missouri and beyond
The passing of William H. “Bill” Danforth, M.D., last week at age 94 brought to the spotlight his work in academic administration, medicine and science, and outreach in the St. Louis area. His contributions also can be felt here at the University of Missouri. Dr. Danforth, chancellor emeritus of Washington University, was the founding chairman of the Donald Danforth Plant…
Fighting a Financially Taxing Pathogen
Researchers at MU and the University of Georgia published a paper related to an underutilized source of resistance in the soybean genotype Peking
A unique collaboration between plant biologists and biochemists is looking to tackle the most financially taxing pathogen in the soybean industry. Soybean cyst nematode (SCN) is the most detrimental and costly pathogen affecting soybean production in the United States, with more than $1 billion lost annually due to SCN infection. Management of this pathogen relies on the use of SCN-resistant…
CAFNR Faculty Part of Approximately $11 Million in Funds from UM System, Mizzou Following Strategic Research Investment
The University of Missouri System has announced $20.5 million in awards for its first round of research funding to address grand challenges, foster system-wide collaboration and enhance faculty research through new equipment. This is part of the System’s plan to strategically invest $50 million in research and creative works over the next five years, announced last fall. Researchers from CAFNR…
Gary Stacey Receives 2019 President’s Award for Sustained Career Excellence
Gary Stacey, Curator’s Distinguished Professor of Plant Sciences and investigator at the Bond Life Sciences Center, has received the 2019 President’s Award for Sustained Career Excellence. Each year, the UM System President’s Awards are presented on behalf of President Mun Choi to faculty members across the four campuses of the UM System. These highly competitive awards recognize faculty who have made exceptional…
Building a Bridge to Success
MU and Danforth Center collaborative agreement showcases Missouri's plant biology strength
It was four years ago when the University of Missouri and the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center entered into a collaborative agreement that would lead to the hiring of four new researchers, each of whom would enhance the plant biology research not only in the state, but also across the globe. Three of those positions are now filled, with the…
A Humbling Recognition
Jon Cody wins J. Perry Gustafson Award for Outstanding Graduate Research
Teaching and research have been at the forefront of J. Perry Gustafson’s distinguished 40-plus-year career. It makes perfect sense, then, that the J. Perry Gustafson Award for Outstanding Graduate Research in the Life Sciences would be awarded to a stellar Ph.D. student whose quality research deserves wide recognition. Jon Cody, a graduate student in the Division of Biological Sciences, earned…
Battling an Unseen Pest
Melissa Mitchum has devoted her career to researching soybean cyst nematodes
One of the greatest threats to crops lives underground and can’t be seen by the naked eye. Plant parasitic nematodes are microscopic roundworms that range in size from as small as 250 micrometers, or 0.0098 inches, to a maximum of several millimeters in length. It’s a parasite that Melissa Mitchum has devoted her career to fighting. Mitchum, a professor in…