Faculty
June 1, 2020
Olga J. Baker
May 18, 2020
David Braun
Carbohydrate partitioning is the process whereby photoassimilates are distributed from their site of synthesis in leaves to the rest of the plant. Control of carbohydrate partitioning is crucial for plant growth and development, and underlies all aspects of crop yield, including cellulose deposition in cell walls and sucrose accumulation in storage organs, such as the stems of sugarcane or sweet sorghum. For most plants, fixed carbon, in the form of sucrose, is loaded into the phloem and transported from leaves to non-photosynthetic tissues, such as stems, roots, and fruits. This process is well characterized at the physiological, biochemical, and anatomical…
May 4, 2020
Ronald Revord
Black walnut Our lab builds on the foundational work of Mark Coggeshall, who initiated an improvement program of black walnut for nut and kernel production in our Center. Main breeding goals are to select individuals with characteristics important for commercialization and expansion: stable year-to-year yield, spur-bearing habit, high percent kernel, mild-flavor, and health-promoting metabolites. Active studies include a 10-year-old diallel planting and two bi-paternal mapping populations. In the former, we are studying trait correlations and parental combining ability. In the latter, we are collaborating with internal and external colleagues on QTL-mapping of a variety of segregating traits – phenological, economic,…
Feb. 7, 2020
Alan Spell
Alan Spell is an Assistant Extension Professor within the Division of Applied Social Sciences. He specializes in economic and industry research for MU Extension’s Exceed program. Spell’s work includes publishing the monthly Missouri Economy Indicator briefs, conducting broadband studies and industry economic impact analyses, and providing data training. Prior to 2020, Spell led the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center (MERIC). He and his staff provided economic and workforce analysis to policymakers and the public. Spell is a certified Economic Research Professional and holds degrees in economics and landscape architecture. He has worked in economic development research for over 25…
Sep. 7, 2019
Lloyd W. Sumner
The research focus of the Sumner lab includes the development of cutting-edge technologies for large-scale biochemical profiling of plant metabolites (i.e. metabolomics) and integrating these with other omics data. These technologies are then applied in a symbiotic manner for plant gene discovery, gene characterization and the elucidation of mechanistic responses to external stimuli; especially related to plant specialized metabolism or plant natural products biosynthesis. Technology enables the biology and the biology drives technology development. Current technology development projects include the development of a sophisticated and integrated ensemble including UHPLC-MS-SPE-NMR for the systematic and biologically driven annotation of plant metabolomes. This…
Sep. 7, 2019
Jay J. Thelen
Educational background Ph.D. Biological Sciences, University of Missouri Courses taught Biochemistry 4272/7272: Biochemistry…
Sep. 7, 2019
Scott C. Peck
Educational background Ph.D., Michigan State University Courses taught Biochemistry 2480: Introduction to Macromolecular Structure and Function Biochemistry 8200: Principles and Research Practices in Biochemistry…
Sep. 7, 2019
Lesa J. Beamer
Educational background Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Courses taught Problem-Based Learning (PBL) for 1st and 2nd year medical students Graduate Level Structural Biology for the Life Sciences…
Sep. 7, 2019
Steven R. Van Doren
Dynamic biological assemblies are strategic and fascinating. We have been exploring molecular recognition by flexible proteins and automatic tracking of changes in complex spectra and medical images. Molecular recognition by proteins with intrinsic disorder A pivotal virus-membrane interaction: Coronaviruses use a region of Spike to merge the viral envelope with the host cell membrane. We continue to be interested in the nature of the lipid interactions with this fusogenic region of Spike. Our articles reported (i) the NMR structure of the fusion peptide in a simple membrane-mimicking environment and (ii) its insertion and distortion of the simple membrane mimic via…
Sep. 6, 2019
John J. Tanner
Educational background Ph.D. Chemistry, Brown University, 1988…