I am thrilled to welcome everyone back to campus for the 2021-22 academic year! The atmosphere on campus is much more exciting when our students, faculty and staff are all interacting on a daily basis. I hope each of you have a fun and successful year!

I would like to briefly highlight our “CAFNR ReGenesis” initiative, which became effective on July 1. Below are some of the details of the CAFNR reorganization:

• The former Division of Food Systems and Bioengineering is now the Division of Food, Nutrition and Exercise Sciences, with the Nutrition and Exercise Physiology program (from HES) joining the Food Science program to populate the restructured division.
• The Personal Financial Planning program (from HES) joined the Division of Applied Social Sciences (DASS).
• The department of Biomedical, Biological and Chemical Engineering (BBCE), which has been a joint program with the College of Engineering (COE), has administrative responsibility solely out of the COE. CAFNR retained joint faculty with this department, as it does with many units across campus. In addition, an Agricultural Engineering minor is being created, and will be administered by the COE and include courses offered by the Agricultural Systems Technology (formerly Agricultural Systems Management) program.
• The Agricultural Systems Technology degree program, faculty and agricultural engineering Extension faculty joined the Division of Plant Sciences, creating the restructured Division of Plant Science and Technology.

Also, please be aware of the University of Missouri Show Me Renewal website for important updates related to safety guidelines and campus rules for the upcoming semester.

Bryan Garton
Senior Associate Dean
Director of Academic Programs

The Fall 2021 CAFNR/Arts and Science In-Person Career Fair is scheduled from noon until 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 29, in the Mizzou Rec Center. All Mizzou students are welcome to participate. Interested students can visit Handshake to see a complete list of registered organizations and download the Career Fair Plus app from the App Store (iPhone) or Google Play (Android). Professional attire is required.

Fall Round-Up Event Scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 8

Each year, the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources invites freshmen and transfer students to learn more about the various CAFNR clubs and organizations during the CAFNR Fall Round-Up event. This year’s event is scheduled from 5-7:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 8, at the Trowbridge Event Center. In line with Mizzou’s Show Me Renewal plan, masks will be required for the event. A link has been emailed to the students to RSVP to receive a free meal and T-shirt. For more information or for any questions, contact Elizabeth Gunter at CAFNRStuCo@missouri.edu.

The Italy study abroad program allowed Lauren Tippen to experience growth in numerous ways

Nutrition and Exercise Physiology (NEP) has a long tradition of educational excellence, including outstanding undergraduate programs ― Nutrition and Foods/Dietetics; Human Physiology and Translational Sciences; and Physical Activity, Nutrition and Human Performance ― all focused on studying the influences of nutrition and physical activity on human health and disease. The demand for graduates with training in these areas is expected to grow as rates of obesity and related diseases continues to rise within the United States population. NEP spans two colleges (School of Medicine and College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources).

Why did you decide to come to the University of Missouri and major in nutrition and exercise physiology, with a focus in human physiology and translational sciences? What do you enjoy about the program itself? The field of study?

Coming to Mizzou as a pre-med student, I knew I wanted a degree program that would provide me the core knowledge I needed to advance throughout my studies, but that would also engage me and my interests in the process. I landed on this particular path because I had a basic understanding of the impact nutrition had on overall health, wanted to learn more about this specific part of science and the program met my educational goals. While there are so many great things about the program, I have really enjoyed every single one of my nutrition professors and classes so far and have felt encouraged and supported by each. The field of study is so interesting to me because I believe there is so much potential for nutrition education to be integrated into modern medical practice and hope to one day be able to do just that.

Could you talk about how the University of Missouri, with a specific focus on the nutrition and exercise physiology degree program, prepares you for life after college? 

Throughout my time at Mizzou and in my degree program I have had many moments that comfort me as I look toward life after college. Nutrition is such a broad field of study, and I believe this program encompasses it quite well. There is such a variety of nutrition courses, professional electives, and other upper level science courses included in our degree plan that I know I am receiving a well-rounded education. My classmates and I are regularly challenged to think critically about applying relevant themes in our coursework to our lives now, as well as in our intended careers.  As I look to attend medical school following graduation, this approach allows me to feel well prepared as both a student and an individual.

CAFNR encourages students to have a variety of extracurricular experiences during their time at MU, including research and study abroad, as part of its RISE Initiative. Have you participated in any research projects or study abroad programs, or any other extracurricular experiences? If so, what have you enjoyed about those?

I have been working as an undergraduate assistant in the laboratory of Dr. Elizabeth Parks in the department of NEP and MU School of Medicine, and have learned so much in the process. I love being able to take classroom information and apply it to hands-on learning in the lab, and getting to learn about our research and other areas of science from peers, graduate and doctoral students, and nutrition professionals. These things are so valuable and something I would not have without my experience in research. In addition to my research position, I have served on the Homecoming Steering Committee, was a member of the founding executive board for Phi Delta Epsilon, a professional medical fraternity, and am currently on leadership for Omicron Delta Kappa. These experiences have allowed me to make a large campus feel small, meet and lead with students I would not have otherwise met, step out of my comfort zone, and gain an immense appreciation for all that our school has to offer.

What has been your favorite activity or experience of being a Mizzou student?

I came to Mizzou looking forward to taking part in the traditions and embracing the community the same way others in my family have before me, and being able to do so is definitely my favorite experience as a student. I was able to do this firsthand when serving on the Homecoming Steering Committee, and had an incredible time meeting other students and alumni with the same passion for those things that I have. With such a diverse group, we all were able to show support for our campus and respective colleges in different ways and I really valued the opportunity to witness that.

The environmental sciences degree program prepared Matt Beckwith for a career as a broadcast meteorologist

• CAFNR’s Retention of F20 First-time College (FTC) students, four weeks to fall census, stands at 89.9% (MU overall = 87%). This time last year, our retention of F19 FTC students was 87.7%. A big shout out to CAFNR’s professional advisors and student service coordinators who contacted non-enrolled students throughout the spring and summer to check on their experience this past year and status for the fall semester.
• The University of Missouri Torq’N Tigers Quarter-Scale Tractor Team took first place in five categories during the recent American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineering (ASABE) Quarter Scale Tractor Competition. The competition took place in late May and included in-person and virtual components.