Biochemistry
April 20, 2022
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.
April 20, 2022
Antje Heese Receives 2021 Outstanding Undergraduate Advisor Award at Celebration of Excellence
Antje Heese, associate professor of biochemistry, received the 2021 Outstanding Undergraduate Advisor Award as part of CAFNR’s Celebration of Excellence. She was honored at the 2022 in-person ceremony Tuesday, April 19. Heese received her master’s degree in plant physiology and biochemistry from Ruhr-Universität in Germany and her PhD in botany and plant pathology from Michigan State University. She joined the University of Missouri as an assistant research professor in 2006. “Professor Heese builds personal connections with her students, such that they are empowered to broach difficult topics related to their academic standing, physical or mental health,” says Michael Chapman, director…
April 20, 2022
Marie Dickerson Receives Outstanding Staff Award as Part of 2022 Celebration of Excellence
Marie Dickerson is the 2022 recipient of the Outstanding Staff Award, presented by the CAFNR Staff Advisory Council as part of CAFNR’s Celebration of Excellence April 19. Marie, a research specialist senior, has worked in the Division of Biochemistry for 10 years. Since 2015, she has served as building coordinator for buildings managed by Biochemistry, as well as supported undergraduate teaching laboratories with preparation for faculty-designed activities. She is the departmental liaison to MU Environmental Health and Safety, a critically important job when each lab has safety protocols that must be meticulously followed and kept up to date. Marie serves…
Dec. 20, 2021
Clarissa Durie
Cells must interface with and adapt to the outside world, and one critical way they achieve this is through the dynamic and specific action of secretion systems that transport molecules in and out of cells. Over the last several decades, scientists have identified numerous cellular secretion systems from bacteria to human. However, there are still many unanswered questions about precisely how and when they function. The goal of my research program is to integrate biochemical, biophysical, and genetic approaches to understand the structure, regulation, and function of bacterial secretion systems in their physiological contexts. Bacterial pathogens represent a significant threat…
Dec. 13, 2021
Senior Spotlight: Emerald McKinley
McKinley will graduate with a degree in biochemistry.
Nov. 18, 2021
Three IPG Faculty Listed Among 2021 Highly Cited Researchers
This list recognizes world-class researchers selected for their exceptional research performance.
Nov. 10, 2021
University of Missouri and University of Georgia Receive NSF-NIFA Award to Help Fight the Soybean Cyst Nematode
MU's Lesa Beamer and UGA's Melissa Mitchum will co-direct the 4-year award, which totals $1.2 million.
June 30, 2021
Craig Schenck
To deal with relentless environmental pressures, plants produce an arsenal of structurally diverse defensive chemicals. These sometimes-complex compounds are derived from much simpler building blocks from primary metabolic pathways. Unlike well-documented diversification of plant specialized metabolic enzymes, core metabolic pathways are highly conserved and evolutionarily constrained because they serve essential metabolic functions, which makes manipulation of these pathways difficult. The expansion and alteration of core metabolism has given rise to the evolution of structurally diverse plant specialized metabolites. However, the underlying mechanisms enabling metabolic diversity and the connections linking core to specialized metabolism are not well known. These knowledge gaps…
May 24, 2021
Biochemists Receive New TRIUMPH Funding Initiative Through MU School of Medicine
A new pilot grant program led by Senior Associate Dean Bill Fay announced 30 awards to School of Medicine (SOM) investigators, including multiple awards to MU Biochemistry faculty.
May 10, 2021
Senior Spotlight: Laura Valencia
Growing up in Columbia, Laura Valencia always loved the University of Missouri. She had a chance to officially become a Tiger when she transferred to Mizzou in 2018. As she heads toward graduation, Valencia said her time at MU has been incredible. “My favorite memories at Mizzou include all of the homecoming festivities over the years, the late nights studying at Ellis, getting coffee at Memorial Union, and attending the football and basketball games,” Valencia said. “I also really enjoyed going to the student center before the pandemic hit.” When Valencia graduates in May, she will earn a degree in…