School of Natural Resources

Jesse Hall and campus

April 13, 2023

CAFNR Represented Among 14 MU Students, Alumni Honored by National Science Foundation

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported STEM disciplines who are pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees at accredited U.S. institutions. The five-year fellowship includes three years of financial support including an annual stipend of $34,000 and a cost of education allowance of $12,000 to the institution. This year’s recipients included three CAFNR students and alumni: Daniel Lamm, BS ’20 (biochemistry); Joseph Fritsche, BS ’21 (biochemistry); and Chantelle Wimms, current graduate student in natural resources. Alyssa Smolensky, current graduate student in natural resources, received an honorable mention. Wimms and Smolensky…
Portrait of Eric Aldrich in black and gold polo

April 12, 2023

Eric Aldrich Received 2023 Outstanding Early Career Teaching Award at Celebration of Excellence

Eric Aldrich, assistant teaching professor of meteorology in the School of Natural Resources, received the Outstanding Early Career Teaching Award at CAFNR’s 2023 Celebration of Excellence awards ceremony, held April 11.  During the past five years, Aldrich has been the faculty advisor of the Mizzou Meteorology Club. He participates in the SNR Student Mentorship program where he mentors 12 Environmental Science students in the field of atmospheric science.  Aldrich’s philosophy of teaching is centered on creating a learner-centered environment that allows students to take an active role in their own learning process. His instructional goals…
Headshot of Hank Stelzer. Man with white hair and glasses wearing a black and gold polo shirt

April 12, 2023

Hank Stelzer Named J.W. Burch Specialist at 2023 Celebration of Excellence

Hank Stelzer is the 2023 recipient of the J.W. Burch State Specialist Agricultural Extension Award, presented at CAFNR’s Celebration of Excellence event April 11. Stelzer is an associate professor of forestry extension and education director of MU Extension’s natural resources program area. He is active in several professional associations including the International Society of Arboriculture and the Association of Natural Resource Extension Professionals and has received the Karkhagne Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Missouri Society of American Foresters.   Stelzer has been instrumental in establishing numerous programs that improve the management of Missouri’s natural resources. He…
Jeff Wood smiling.

April 12, 2023

Jeff Wood Received Early Investigator Research Award as Part of 2023 Celebration of Excellence

Jeff Wood received the 2023 CAFNR Early Investigator Research Award at the Celebration of Excellence ceremony April 11.  Wood is assistant professor in the School of Natural Resources and an ecosystem scientist who studies carbon, nitrogen, water, and other mass and energy exchanges between the biosphere and the atmosphere in relation to global climate change. He manages Baskett Forest’s 106-foot-tall, instrumented tower “MOFLUX,” which measures the carbon and water balance of Missouri’s oak-hickory forests and is part of the Ameriflux network of over 110 field sites throughout the Americas.   Wood has published 43 papers in…
Awardees holding awards with President Choi, Vice Chancellor and Dean Daubert and Senior Associate Dean Garton.

April 5, 2023

Advisors Recognized as Drivers of Distinction

CAFNR Vice Chancellor and Dean Christopher Daubert recognized 10 individuals as Drivers to Distinction. The awards were given in honor of their exceptional work advising students. The recipients were: Amy Marek, senior academic advisor, Division of Food, Nutrition & Exercise Sciences Kelsey Marek, academic advisor, Animal Sciences Robyn Eschenbrenner, senior academic advisor, Division of Applied Social Sciences Libby Johnson, academic advisor, School of Natural Resources Laura Hertel, senior student service coordinator, School of Natural Resources Jenna Fusinatto, academic advisor, School of Natural Resources Mackenzie Ewing, senior academic advisor, Plant Science & Technology Katie Ogan, coordinator of student services, CAFNR Office…
Eric Aldrich (pictured), Fang Wang and Xinhao Xu have combined their expertise in meteorology, virtual and augmented reality, and mixed-reality-based learning environments to help students gain a deeper understanding of mid-latitude cyclones, which are complicated systems that help drive most of the stormy and severe weather in the continental United States.

March 31, 2023

An immersive learning opportunity

Unique collaboration between three Mizzou Colleges offers environmental sciences students an opportunity to study weather through virtual reality.
Justin Sykes, a senior parks, recreation, sport and tourism major, has been interning with the softball team for two years and was recently hired as its first director of player development, a position he will officially begin when he earns his degree in August. Photo courtesy of Justin Sykes.

March 29, 2023

Bleeding Black and Gold

Justin Sykes grew up donning the black and gold at numerous University of Missouri athletic events. Soon, Sykes will be sporting Mizzou colors as an official staff member of the softball team. Sykes has been interning with the softball team for two years and was recently hired as its first director of player development, a position he will officially begin when he earns his degree in August. “It’s very exciting, obviously,” said Sykes, a senior parks, recreation, sport and tourism (PRST) major from Kearney, Mo. “I’ve always loved statistics and analytics, so to be able to dive into those numbers…

March 22, 2023

Blooms Like it Hot. But, Also, Cold?

Rebecca North, assistant professor of water quality in CAFNR’s School of Natural Resources, learned and lived by a paradigm commonly accepted among limnologists around the world — “blooms like it hot” – meaning that water temperatures must be warm for algae blooms to develop. But, a recently published study co-authored by North could dismantle this long-held belief. “You only take on big ideas – when you seek to take down paradigms – when you have collaborators from all over the world,” North said of the study team that consisted of researchers from multiple countries including the U.S., Canada and Germany.
two blond, pre-school-aged girls sit beside a pond with fishing poles. They are wearing denim dresses and pink muck boots.

March 20, 2023

MU Announces New Institute of Fisheries, Wetlands and Aquatic Systems

Through a partnership with the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) and the Missouri Conservation Heritage Foundation (MCHF), the University of Missouri’s College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources made a joint announcement featuring the launch of its new Institute of Fisheries, Wetlands and Aquatic Systems today. “Clean water and healthy aquatic systems are vital for our global future,” said Mun Choi, University of Missouri president. “This Institute will be a crucial resource for citizens, government entities and private industries committed to this mission in the years to come, and MU is proud to be a driving force in that mission…
Nick Wesslak earned two degrees from Mizzou – a bachelor’s degree in plant sciences and a master’s degree in natural resources. After stops in two states, Wesslak recently joined MU Extension as an agronomy field specialist where he covers eight counties in northeast Missouri. Photo courtesy of Nick Wesslak.

March 10, 2023

From Student to Specialist

As a high school student in Salem, Mo., Nick Wesslak was an active member of his local FFA chapter. That experience not only introduced him to the University of Missouri, it also showed him an interesting career path – one that he is now serving in with MU Extension. Wesslak earned two degrees from Mizzou – a bachelor’s degree in plant sciences and a master’s degree in natural resources. After stops in two states, Wesslak recently joined MU Extension as an agronomy field specialist where he covers eight counties in northeast Missouri. “I’m really happy to be back in the…