Division: Plant Science and Technology

Feb. 7, 2023

Richard Ferrieri

Rich Ferrieri earned his PhD degree in Nuclear & Radiochemistry from Texas A&M University in 1979, and then became a postdoctoral fellow under Alfred Wolf at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL). He was later hired onto the scientific staff at BNL working on the medical applications of Positron Emission Tomography (PET) for animal and human research. In 2002, he shifted his interest away from medical research, and into plant biology leveraging many of the same imaging and radiochemistry tools to study basic plant functions. He is credited with developing the first radiolabeled PET plant hormone (11C-jasmonic acid) to study its…

Feb. 6, 2023

Richard Dixon

Educational background…

Jan. 31, 2023

CAFNR Plant Scientist Named AAAS Fellow

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. “The recognition of my work and my group inspires me to work harder – to do a better job,” Yang said. The recognition from AAAS did not come without a long list of accomplishments, however. Fueling his work along the way was Yang’s desire to make an impact on global food supply issues. “Years of work for my lab…

Jan. 11, 2023

Chase Floyd

Chase Floyd joined MU Extension in 2023 as an assistant research professor and state extension specialist for crop protection. In this position, he targets both entomological and pathological research and develop thresholds to maximize producer yield retention and incorporate new technology and methods to aid Missouri producers in controlling pests and retaining yield. His dissertation focused on creating a management regime for the rice billbug, which has recently earned major pest status. His time in Arkansas was spent obtaining as much biological and ecological information as possible on the previously unresearched pest. He developed techniques for controlling the rice…