Accolades
Nov. 20, 2020
Elizabeth Prentice Receives Distinguished Doctoral Dissertation Award as Part of 2020 Celebration of Excellence
Elizabeth Prentice received the 2020 Distinguished Doctoral Dissertation Award as part of this year’s virtual Celebration of Excellence awards celebration in CAFNR. She defended her dissertation, “Narrating Disturbance: Risk, Power, and Mountain Pine Beetles” and completed her doctoral degree in rural sociology in summer 2020. Her advisor is Hua Qin, associate professor of rural sociology. Both Prentice and Qin were honored as part of Celebration of Excellence. Her dissertation work explores the competing narratives of attribution surrounding a massive bark beetle outbreak in north central Colorado. This research fills an existing gap in the understanding of the human dimensions of…
Nov. 20, 2020
Austin Sanders Receives Distinguished Thesis Award as Part of 2020 Celebration of Excellence
Austin Sanders received the 2020 Distinguished Thesis Award as part of this year’s virtual CAFNR Celebration of Excellence Awards. Sanders graduated with his Master’s in agricultural and applied economics from CAFNR in spring 2020. During the course of his Masters program, his thesis research was guided by his supervisor, Sarah Low, associate professor in the Division of Applied Social Sciences. He received his Bachelor’s in political science from Mizzou in 2015. Both Sanders and Low were honored as part of Celebration of Excellence. Sanders’s thesis, Rural Agglomeration: How Does the Distribution of People Across Rural America Affect Entrepreneurship, researches how…
Nov. 20, 2020
Emily Piontek Receives Distinguished Thesis Award as Part of 2020 Celebration of Excellence
Emily Piontek received the 2020 Distinguished Thesis Award as part of this year’s virtual Celebration of Excellence Awards. This past spring, she graduated with her Master’s in Natural Resources with an emphasis in Human Dimensions of Natural Resources and a Certificate in Public Policy. During the completion of her research, Piontek was advised by Sonja Wilhelm Stanis, associate professor in the School of Natural Resources. Both Piontek and Wilhelm Stanis were honored as part of Celebration of Excellence. Piontek’s thesis, Residents’ perceptions of ecosystem services & environmental justice in urban greenspace: A mixed methods exploration in St. Louis, Missouri, provided…
Nov. 20, 2020
CAFNR IT Team Recognized with CAFNR Proud Award
The College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources has recognized the CAFNR IT team with the CAFNR Proud award for their tireless work assisting with technology for virtual learning and working over the past nine months. Those recognized included: Drew Backues Matthew Keeler, group supervisor Tonya Mueller Cynthia Richards Greg Rotert Chris Shriver Matt Stanley Gary Tyler…
Nov. 20, 2020
CAFNR Faculty and Alumni Recognized by Mizzou Alumni Association
The Mizzou Alumni Association has awarded the 2020 Faculty-Alumni Award to 10 recipients. Five of these faculty and/or alumni are part of CAFNR. They include: David M. Braun (PhD ’97), Professor of Plant & Biological Sciences; Director, University of Missouri Maize Center; Director, University of Missouri Plant Growth Facilities Patricia Breckenridge (BS Ag ’75, JD ’77), Judge, Supreme Court of Missouri Bryan L. Garton (BS Ag ’85, M Ed ’89), Senior Associate Dean and Director of Academic Programs, College of Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources Bruce J. Loewenberg (BSF ’61), Owner, Show-Me Salers Robert E. Sharp, Curators’ Distinguished Professor, Plant Sciences; Director, Interdisciplinary Plant…
Nov. 18, 2020
Walter Gassmann Receives Mumford Award for Outstanding Faculty as Part of 2020 Celebration of Excellence
Walter Gassmann, professor in the Division of Plant Sciences, received the Frederick B. Mumford Award for Outstanding Faculty during CAFNR’s 2020 virtual Celebration of Excellence awards celebration. Gassmann joined the University of Missouri in 2000 as an assistant professor in the Division of Plant Sciences. He became an associate professor in 2006 and a professor in 2013. Gassmann has served as the interim director of the Christopher S. Bond Life Sciences Center since 2017. Gassmann majored in biochemistry at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, Switzerland. He received his PhD in plant biology from the University of California,…
Nov. 17, 2020
Jared Decker Receives Early Investigator Research Award as Part of 2020 Celebration of Excellence
Jared Decker, associate professor in the Division of Animal Sciences and state beef Extension specialist, received the Early Investigator Research Award during CAFNR’s 2020 virtual Celebration of Excellence awards celebration. Decker received his bachelor’s degree in animal science from New Mexico State University before earning his PhD in genetics from the University of Missouri in 2012. After earning his PhD, Decker served as a USDA-NIFA postdoctoral fellow at MU for a year before joining the faculty as an assistant professor in the Division of Animal Sciences. In 2018, Decker became an associate professor. He has served as the state beef…
Nov. 17, 2020
Felix Fritschi Receives Distinguished Research Award as Part of 2020 Celebration of Excellence
Felix Fritschi, C. Alice Donaldson Professor in Bioenergy Crop Physiology and Genetics in the Division of Plant Sciences, received the Distinguished Research Award during CAFNR’s 2020 virtual Celebration of Excellence awards celebration. Fritschi has published more than 100 refereed papers throughout his academic career and received more than 70 funded research grants, from entities such as USDA-AFRI, NSF, United Soybean Board and MSMC. Fritschi is part of several large grants, including one worth $15 million from the Department of Energy related to climate adaption in switchgrass. Fritschi has also had a major impact on graduate student and postdoctoral education, with…
Nov. 17, 2020
Michael Sykuta Receives Outstanding Senior Teaching Award as Part of 2020 Celebration of Excellence
Michael Sykuta, associate professor of agricultural and applied economics in the Division of Applied Social Sciences (DASS), received the Outstanding Senior Teaching Award during CAFNR’s 2020 virtual Celebration of Excellence awards celebration. Sykuta received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri-St. Louis, and his master’s degree and PhD from Washington University, with all three degrees coming in economics. He joined the University of Missouri in 1998 as an assistant professor before becoming an associate professor in 2005. Sykuta has served as graduate faculty since 1998 and doctoral faculty since 1999. He is the director of undergraduate studies in agribusiness…
Nov. 17, 2020
Teng Lim Receives Burch Extension Award as Part of 2020 Celebration of Excellence
Teng Lim, Extension professor in agricultural systems management, received the J.W. Burch State Specialist Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension Award during CAFNR’s 2020 virtual Celebration of Excellence awards celebration. Lim earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biosystems and agricultural engineering from the University of Kentucky. He received his PhD in agricultural and biological engineering from Purdue University. Lim joined the University of Missouri as an assistant professor in 2009. He held the title of associate professor of Extension starting in 2014, and was promoted to professor in 2020. Lim works with regulators, livestock specialists, producers and the agriculture industry…