Accolades
May 8, 2020
Ben Knapp Earns Purdue Forestry and Natural Resources Outstanding Young Alumni Award
The Outstanding Young Alumni Award recognizes the accomplishments of individuals who have excelled in professional and civic accomplishments and have graduated from Purdue FNR within the last 15 years. Ben Knapp, who earned his bachelor’s degree in forestry from Purdue in 2003, is an associate professor of silviculture in the School of Natural Resources at the University of Missouri. After completing his master’s and doctorate degrees at Clemson in 2005 and 2012 respectively, Knapp began teaching at Missouri as a tenure-track assistant professor. In 2018, he was promoted to associate professor. He teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses in silviculture…
May 7, 2020
Karl Kerns Honored with Distinguished Dissertation Award
Karl Kerns, a postdoctoral fellow in animal sciences, has received the MU Distinguished Dissertation Award from the Graduate School as part of the Sixth Annual Graduate and Postdoctoral Award Ceremony. Kerns’ dissertation, “Zinc Ion Fluxes on the Pathway to Mammalian Sperm Fertilization Competency,” was supervised by Peter Sutovsky, professor of animal sciences. The research used a combination of new techniques to explain sperm zinc ion fluxes and develop a new sperm fertilization competency test. The test has been submitted for international patenting by the University of Missouri. The findings from Kerns’ dissertation have been published in the highly regarded Nature…
April 21, 2020
Anita Carter Receives Chancellor’s Outstanding Staff Award
Anita Carter, program/project support coordinator in the School of Natural Resources, was awarded the Chancellor’s Outstanding Staff Award in the Part-Time/Temporary category. This award is presented to a staff member who exemplifies the university’s values through temporary or part-time employment and consistently display characteristics that are valued and appreciated by their coworkers. They lead by example, motivate those around them, demonstrate compassion and bring innovative ideas to their teams.
April 21, 2020
Tom Spencer Appointed to Position with Office of Research and Economic Development
Tom Spencer, Curators Distinguished Professor of Animal Sciences, has accepted a part-time appointment as the Associate Vice Chancellor for Research and Strategic Initiatives in the Biomedical and Agricultural Sciences. In this capacity, Spencer will work with the Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic Development, as well as the Provost, Deans and Center Directors, to shape and enhance the current research centers, develop strategies for new strategic centers of excellence in research and creative works, support the Research Core Facilities, coordinate among departments and colleges the recruitment of faculty in strategic research thrusts and plan and drive new strategic initiatives that will…
April 21, 2020
Michelle Brooks Receives Chancellor’s Outstanding Staff Award
Michelle Brooks, greenhouse coordinator in plant sciences, was awarded the Chancellor’s Outstanding Staff Award in the Technical/Paraprofessional category. This award is presented to an individual who best reflects honor upon the University and the community through a combination of job performance, job-related personal qualities, relationship with their associates, and the ability to relate their work to the missions and values of the University.
March 29, 2020
Vice Chancellor and Dean Daubert Named to CAST Board of Trustees
Vice Chancellor and Dean Christopher Daubert was named to the board of trustees for the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST). His term will run through 2021. CAST was established in 1972 as a result of a 1970 meeting sponsored by the National Academy of Sciences, National Research Council, and provides balanced, credible, science-based information about food and agriculture to policymakers, the media, the private sector, and the public.
March 29, 2020
Bryon Wiegand Graduates from Lead21
Dr. Bryon Wiegand, associate director and professor of animal sciences, graduated Feb. 20 from Class 15 of the LEAD21 leadership-development program. The primary purpose of LEAD21 is to develop leaders in land-grant institutions and their strategic partners who link research, academics and extension who canto lead more effectively in an increasingly complex environment, either in their current positions or future leadership positions.
March 5, 2020
Megan McCauley presents at NACADA Region 7 Conference
Megan McCauley, student service coordinator in the Office of Academic Programs, helped lead two presentations during the NACADA Region 7 Conference, which was held Feb. 27-29, in Springfield, Mo. The presentations were titled: ‘Reaching Today’s Student with Strategic Communication’ and ‘Highlighting Advisors: The Story of a First-Ever Campus Advising Poster Session.’ Jordan Parshall, an advisor in biological sciences, served as a co-presenter during both presentations.
Sep. 18, 2019
Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) Celebrates its 35th Anniversary
This year, the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) celebrates its 35th anniversary. With its more than 20 contributing faculty, staff and students, FAPRI works with Congress to shape U.S. farm policy. It provides objective analysis of agricultural markets and policies and uses economic models to estimate how those policies affect consumers and markets. Access more information about the institute and its work at fapri.missouri.edu.
Nov. 7, 2018
Pat Westhoff Named to Howard Cowden Professorship
Pat Westhoff has been named as the newest holder of the Howard Cowden Professorship. Dr. Westhoff is a professor of agricultural and applied economics, and the director of the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) at MU. His contribution to agricultural policy is critical to agricultural cooperatives and their member-owners in Missouri and across the nation. Dr. Westhoff and his FAPRI colleagues also work regularly with congressional staffers and USDA leaders to evaluate proposed agricultural legislation intended to provide farmers with a solid economic footing. The professorship is named for Howard Cowden, a southwest Missouri native who started his cooperative career with…