CAFNR

Faculty in the University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) Department of Biochemistry recently received a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant to bring a state-of-the-art instrument to the MU campus – a Chirascan V100 circular dichroism (CD) spectrometer. Photo courtesy of Kamal Singh.

Feb. 8, 2021

A State-of-the-Art Instrument

Faculty in the University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) Department of Biochemistry recently received a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant to bring a state-of-the-art instrument to the MU campus – a Chirascan V100 circular dichroism (CD) spectrometer. The spectrometer is a widely applicable biochemical method for probing the secondary and tertiary structures of proteins, and nucleic acids in solution. The instrument will be housed at the Molecular Interactions Core, located in the Bond Life Sciences Center on the MU campus. It will be available for users across Mizzou on a fee-per-use basis.
Pavel Somavat joined the University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) Division of Food Systems and Bioengineering (FSB) this year as an assistant professor of food science/biomedical, biological and chemical engineering. Somavat taught courses in food science and researched natural food colors, grain and biomass processing at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley before joining CAFNR. Somavat was at CCS Haryana Agricultural University before joining the faculty at Rio Grande Valley. Photo courtesy of Pavel Somavat.

Dec. 13, 2020

Working to Benefit Society

Pavel Somavat spent four years teaching electrical engineering at CCS Haryana Agricultural University, a land-grant university located in India. Somavat enjoyed the underlying philosophy and offerings of the land-grant system – and when he had an opportunity to take a faculty position at one of the two land-grant universities in Missouri, he jumped at the chance. Somavat joined the University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) Division of Food Systems and Bioengineering (FSB) this year as an assistant professor of food science/biomedical, biological and chemical engineering. Somavat taught courses in food science and researched…
Laura outside smiling.

Dec. 10, 2020

Q&A With Laura Friedrich

What are your job duties/job responsibilities in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources? I am a student services coordinator — so I always say my job is to help students (and families) get from where they are today to graduation. Whether that’s advising students, helping them change their major, declaring a minor, withdrawing from classes, or reviewing and submitting graduation plans. I’m also the lucky person who gets to read names at graduation. A more fun part is officially awarding the degrees to graduates in the college based on their submitted grad plans. How long…
Hannah Hemmelgarn speaks during a past organic field day event. Photo taken pre-COVID-19 pandemic.

Nov. 12, 2020

Q&A With Hannah Hemmelgarn

What are your job duties/job responsibilities in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources? As the Center for Agroforestry’s outreach and education coordinator, I develop informational materials like the Agroforestry Podcast and monthly newsletters, and I organize and execute a number of events. The Agroforestry Academy, an annual week-long intensive train-the-trainer program, is one of our most recognized offerings. We’re also looking forward to the upcoming Agroforestry Symposium, which will take place January 28-30, 2021; this year’s theme is Community Health and Resilient Food Systems. How long have you worked in CAFNR? I’ve…
In an effort to offer CAFNR students an international experience from Columbia, Shanon Dickerson and the CAFNR Office of Academic Programs have developed the Go Global! campaign. The main focus of the campaign is on virtual internships and preparing students for future study abroad experiences.

Nov. 10, 2020

Going Global (Virtually)

Being adaptable is a major role for a director of study abroad at a university. Directors deal with program changes, passports that need updated at the last minute and students who miss their flights, among with many other important matters. Shanon Dickerson understands that serving as CAFNR director of study abroad requires her to think outside of the box quite often. That mindset has been even more important as international travel has been halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In an effort to offer CAFNR students an international experience from Columbia, Dickerson and the CAFNR Office of…
Picture of the faculty of the Department of Animal Husbandry at the University of Missouri taken in 1928 or 1929. Front row (left to right) - Jim Burch, Jim Foster, Frederick B. Mumford, EA Trowbridge, and Fred F. McKenzie; Middle row (left to right) – L.A. Weaver, T.A. Ewing, A.G. Hogan, and D. Chittenden; Back row (left to right) L.E. Casida (PhD student), H. Garlock, H. Moffett, and J.E. Comfort.

Oct. 27, 2020

Reflections: Mike Smith

It has been my privilege to serve on the faculty of the Division of Animal Sciences at the University of Missouri for 40 years. In particular, I owe a debt of gratitude to Dr. Bill Day, who I met as a PhD student at Texas A&M University. He was a member of a review team that evaluated the reproductive physiology program at A&M and he encouraged me to apply for a research/teaching position in beef cattle reproduction in the Department of Animal Husbandry. At the time, I questioned whether I was ready to initiate an independent research program, but…
Awards

Oct. 26, 2020

CAFNR Proud, Column Strong

The College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources has honored the 2020 recipients of the CAFNR Column Award for Distinguished Alumni. Although the recognition process looks different for this year, CAFNR’s outstanding alumni were still celebrated for their notable accomplishments. The Column Awards are the highest honor given by the College to recognize outstanding achievements of its accomplished alumni. The awardees represent graduates from each of CAFNR’s six divisions, reflecting the six historic columns at the University of Missouri. Animal Sciences Eldon Cole // MS Animal Husbandry ’63, BS Agriculture ’62 Eldon Cole has been a…
Horticulture Specialist Juan Cabrera-Garcia

Oct. 1, 2020

Cultivating Inclusivity

By population, the United States is the second-largest Spanish-speaking country in the world, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Counting both bilingual and native speakers of Spanish, the U.S. has more people who can speak Spanish than Spain itself. How do MU Extension specialists make sure they serve Missourians who speak Spanish? “I first started doing a home gardening webinar series at the beginning of the year because of COVID-19 and potential food supply shortages,” said Juan Cabrera-Garcia, an MU Agriculture and Environment Extension horticulture specialist in southeastern Missouri. Amaya Carrasco, a St. Louis resident with…
Ben Luebbering

Sep. 30, 2020

Q&A With Ben Luebbering

What are opportunities in CAFNR for students interested in the swine industry? The best opportunity for students in CAFNR who are interested in pigs is the MU Swine Club. The Swine Club allows students who are interested in the swine industry to connect with other students that have similar interests. It also serves as a great way to meet industry leaders and learn about hot topics involving pigs, not to mention that the club makes time to take field trips to various businesses that involve pigs. What was it like being the 2019 Pig Farmer of Tomorrow?…
Dr. Bill Danforth

Sep. 24, 2020

Remembering the Legacy of Dr. William Danforth

The passing of William H. “Bill” Danforth, M.D., last week at age 94 brought to the spotlight his work in academic administration, medicine and science, and outreach in the St. Louis area. His contributions also can be felt here at the University of Missouri. Dr. Danforth, chancellor emeritus of Washington University, was the founding chairman of the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center (DDPSC). Mizzou, including the Division of Plant Sciences in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR), and the Interdisciplinary Plant Group (IPG), has had a long partnership with the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center.