Research

4-D printed foods

May 13, 2025

A recipe for change: Mizzou team prints meals with a twist

4D printed foods can change color over time depending on the pH value of proteins used, making them more or less appealing to the consumer. A team of College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources’ food scientists at Mizzou are pioneering the use of 4D food printing technology to revolutionize how meals are made for people with dysphagia, a condition that makes swallowing difficult. Their work aims to improve nutrition and safety while making pureed foods more visually appealing and appetizing. Up to one-third of older adults may experience dysphasia; it is especially common in those who have experienced a…
three students with a baby calf

May 7, 2025

CAFNR’s Foremost Dairy facility showcases collaborative excellence in veterinary and agricultural education

Located just west of Columbia, Foremost Dairy is part of the Missouri Agricultural Experiment Station, a statewide network of farms and facilities that supports research, education and extension. What sets this facility apart is its role as a collaborative classroom for students across disciplines and a model of top-tier animal care.
cow in a field

April 30, 2025

CAFNR center receives Program of Distinction designation, joins 12 others in the college

The National Center for Applied Reproduction and Genomics (NCARG) is joining the ranks of MU’s College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources’ (CAFNR) Programs of Distinction, a designation that points to programs that help define CAFNR’s impact on Missouri’s agricultural and natural resources economies and provide understanding for how CAFNR is addressing the challenges presented in our state.
small, green, leafy plants are growing in a black tray under a grow light

April 30, 2025

Mizzou’s Interdisciplinary Plant Group to host 41st annual symposium:  ‘Root Biology VI’

The Interdisciplinary Plant Group (IPG) at Mizzou will host its 41st annual symposium on the topic of “Root Biology VI” May 20-23.
Students and a professor posing.

April 24, 2025

CAFNR students and mentor recognized at Show Me Research Week

Each year, the University of Missouri hosts Show Me Research Week, a celebration of student research and creative activity representing almost every field and discipline on campus.
image of ear tag app data

April 21, 2025

Cattle in the cloud: Wearable tech revolutionizes ranching

Researchers at the University of Missouri’s Southwest Research, Extension and Education Center (SW-REEC) are bringing 21st-century technology to the pasture. By outfitting beef cattle with smart ear tags, researchers hope they can help producers pinpoint the ideal time for breeding — blending traditional livestock know-how with cutting-edge innovation.
A man with dark hair, brown eyes, and black-rimmed glasses in a black t-shirt with a Mizzou athletic tiger emblem on it stands in front of a public art sculpture in the bond Life Sciences building. He is smiling and leaning on a railing

April 17, 2025

David Mendoza-Cozatl receives the Roger L. Mitchell Fellow Award as part of 2025 Celebration of Excellence

David Mendoza-Cozatl, associate professor in the Division of Plant Science and Technology, is the recipient of CAFNR’s 2025 Roger L. Mitchell Fellow Award.    Mendoza-Cozatl is a world-leading expert in plant metal nutrient acquisition and detoxification, with a focus on enhancing food security through biofortification. He has secured nearly $8 million in federal funding and leads numerous collaborative research projects across institutions, including international partnerships in South Africa.   David Mendoza-Cozatl Mendoza-Cozatl has published 54 peer-reviewed papers, holds an h-index of 29, and is the recipient of numerous prestigious awards, such as the NSF CAREER Award, PEW Innovation Fund Investigator and MU…
Riley Sullivan receives award

April 17, 2025

Riley M. Sullivan has received the 2025 CAFNR William R. Lamberson Distinguished Thesis Award as part of Celebration of Excellence

Riley M. Sullivan has received the 2025 CAFNR William R. Lamberson Distinguished Thesis Award for her groundbreaking research on maternal recognition of pregnancy in pigs. She received her M.S. in Reproductive Physiology in 2024.   Riley Sullivan Her thesis, “Functional Analysis of Pregnancy in the Pig: The Two Essential Conceptus Maternal Recognition Signals for Preventing Luteolysis,” redefines a 50-year-old model by demonstrating the essential and combined role of conceptus-derived estrogen and prostaglandins in maintaining pregnancy.  Under the mentorship of Rodney Geisert, professor emeritus in the Division of Animal Sciences, Sullivan used advanced CRISPR gene-editing to develop a triple knockout model targeting…
A light-skinned woman with long, dark hair smiles in front of a stone wall. She is wearing a black button-up shirt.

April 17, 2025

Samantha Carter receives the 2025 CAFNR William R. Lamberson Distinguished Dissertation Award as part of Celebration of Excellence

Samantha Carter received the 2025 CAFNR William R. Lamberson Distinguished Dissertation Award for her dissertation, “Natural Resource Justice as an Anticolonial Practice: Policies of Sovereignty.” Carter earned her Ph.D. in Natural Resources in summer 2024 and now serves as a postdoctoral scholar at Northwestern University.  Samantha Carter Her research explores Indigenous rights and natural resource law through an anticolonial lens, blending legal and social science methods. Her dissertation includes three manuscripts: one analyzing mining jurisdiction post-McGirt v. Oklahoma (Montana Law Review), another examining cannabis regulation in Indian Country (Mercer Law Review) and a third comparing Indigenous resource governance in New…
Portrait of Abe Koo

April 17, 2025

Abraham (Abe) Koo receives CAFNR’s 2025 Outstanding Mid-Career Research Award as part of Celebration of Excellence

Koo is a leading plant biochemist known for his groundbreaking research on jasmonic acid (JA), a key hormone in plant defense and stress response.