Stories

Sep. 3, 2021

Q&A with Jason Morris

What do you do in your current role with the University of Missouri?    I currently serve in a dual role with the University of Missouri Extension’s Agriculture and Environment program. I am an agricultural business specialist and a county engagement specialist. Often, these two roles intersect with each other allowing me to engage with community members, landowners, farmers, producers, government officials and other stakeholders.   Additionally, I conduct research related to agriculture business, work with regional and state specialists to host programs and disseminate educational content to Missourians in the following counties: Linn, Macon and Randolph.   How…
Shawn Poore

Sep. 1, 2021

Making a Difference

Shawn Poore wants to make a difference in the lives of others. And in his new role as the Executive Director of Advancement at the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources at Mizzou, he says he is getting that chance to affect the lives of both alumni and students. Shawn joins CAFNR Sept. 1. “I like to work where I can see the biggest difference in the lives of other people,” he says. “A lot of careers let you do that, but for a people person like I am, a fundraising position lets me use my ability…
An Asian man with short, dark hair and glasses wears a grey sweater with 3/4 button closures inside of a building wiht large windows and a staircase behind him. He stands with his hands clasped in front of him.

Aug. 31, 2021

Solving Problems Through Research

As an alum of the University of Missouri (MU), Chung-Ho Lin has worked for his alma mater his entire career in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) in the School of Natural Resources. In that time, he’s become known as a problem solver of sorts, when it comes to a wide variety of research questions. Lin, who is a research associate professor in forestry, is also the lead scientist in charge of bioremediation and natural products research programs at the Center for Agroforestry. Bioremediation is a process used to treat contaminated media like water, soil and other…
The University of Missouri is one of eight institutions collaborating within the new AI institute.

Aug. 30, 2021

MU Plays Crucial Role in New NSF Artificial Intelligence Institute

The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) has announced the establishment of the AI Institute for Resilient Agriculture (AIIRA), one of 11 new NSF National Artificial Intelligence Research Institutes that will work to advance AI technologies and their associated benefits to society. The AIIRA will be led by Iowa State University (ISU) and feature collaboration across eight institutions, including the University of Missouri. While the 11 AI Institutes will cover a wide range of AI technology and applications, the AIIRA will focus on a simulation technology that can create “digital twins” of real-world crops and farms, an approach that would provide…
In a new study published in PLOS Genetics, Decker and his team have uncovered evidence showing that cattle are losing important environmental adaptations, losses the researchers attribute to a lack of genetic information available to farmers.

Aug. 30, 2021

Cattle Losing Adaptations to Environmental Stressors, MU Researchers Find

As a fourth-generation cattle farmer, Jared Decker knows that cattle suffer from health and productivity issues when they are taken from one environment–which the herd has spent generations adapting to–to a place with a different climate, a different elevation or even different grass. But as a researcher at the University of Missouri, Decker also sees an opportunity to use science to solve this problem, both to improve the welfare of cattle and to plug a leak in a nearly $50 billion industry in the U.S. “When I joined MU in 2013, I moved cattle from a family farm in New…

Aug. 30, 2021

Unconscious Biases can Drive Foodborne Illness Outbreaks, MU Researchers Find

In the midst of a pandemic that has claimed more than 2 million lives worldwide and disrupted nearly every facet of society since it appeared more than a year ago, understanding the factors that create and facilitate disease outbreaks is more important than ever. Now, researchers at the University of Missouri have determined that cognitive biases — patterns of errors in thinking that affect judgments and behaviors, often unconsciously — can help create and worsen foodborne disease outbreaks. Harvey James believes studying unconscious biases can help researchers learn how outbreaks are born. “Unethical behavior isn’t always…
The zebra finch is capable of vocal learning, a rare talent in the animal kingdom and the foundation of human speech.

Aug. 30, 2021

Piecing Together the Puzzles of Bird Genomes

In 2003, scientists finished sequencing the entire human genome, paving the way for new discoveries about genetic disorders and the numerous ways that genes influence behavior, health and other traits. But the importance of a complete genome for scientific reference is not limited to humans — researchers are now engaged in an all-out push to assemble the genomes of vertebrates across the animal kingdom, racing to unlock the secrets behind the genetic origins of unusual behaviors and the evolution of devastating diseases. In a flagship paper recently featured on the cover of Nature, more than 100 researchers worldwide contributed groundbreaking research to…

Aug. 30, 2021

Hundley-Whaley Research Center to Showcase Projects During Field Day

The Hundley-Whaley Research Center is set to host an in-person field day on Saturday, Sept. 11. The event will run from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Registration will begin at 10 a.m. Along with traditional field day topics, several other events will be held throughout the day. A Classic Tractor Exhibit will be present, and there will be booths set up in the pavilion with representatives from agricultural companies. Representatives from MFA, NOVUS, BASF, Fiber Hemp Industry and more will be present. “We are super excited to host an in-person field day this year after our virtual event last year,”…
Portrait of Justin Calhoun

Aug. 27, 2021

Soils, Cropping Systems Specialist Joins Delta Research Center

Justin S. Calhoun starts Sept. 1 as a University of Missouri Extension state specialist in soils and cropping systems. He will be based at the Fisher Delta Research Center (FDRC) in southeastern Missouri near Portageville. Calhoun will also be an assistant professor in the MU Division of Plant Science and Technology. “Research at FDRC is key to the success of local producers. Justin brings great experience to the team, working with many different crops and soils,” said Shibu Jose, associate dean for research at the College of Agriculture, Food…

Aug. 24, 2021

Q&A With Emma Baer

Why did you decide to come to the University of Missouri and major in nutrition and exercise physiology, with a focus in human physiology and translational sciences? What do you enjoy about the program itself? The field of study? Coming to Mizzou as a pre-med student, I knew I wanted a degree program that would provide me the core knowledge I needed to advance throughout my studies, but that would also engage me and my interests in the process. I landed on this particular path because I had a basic understanding of the impact nutrition had on overall…