Stories

A person stands in a greenhouse wearing a lab coat and looking at the camera

Sep. 9, 2020

Henry Nguyen Named Editor of The Plant Genome

The Crop Science Society of America (CSSA) and the American Society of Agronomy (ASA) recently announced three appointments/reappointments of journal editors. Henry Nguyen, professor in the University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) Division of Plant Sciences, was named the editor of The Plant Genome. “I am honored and inspired to take on a new role as editor of The Plant Genome,” Nguyen said in the announcement. “I was involved in the development of this journal as former chair of the C-7 Division (Genomics, Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology) and have served on the editorial board for…

Aug. 31, 2020

Creating Inclusive Programming

On Friday mornings at the Clark Produce Auction, University of Missouri Agriculture and Environment Extension agronomist Dhruba Dhakal sets up a table, plant posters and an MU Extension sign. MU Extension’s objective is to serve all Missourians with resources and research needed to improve lives, communities and the economy. When Dhakal noticed Amish producers in Clark could benefit from a plant diagnostic clinic, he knew there was only one thing to do. “While attending one of the sales, I spoke with some of the leaders in the Amish community and learned they were struggling with different horticultural issues,” Dhakal said.
The East Campus Plant Growth Facility will promote the continued success and enhancement of the campus’ plant biology programs. The $28.2 million facility, funded by the University, will provide a major expansion of state-of-the-art greenhouse and plant growth chamber facilities with controlled lighting, temperature, humidity and CO2 environments. The project is expected to be completed by summer 2019. Photo courtesy Bill Lamberson/Robert Sharp.

Aug. 28, 2020

IPG Graduate Student and Postdoc Receive Awards for CROPS Seminar Presentations

The regional Collective Research Organization of Plant Scientists (CROPS) virtual seminar series, organized by graduate students and postdocs at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, took place over the summer, wrapping up the final sessions earlier in August. On Aug. 18, biochemistry PhD student Shannon King and plant sciences postdoctoral fellow Jian Kang received awards for Graduate Student Presentation and Postdoc Presentation, respectively. King, who works in the labs of Scott Peck, Felix Fritschi and Robert Sharp, was awarded first place for graduate student presentation, and Jian Kang in the Robert Sharp and Mel Oliver labs, was awarded third place for Postdoc…
Agriculture building

Aug. 25, 2020

CAFNR Welcomes New Faculty

Each fall the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources at the University of Missouri welcomes new faculty members who are ready to immerse themselves in teaching, research and Extension as integral parts of furthering our land-grant mission. Our six new faculty members bring a wealth of knowledge in their respective fields, and will be proudly welcomed into four of our six divisions: Animal Sciences, Applied Social Sciences, Food Systems & Bioengineering and Natural Resources. Our college is proud to introduce the new faculty members joining us for fall 2020: Michelle Brimecombe Assistant Teaching Professor, School of Natural Resources Brimecombe…
Samniqueka Halsey; glasses; grey suit coat

Aug. 20, 2020

Samniqueka Halsey Publishes Letter in Nature Ecology and Evolution

Samniqueka Halsey, assistant professor in the School of Natural Resources and CAFNR Faculty Fellow, is the lead author on a letter published in Nature Ecology and Evolution. “Elevate, don’t assimilate, to revolutionize the experience of scientists who are Black, Indigenous and people of colour” (SharedIt PDF version) outlines suggestions for how minoritized individuals can not only survive but thrive in ecology and evolutionary biology. The letter’s authors, five Black women who started as doctoral students at the same university, used their shared experience to develop a list of eight strategies. The strategies include: expect and use external support,…
In the show arena section of the Trowbridge Event Center (pictured), a total of 200 students can be in the classroom socially distanced – 145 in the wooden arena seats and 55 in desktop chairs on the concrete floor. The sales arena section will now hold 120 students. The show arena already has a massive projection screen, and the sales arena is complete with projectors and two digital display monitors. Photo by Michelle Enger.

Aug. 20, 2020

Focused on a Safe and Comfortable Return

As the University of Missouri prepares to open its doors for the 2020 fall semester, the MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) has spent the past four months making sure the return for its faculty, staff and students will be done safely and according to the Show Me Renewal Plan. An academic operations team comprising one individual from each of CAFNR’s six divisions, and led by Bryan Garton, senior associate dean and director of academic programs, worked nonstop on making sure CAFNR could host as many in-person classes as possible. “This is an unprecedented time, not only…
After earning her PhD from Mizzou, Rachel Owen (center) has been named the director of the Missouri Science and Technology Policy Fellows (MOST). The goal of MOST is to place PhD candidates, who recently received their PhD in a STEM discipline, in Jefferson City. Photo courtesy of Rachel Owen.

Aug. 17, 2020

Making the Most Out of an Opportunity

While she didn’t know how, Rachel Owen knew in high school that she wanted to help people. A soil science class at Iowa State University opened her eyes to numerous possibilities down that path – and her time at the University of Missouri solidified the direction she wanted to take. Owen came to MU in 2015 to work on her PhD, which looked at how climate change impacts natural ecosystems. Just two years into that work, Owen help co-found the Missouri Science and Technology Policy Fellows (MOST). Now, after earning her PhD from Mizzou, Owen has been named the…
Ronald Revord, an assistant research professor in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources’ (CAFNR) School of Natural Resources and faculty member for the Center for Agroforestry, recently received a grant for nearly $1 million to look to formalize a participatory network of chestnut growers to characterize on-farm germplasm and assemble core sets of superior selections.

Aug. 17, 2020

Meeting His Goals

When Ronald Revord joined the University of Missouri last year, he arrived with lofty goals in mind. Revord wasted no time in getting to work, either. Revord spent his first three months on the job working on and submitting a grant proposal to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) focused on establishing a participant network to characterize genetic variety and ancestry of chestnuts in the Midwest. While Revord’s main goal was to complete the grant proposal and submit something he was happy with, his proposal was strong enough to earn him a grant for nearly $1 million. The…

Aug. 14, 2020

Gardeners Make Community Impact

Those who have planted gardens feel that they have “done something for the good of the whole world,” wrote American author Charles Dudley Warner in 1871. For Greene County Master Gardeners Maryfrances DiGirolamo and James Hilburn, gardening has become a way to give back to their community, doing “something for the good of the world.” They use their University of Missouri Extension Master Gardener training to oversee a vegetable demonstrations garden at the Nathaniel Greene-Close Memorial Parks inside the Springfield Botanical Gardens. “They donate all the produce they grow to local food pantries,” said Kelly McGowan, coordinator of Master Gardeners…
Cheryl Recker

Aug. 14, 2020

Q&A With Cheryl Recker

What are your job duties/job responsibilities in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources? I am a senior research and lab technician at the Horticulture and Agroforestry Research Center (HARC) in New Franklin. My title does not convey the full scope of my duties, though. I help with various research projects taking place at HARC. I am also the HR and fiscal officer for the Research Center. I assist HARC’s co-superintendents, Barry Eschenbrenner and Sarah Lovell, planning meetings, tours and field days, as well as HARC and the University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry’s annual Missouri Chestnut Roast Festival.