Stories
July 9, 2020
Charles Nilon Named the Newest Holder of the William J. Rucker Professorship in Fisheries and Wildlife
Charles Nilon, professor of urban wildlife management in the School of Natural Resources, was recently named the newest holder of the William J. Rucker Professorship in Fisheries and Wildlife. From its inception in 1944, the William J. Rucker Professorship in Fisheries and Wildlife’s purpose has been for the “instruction of youth upon the subject of the value and preservation of wild life.” Funds are used primarily to support graduate research assistant stipends. “I have known Dr. Nilon almost since the start of my MU career, when I arrived in 1999,” said Pat Market, interim director of the School of Natural…
July 9, 2020
The Importance of Inland Fish
Inland, or freshwater, fish carry considerable economical, recreational and cultural value across the globe. Those species, which include trout, crappie and catfish, among many others, provide critical ecosystem services to communities worldwide – and are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. A working group made up of researchers and scientists from the United States and Canada recently created an online database of academic papers related to the effects of climate change on inland fish. “Our primary focus was to provide a database of peer-reviewed, published papers on the effects of climate change on inland fish,” said Craig Paukert, adjunct…
July 7, 2020
CAFNR Faculty Earn 2020 President’s Awards
Each year, the UM System President’s Awards are presented on behalf of President Mun Choi to faculty members across the four universities of the UM System. These highly competitive awards recognize faculty who have made exceptional contributions in advancing the mission of the University. President’s Award recipients will be recognized at a Board of Curators meeting on their university campus, as well as at a faculty awards event hosted at their home institution. This year, the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources had three faculty members earn President’s Awards: Thomas Spencer, Chung-Ho Lin and Randall Miles. Thomas Spencer…
July 7, 2020
Randall Miles Receives 2020 Thomas Jefferson Award
Randall Miles, associate professor emeritus of soil science in the School of Natural Resources, received the 2020 Thomas Jefferson Award as part of the UM System President’s Awards. The Thomas Jefferson Award is reserved for faculty who rise above excellence and demonstrate clear distinction, not only in their career, but also in service to the University of Missouri and humankind. Over his career as a beloved instructor at MU, Miles has made a major impact on student education. Beyond that, his profound passions for soil science, human health and community wellbeing have led him to make fundamental contributions to…
July 7, 2020
Chung-Ho Lin Receives 2020 President’s Award for Economic Development
Chung-Ho Lin, associate research professor in the School of Natural Resources, received the 2020 President’s Award for Economic Development from the UM System. This award recognizes faculty for distinguished activity in meeting the University of Missouri’s goal of serving as an economic engine for the state and its citizens. Awardees demonstrate entrepreneurial innovation in using the classroom, outreach programs or the laboratory as vehicles for increasing or developing new economic activity in the state. Lin’s primary research involves the use of plants, microbes and engineered enzymes for bioremediation, ecological restoration and development of bioeconomy. He is the lead scientist…
July 7, 2020
Thomas Spencer Receives 2020 President’s Award for Sustained Career Excellence
Thomas Spencer, Curators’ Distinguished Professor of Animal Sciences, received the 2020 President’s Award for Sustained Career Excellence from the UM System. This award recognizes faculty for distinguished career-long, sustained excellence in scholarship, research or creativity, for a period of 15 or more years. Spencer, who is also associate vice chancellor for research (emphasis in STEM disciplines), joined the University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) in 2015, and was a signature hire as part of the Mizzou Advantage program. He is an internationally recognized and respected leader in the fields of reproductive and developmental biology.
June 30, 2020
Deserved Recognition
While the in-person version of the 2020 National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) Student Marketing Competition and Conference was cancelled, several members of the Mizzou NAMA team still earned awards and scholarships via an online version in late spring. The Mizzou NAMA team was one of six teams to win recognition for its written executive summary for the Student Executive Summary Competition. Within that competition, students develop a business proposition with a service description that includes a strategy statement, as well as goals, objectives and assumptions. The team conducts a market analysis, while looking at trends and potential. They also put…
June 23, 2020
MU Faculty Part of Gene Editing Task Force
The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) and the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) recently announced an 11-person Gene Editing Task Force, which includes two individuals from the University of Missouri: Bhanu Telugu (associate professor) and Londa Nwadike (food safety state specialist, MU Extension). The 11-person task force is comprised of scientists and industry leaders who will map out recommendations for regulating this emerging genomic technology in animal agriculture with appropriate safeguards and procedures.
June 22, 2020
An Extraordinary Honor
For more than 30 years, the University of Missouri System and the University of the Western Cape (UWC) in Cape Town, South Africa, have been collaborating through the University of Missouri South African Education Program (UMSAEP). The focus of the partnership is to advance mutual understanding between the institutions’ faculties and foster cooperative research, teaching and service projects – and for decades UMSAEP has delivered on the goal of aiding South Africans disadvantaged by their government’s former apartheid policies. Researchers in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) have played an important role in the partnership, including…
June 22, 2020
An Entrepreneurial Spirit
When Kamal Yadav came to the United States from India in 1961, he had never seen snow before. Working toward his master’s degree in biochemistry at the University of Missouri, Yadav stepped out of his apartment early one snowy morning during his first semester and didn’t make it very far before slipping and hurting his back. The injury forced Yadav to miss several classes, which caught the eye of his PhD advisor George B. Garner. Garner found where Yadav lived and went there right away to check on him. Yadav appreciated his advisor’s visit – and was shocked when Garner…