Stories
May 3, 2021
Michael F. Smith Named Honorary Member of the CAFNR Alumni Association
Michael F. Smith, Curators’ Distinguished Professor of Animal Sciences, has been named an Honorary Member of the CAFNR Alumni Association as part of their 2021 awards celebration.
May 3, 2021
Al Kennett Honored With True Tiger Volunteer Award From CAFNR Alumni Association
Al Kennett, New London, Mo., has received the 2021 True Tiger Award, given each spring by the CAFNR Alumni Association.
April 7, 2021
CAFNR Announces Dissertation Research Improvement Grantees
The University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) Office of Research recently announced its inaugural award winners of the CAFNR Dissertation Research Improvement Grants (C-DRIG). Each grant is worth up to $2,000 to support or partially support dissertation research projects proposed by doctoral students in the College. Proposals were evaluated by the CAFNR Research Council, an advisory body that advises the CAFNR Office of Research and is made up of representatives from each division in the College. Student: Pawan Basnet (Plant, Insect and Microbial Sciences) Advisor: Andrew Scaboo (Assistant Professor, Division of Plant Sciences) Development…
Feb. 22, 2021
Jared Decker Part of Ag Innovation Panel Discussion
Decker is an associate professor in the Division of Animal Sciences.
Feb. 22, 2021
Students Earn Honors During Animal Sciences Graduate Forum
The Division of Animal Sciences held its Animal Sciences Graduate Forum virtually in January. There were a total of 20 oral presentations and 19 poster presentations, as nearly all Animal Sciences graduate students participated. Along with numerous presentations, the division recognized 2020 MS and PhD graduates. Below are the winners for each category. MS Oral Presentation First: Amanda Schmelzle Second: Maddie Spooner Third: Destiny Johns Honorable Mention: Alana Rodney PhD Oral Presentation First: Sara Nilson Second: Paula Chen and Jason Rizo Third: Colby Redifer MS Poster Presentation First: Kelsey Clark Second:…
Jan. 27, 2021
Roberts, Spencer Named Society for the Study of Reproduction Distinguished Fellows
Two University of Missouri faculty were among 15 individuals recently named Society for the Study of Reproduction (SSR) Distinguished Fellows. R. Michael Roberts, Chancellor’s Professor with appointments in animal sciences and biochemistry, and Thomas Spencer, Curators’ Distinguished Professor of Animal Sciences, were both honored. This is the inaugural year of the program. From the SSR press release about the Distinguished Fellowship honor: The SSR Distinguished Fellowship is one of the highest professional scientific honors awarded for outstanding contributions to the scientific discipline of reproductive biology. The SSR Distinguished Fellowship recognizes the impact of active SSR members and their outstanding contributions…
Dec. 16, 2020
CAFNR Office of Research Recognizes Drivers of Distinction
The CAFNR Office of Research recently recognized 10 faculty members as Drivers of Distinction. The honor was given to the faculty members, listed below, who had the highest total shared credit research expenditures over the past 10 years (2011-20). David Diamond – director, Missouri Resource Assessment Partnership (School of Natural Resources) Felix Fritschi – C. Alice Donaldson Professor in Bioenergy Crop Physiology and Genetics (Division of Plant Sciences) Shibu Jose – associate dean, CAFNR Office of Research; professor (School of Natural Resources) Henry Nguyen – professor (Division of Plant Sciences) Craig Paukert – cooperative professor (School of Natural Resources) Randy…
Nov. 17, 2020
Jared Decker Receives Early Investigator Research Award as Part of 2020 Celebration of Excellence
Jared Decker, associate professor in the Division of Animal Sciences and state beef Extension specialist, received the Early Investigator Research Award during CAFNR’s 2020 virtual Celebration of Excellence awards celebration. Decker received his bachelor’s degree in animal science from New Mexico State University before earning his PhD in genetics from the University of Missouri in 2012. After earning his PhD, Decker served as a USDA-NIFA postdoctoral fellow at MU for a year before joining the faculty as an assistant professor in the Division of Animal Sciences. In 2018, Decker became an associate professor. He has served as the state beef…
Oct. 21, 2020
Matthew Lucy Serves as Editor-in-Chief of New Journal
The first issue of JDS Communications, a new journal from the American Dairy Science Association (ADSA), is now available. Matthew Lucy, a professor in the Division of Animal Sciences, serves as the editor-in-chief of the new publication. “JDS Communications will offer a fresh and different publication option for dairy scientists,” Lucy said. “We are interested in high-quality research studies that are focused, hypothesis-driven and designed to answer a specific question on the production or processing of milk or milk products intended for human consumption.” Lucy added that the publication will serve as a home for short communications, technical notes…
July 17, 2020
Sofia Ortega Named Zamorano AGEAP USA Alumni of the Month
Sofia Ortega, assistant professor of reproductive physiology in Animal Sciences, has recently been recognized as the AGEAP USA Alumni of the Month. Ortega’s interest in reproductive physiology began at Zamorano (Class of 2003), through her work in Honduras. She received her MS in Animal Sciences from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, and she completed her PhD at the University of Florida in 2016 in Animal Molecular and Cellular Biology. Her CAFNR team utilizes a systems biology approach to optimize cattle fertility, using CRISPR knockouts to study preimplantation bovine embryo development. Ortega has published more than 17 peer-reviewed articles in…