Stories
May 2, 2023
Bryan Honored with 2023 Chancellor’s Outstanding Staff Award
Vicki Bryan, program coordinator in plant science and technology, has received the 2023 Chancellor’s Outstanding Staff Award. These awards represent those who best reflect honor upon the University and the community through a combination of job performance, job-related personal qualities, relationship with their associates, and the ability to relate their work to the missions and values of the University. One award is given to a staff member in each of the five job categories: Administrative/Professional, Clerical/Office, Crafts/Maintenance, Technical/Paraprofessional, Temp and UM System. Bryan was recognized in the Administrative/Professional category. Bryan will be honored during the 2023 Staff Recognition Week.
May 2, 2023
Sharp Receives UM System’s Jefferson Award
Robert Sharp, Curators’ Distinguished Professor of Plant Science and Technology, recently received the UM System President’s Thomas Jefferson Award for his research. The award recognizes one outstanding faculty member annually who has been nationally or internationally recognized for and demonstrated clear distinction in research, scholarship, teaching and public service. Sharp, also former director of the Interdisciplinary Plant Group (IPG), received the award for his stellar reputation as an international collaborator furthering the field of plant science, his work overseeing key joint hires at MU and the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, helping with the development of the new East Campus…
April 28, 2023
Cover crops could reduce PPL acres in wet springs
A topic in farm policy circles is whether conservation practices can reduce PPL risk in extreme weather such as floods. Crop insurance is one of the farm bill’s largest expenditures. 2019 file photo of Holt County, Missouri, by Linda Geist. A newly released study shows that planting cover crops and reduced tillage could substantially lower the number of prevent plant (PPL) acres and subsequent federal crop insurance payments. Cover crops lower the number of PPL acres in wet springs, reducing the loss odds by 24%, according to the six-state study released in March, says Rob Myers, director of the University…
April 24, 2023
CAFNR Faculty & Staff Receive Honorary State FFA Degrees
The Missouri FFA Association named a number of CAFNR faculty and staff members Honorary State FFA Degree recipients at the 95th Missouri FFA Convention held April 20-21 in Columbia. This recognition was given for years of support, including service as state superintendents for agriculture, food and natural resources Career Development Events. Those honored include: Matt Arri, Agricultural Sales CDE Andrew Biggs, Agronomy CDE Addison Byrne, Livestock Evaluation CDE Andrew Clarke, Food Science & Technology CDE Lesleighan Cravens, Floriculture CDE Chris Daubert, Support of CDEs and the Convention Tawnie DeJong, Livestock Evaluation CDE Deborah Finke, Entomology CDE Laura Friedrich, Agricultural Sales…
April 21, 2023
CAFNR Advisor Spotlight: Mary Ann Gowdy
How rewarding is it to work with students in the plant science degrees program? Advising and mentoring is immensely rewarding because students begin their college experience as timid students unsure of themselves and graduate as confident energetic young professionals. How do you assist those students throughout their academic journey? I encourage them to take calculated risks and to accept unsuccessful events as learning experiences. I stress the importance of learning to accept responsibility for their actions and how important it is to ask for help when needed. My job as their advisor is to be honest with them and that…
April 14, 2023
Plant Sciences Student Earns GPC International Student Award
Bruna Montes Luz has been awarded the Graduate Professional Council International Student Award. Montes Luz is a graduate student pursuing a PhD in Plant, Insect and Microbial Sciences. The GPC International Student Award is an award that honors an international graduate or professional student who shows exemplary leadership and service to the university and to the international student community. This award celebrates the accomplishments of international graduate and professional students through their hard work, dedication, and adherence to Mizzou’s core values of respect, responsibility, discovery, and excellence.
April 12, 2023
Felix Fritschi Receives Mumford Award for Outstanding Faculty as Part of 2023 Celebration of Excellence
Felix Fritschi, C. Alice Donaldson Professor in Bioenergy Crop Physiology and Genetics in the Division of Plant Science and Technology, received the 2023 Mumford Award for Outstanding Faculty during CAFNR’s Celebration of Excellence ceremony held Tuesday, April 11. Fritschi is the interim director of the Missouri Soybean Center and the Missouri Plant Transformation Core Facility. He has advised 25 graduate students and 32 postdoctoral fellows. Fritschi’s research focuses on crop improvement for farmers, specifically tolerance to drought and heat, and water and nutrient use efficiencies. Fritschi has secured almost $14 million in research grant support for his…
April 12, 2023
Deborah Finke Received Outstanding Senior Teaching Award as Part of 2023 Celebration of Excellence
Deborah Finke, professor and director of undergraduate studies, Division of Plant Science and Technology, was honored with the Outstanding Senior Teacher Award as part of the 2023 Celebration of Excellence event, held Tuesday, April 11. Finke is dedicated to inquiry-based student learning and teaches courses including Insect Pest Management, Plant Stress Biology and Insect Ecology, with teaching evaluations consistently higher than average. She leads a study abroad opportunity to Italy, is the advisor for the C.V. Riley Entomological Society student organization, and works with faculty on the development of courses and curriculum as the undergraduate program director.
April 12, 2023
Bing Yang Receives Distinguished Research Award as Part of 2023 CAFNR Celebration of Excellence
Bing Yang, professor of plant science and technology, received the Distinguished Research Award at the Celebration of Excellence held April 11, due to his groundbreaking contributions in crop genome engineering and plant pathology. Yang has cloned and characterized a rice disease resistance gene used by breeders to protect rice plants from a devastating bacterial pathogen. Additionally, his research program focuses on developing and applying genome editing technologies for gene/trait discovery and for engineering improved traits, such as disease resistance in crop plants. Yang’s research has been published in top-tier journals, including Nature Genetics…
April 12, 2023
Tracey Mitchell Received Outstanding Staff Award as Part of 2023 Celebration of Excellence
Tracey Mitchell, CSM associate III, Interdisciplinary Plant Group (IPG) and the Division of Plant Science and Technology (DPST), was honored with the Outstanding Staff Award during the 2023 Celebration of Excellence event, held Tuesday, April 11. Michell provides technical repair and support of MU’s plant growth facilities, including the East Campus Plant Growth Facility (ECPGF) and the Sears Greenhouse complex. He maintains the specialized equipment needed for continued research. David Braun, professor of plant science and technology and director of the IPG, says, “To put it simply, MU’s plant science community was exceedingly fortunate to…