Stories

April 6, 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…

Dec. 15, 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…

July 8, 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…

June 1, 2020

Robin Rotman Honored with Win Horner Award for Innovative Writing Intensive Teaching

Robin Rotman, an assistant professor in the School of Natural Resources, was recently honored with the Win Horner Award for Innovative Writing Intensive Teaching for the 2019-20 academic year. Inspired by early Campus Writing Programs Director Win Horner, this award celebrates innovative approaches to teaching writing in the disciplines. In her Environmental Science 4400W course, Professor Rotman mentors students through complex legal writing, and, by the conclusion of each semester, her students create their own Journal of Environmental Law, Policy, and Justice.

May 7, 2020

Lisa Groshong Earns MU Distinguished Dissertation Award – Discipline Winner

Lisa Groshong is being honored by the MU Graduate School with the MU Distinguished Dissertation Award for her dissertation titled “Looking Broadly and Deeply into Perceptions of Local Climate Change Impacts Among Visitors to Missouri State Parks.” This work was supervised by Sonja Wilhelm Stanis, associate professor in the School of Natural Resources. The results of Lisa’s research suggest opportunities for state park managers to take action toward locally oriented climate change mitigation, education and communication. Groshong is currently a postdoctoral fellow in the School of Natural Resources at the University of Missouri.

May 7, 2020

Ben Knapp Earns Purdue Forestry and Natural Resources Outstanding Young Alumni Award

The Outstanding Young Alumni Award recognizes the accomplishments of individuals who have excelled in professional and civic accomplishments and have graduated from Purdue FNR within the last 15 years. Ben Knapp, who earned his bachelor’s degree in forestry from Purdue in 2003, is an associate professor of silviculture in the School of Natural Resources at the University of Missouri. After completing his master’s and doctorate degrees at Clemson in 2005 and 2012 respectively, Knapp began teaching at Missouri as a tenure-track assistant professor. In 2018, he was promoted to associate professor. He teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses in silviculture…