Stories
April 12, 2024
2024 Roger L. Mitchell Fellow Award to Jaume Padilla
Jaume Padilla, associate professor, nutrition and exercise physiology, has received CAFNR’s 2024 Roger L. Mitchell Fellow Award as part of the College’s annual Celebration of Excellence awards ceremony. Jaume Padilla The research of Padilla, who is also an investigator in NextGen Precision Health, focuses on the nexus of cardiovascular disease, physical inactivity, obesity and type 2 diabetes, incorporating diverse methodologies from in vitro tissue culture to clinical studies. His achievements include more than 175 peer-reviewed publications, more than $11 million in external funding, invited talks both nationally and internationally, and prestigious awards such as the 2023 Impact Award from the…
April 12, 2024
2024 Outstanding Mid-Career Research Award: Jaume Padilla
Jaume Padilla, associate professor, nutrition and exercise physiology, has received CAFNR’s 2024 Outstanding Mid-Career Research Award as part of the College’s annual Celebration of Excellence awards ceremony. Jaume Padilla Joining the University of Missouri in 2009 as a postdoctoral fellow, he become an associate professor with tenure in 2019. His research is having a major impact on the field of cardiovascular research. “His focus is on the connections between cardiovascular disease, physical inactivity, obesity, and type 2 diabetes, and addresses some of the greatest challenges facing society,” said nominator Dojin Ryu, director of the Division of Food, Nutrition and Exercise…
April 12, 2024
Soyon Park receives Early Investigator Research Award from College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources
Soyon Park, assistant professor of plant science and technology, has received the Early Investigator Research Award. Trained in plant molecular biology, Park’s expertise lies in chlorophyll degradation, plant-agrobacteria interactions, and host-parasitic plant interactions. Her research, published in prestigious journals like Plant Cell and Molecular Cell, focuses on understanding host and parasitic plant interactions, particularly with parasitic plants like Cuscuta and Phelipanche, aiming to devise effective control strategies to enhance crop yield. Notably, her lab developed a groundbreaking Cuscuta transformation method, bypassing the time-consuming tissue culture process. This achievement led to a $2 million NSF proposal with Park as the principal…
April 11, 2024
Catch Up With CAFNR – April 2024
Executive-in-Residence Laura K. Furgione, B.S. Atmospheric Science ’93 and Chief Administrative Officer of the U.S. Census Bureau, encourages CAFNR students to step outside their comfort zone. Serving as a forecaster in both tropical Hawaii and arctic Alaska, Furgione learned how to serve communities through science. Personal Financial Planning students got to network with potential future employers during their Industry Advisory Board Day on March 14 in Memorial Union. Alumni of the program engaged in roundtable and panel discussions with the students about their goals, future plans, and advice on entering the industry. Zach Leasor, assistant professor in the School of…
April 11, 2024
Get to know Christina Meier
Meier is a strategic communications associate in the School of Natural Resources.
April 11, 2024
RaFF projects a dip in farm income for springtime
Another decline in net farm income is projected for the Show-Me State, according to the Spring 2024 Missouri Farm Income Outlook released by the University of Missouri’s Rural and Farm Finance Policy Analysis Center (RaFF). The report offers a state-level glimpse at projected farm financial indicators, including farm receipts, production expenses and other components that affect net farm income. Projections from the report suggest that declining market receipts and lower crop prices play a role in the estimated $0.8 billion decrease in net farm income for 2024. “Although decreased production expenses offer some relief, reduced livestock inventories and lower crop prices…
April 11, 2024
Groundbreaking for new building named for former Sen. Roy Blunt held at Fisher Delta Research, Extension and Education Center
Robert Cook, Don Rone, Paul T. Combs, David Haggard, Patrick McHaney, Aaron Brandt, Gary Wheeler, Chris Chinn, Jason Bean, Roy Blunt, Keith Holloway, Shelly Fisher, Trent Haggard, Charlie Kruse, Dave Blakemore, Mun Choi, Justin Rone, Rob Kallenbach, Chad Higgins, Shibu Jose and Chris Daubert. A groundbreaking was held Friday, April 5, for the Roy Blunt Soil Testing and Research Laboratory at the University of Missouri’s Fisher Delta Research, Extension and Education Center (FD-REEC) in Portageville, Mo. “As a longtime Delta Day attendee and Delta Center advocate, I’m pleased to have been part of spearheading a new facility that will support…
April 11, 2024
Taking on the global challenge of hidden hunger
More than 2 billion people suffer from hidden hunger, a form of malnutrition where individuals lack essential micronutrients — like vitamins and minerals — even though they consume what appears to be an adequate amount of calories. Kiruba Krishnaswamy University of Missouri researcher Kiruba Krishnaswamy is focused on tackling this global challenge. She recently received a five-year, $532,000 Early Career Development (CAREER) award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) — the NSF’s most prestigious award for early-career faculty — in support of her project titled “FEAST (food ecosystems and circularity for sustainable transformation) framework to address hidden hunger.” “Food is…
April 2, 2024
Plant Science and Technology professor named to Soil Health Institute board of directors
Rob Myers, extension professor in the Division of Plant Science and Technology, was announced as a new member of the Soil Health Institute board of directors. Rob Myers The Soil Health Institute is a global non-profit with a mission of safeguarding and enhancing the vitality and productivity of soils through scientific research and advancement. The Institute brings together leaders in science and industry to conduct research and empower farmers and landowners to adopt soil health systems that contribute economic and environmental benefits to agriculture and society. Myers appointment was effective April 1.
April 2, 2024
Bethany Bedeker Named Driver to Distinction
CAFNR Vice Chancellor and Dean Christopher Daubert surprised Bethany Bedeker, cover crop outreach manager, with the Driver to Distinction award at the faculty and staff meeting March 21, 2024, for her tireless work engaging with farmers as part of the Center for Regenerative Agriculture.