Stories
April 17, 2023
CAFNR Junior Named Goldwater Scholar
Kristen Barwick, junior in biochemistry, was one of four University of Missouri students selected as a Goldwater Scholar for 2023. Each year, universities nominate up to four students for this prestigious national scholarship — this year, all four nominees from Mizzou were named to the scholar program. The Goldwater Scholarship is a competitive national scholarship program that recognizes outstanding undergraduate students in the fields of mathematics, natural sciences and engineering. It provides $7,500 for tuition, fees, books, and room and board, and is awarded based on academic merit, research experience and potential for future achievement. This year, 413 scholars were…
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 13, 2023
Get to Know Kelly Wilson
What are your job duties/job responsibilities in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources? I am the Associate Director for MU’s Center for Regenerative Agriculture and an assistant professor with the School of Natural Resources. I work closely with farmers, farm advisors, and farm groups to research and promote adoption of farming practices that are restorative to the environment and benefit people. I use participatory research approaches to conduct applied research that meets the felt-needs and challenges of farmers and others across the ag value chain. I work with all types of farmers, but one of my…
April 13, 2023
CAFNR Represented Among 14 MU Students, Alumni Honored by National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported STEM disciplines who are pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees at accredited U.S. institutions. The five-year fellowship includes three years of financial support including an annual stipend of $34,000 and a cost of education allowance of $12,000 to the institution. This year’s recipients included three CAFNR students and alumni: Daniel Lamm, BS ’20 (biochemistry); Joseph Fritsche, BS ’21 (biochemistry); and Chantelle Wimms, current graduate student in natural resources. Alyssa Smolensky, current graduate student in natural resources, received an honorable mention. Wimms and Smolensky…
April 12, 2023
Missouri Farm Income Projected to Decline in 2023
Missouri’s net farm income is predicted to fall in 2023 following a record-setting 2022, according to the spring 2023 Missouri Farm Income Outlook report. The report, released by the Rural and Farm Finance Policy Analysis Center (RaFF) at the University of Missouri, provides comprehensive insights that can equip industry stakeholders and policymakers with information to understand the state-level impacts of economic factors, weather and policy initiatives on the agriculture industry. One factor that could explain this projected drop in farm income is the state’s livestock receipts, which were impacted by the country-wide drought that reduced cattle inventories and supported Missouri marketings, which…
April 12, 2023
Kathy Haynes Honored with Mumford Award for Outstanding Staff as Part of 2023 Celebration of Excellence
Kathy Haynes, CAFNR’s chief financial officer, has received the 2023 Fredrick B. Mumford Award for Outstanding Staff. The award was given as part of the college’s Celebration of Excellence awards ceremony, held April 11. Haynes joined CAFNR nine years ago, and has overseen the areas of business, finance and human resources for the college ever since, with a focus on customer service and patient mentorship of staff, including the six divisional fiscal officers in the college. “She is curious and inquisitive and uses these qualities to find efficient processes for and effective resolutions to the…
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
Hank Stelzer Named J.W. Burch Specialist at 2023 Celebration of Excellence
Hank Stelzer is the 2023 recipient of the J.W. Burch State Specialist Agricultural Extension Award, presented at CAFNR’s Celebration of Excellence event April 11. Stelzer is an associate professor of forestry extension and education director of MU Extension’s natural resources program area. He is active in several professional associations including the International Society of Arboriculture and the Association of Natural Resource Extension Professionals and has received the Karkhagne Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Missouri Society of American Foresters. Stelzer has been instrumental in establishing numerous programs that improve the management of Missouri’s natural resources. He…
April 12, 2023
Marie Dickerson Receives CAFNR Safety Leadership Award at 2023 Celebration of Excellence
Marie Dickerson was honored with the inaugural Safety Leadership Award during CAFNR’s 2023 Celebration of Excellence ceremony on Tuesday, April 11, setting the standard of the quality of work recipients of this new award should perform, notes the awarding committee. Dickerson is the building manager and safety coordinator in the Division of Biochemistry. In her role as the liaison to MU Environmental Health and Safety, Dickerson is an advocate for the safety and operation of our campus buildings, including laboratories. She is the point person for the maintenance and repair of all levels of…
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…