Stories
April 17, 2025
Riley M. Sullivan has received the 2025 CAFNR William R. Lamberson Distinguished Thesis Award as part of Celebration of Excellence
Riley M. Sullivan has received the 2025 CAFNR William R. Lamberson Distinguished Thesis Award for her groundbreaking research on maternal recognition of pregnancy in pigs. She received her M.S. in Reproductive Physiology in 2024. Riley Sullivan Her thesis, “Functional Analysis of Pregnancy in the Pig: The Two Essential Conceptus Maternal Recognition Signals for Preventing Luteolysis,” redefines a 50-year-old model by demonstrating the essential and combined role of conceptus-derived estrogen and prostaglandins in maintaining pregnancy. Under the mentorship of Rodney Geisert, professor emeritus in the Division of Animal Sciences, Sullivan used advanced CRISPR gene-editing to develop a triple knockout model targeting…
April 17, 2025
Samantha Carter receives the 2025 CAFNR William R. Lamberson Distinguished Dissertation Award as part of Celebration of Excellence
Samantha Carter received the 2025 CAFNR William R. Lamberson Distinguished Dissertation Award for her dissertation, “Natural Resource Justice as an Anticolonial Practice: Policies of Sovereignty.” Carter earned her Ph.D. in Natural Resources in summer 2024 and now serves as a postdoctoral scholar at Northwestern University. Samantha Carter Her research explores Indigenous rights and natural resource law through an anticolonial lens, blending legal and social science methods. Her dissertation includes three manuscripts: one analyzing mining jurisdiction post-McGirt v. Oklahoma (Montana Law Review), another examining cannabis regulation in Indian Country (Mercer Law Review) and a third comparing Indigenous resource governance in New…
April 17, 2025
Abraham (Abe) Koo receives CAFNR’s 2025 Outstanding Mid-Career Research Award as part of Celebration of Excellence
Koo is a leading plant biochemist known for his groundbreaking research on jasmonic acid (JA), a key hormone in plant defense and stress response.
April 17, 2025
Morgan Davis receives Outstanding Early Investigator Research Award as part of Celebration of Excellence
At Mizzou since 2020, Davis is a standout early-career researcher with a rapidly growing national reputation. His interdisciplinary work focuses on soil greenhouse gas emissions, soil health, cover crops and sustainable agriculture practices.
April 17, 2025
Mary Hendrickson receives the Distinguished Research Award as part of 2025 Celebration of Excellence
Mary Hendrickson, professor in the Division of Applied Social Sciences, has been presented with the CAFNR Distinguished Research Award for her internationally recognized scholarship on food systems. Her research addresses corporate concentration in agriculture, local and alternative food systems and the pursuit of resilient, equitable food networks. A prolific scholar, she has over 70 publications, more than 3,000 citations and has secured over $20 million in research funding as PI or Co-PI. Mary Hendrickson Hendrickson’s interdisciplinary work bridges sociology, economics, ecology and law, with findings cited globally, including in United Nations reports. She has presented across five continents, testified before…
April 17, 2025
David Mendoza-Cozatl receives the Roger L. Mitchell Fellow Award as part of 2025 Celebration of Excellence
David Mendoza-Cozatl, associate professor in the Division of Plant Science and Technology, is the recipient of CAFNR’s 2025 Roger L. Mitchell Fellow Award. Mendoza-Cozatl is a world-leading expert in plant metal nutrient acquisition and detoxification, with a focus on enhancing food security through biofortification. He has secured nearly $8 million in federal funding and leads numerous collaborative research projects across institutions, including international partnerships in South Africa. David Mendoza-Cozatl Mendoza-Cozatl has published 54 peer-reviewed papers, holds an h-index of 29, and is the recipient of numerous prestigious awards, such as the NSF CAREER Award, PEW Innovation Fund Investigator and MU…
March 31, 2025
Plant sciences students see success at National Collegiate Landscape Competition
The University of Missouri Collegiate Landscaping Team received 15th place out of 54 schools attending the National Collegiate Landscape Competition at Colorado State University, March 19-22.
March 31, 2025
CAFNR students earn awards at Midwest American Society of Plant Biologists
Biochemistry and plant sciences students attended the Midwest American Society of Plant Biologists meeting at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, March 21-23, and competed in both oral and poster presentation competitions.
March 14, 2025
Students see success at Midwest American Society of Animal Science Meeting
Animal sciences students attended the Midwest American Society of Animal Science Meeting March 9-12 in Omaha, Nebraska. At the meeting, the Academic Quadrathlon Team secured their fourth consecutive first-place finish. The team includes seniors Kaylee Spencer (Griggsville, Ill.), Shannon Draper (Sedalia, Colo.), Grace Lloyd (Ellington, Mo.), and Ben Byrd (Troy, Mo.), who participated in the two-day event consisting of lab practical stations for a variety of species, oral presentations to industry professionals and scholars, a written exam, and a quiz bowl. Two students also earned honors in the research presentation contest. Angela McClaskey, a senior from Kansas City, Mo., won…
March 5, 2025
CAFNR students earn Mizzou 18 and Mizzou ’39 honors
This week, the Mizzou Alumni Association and Alumni Association Student Board named the 2025 Mizzou 18 Award and Mizzou ’39 Award recipients.