Stories
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
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
Jeff Wood Received Early Investigator Research Award as Part of 2023 Celebration of Excellence
Jeff Wood received the 2023 CAFNR Early Investigator Research Award at the Celebration of Excellence ceremony April 11. Wood is assistant professor in the School of Natural Resources and an ecosystem scientist who studies carbon, nitrogen, water, and other mass and energy exchanges between the biosphere and the atmosphere in relation to global climate change. He manages Baskett Forest’s 106-foot-tall, instrumented tower “MOFLUX,” which measures the carbon and water balance of Missouri’s oak-hickory forests and is part of the Ameriflux network of over 110 field sites throughout the Americas. Wood has published 43 papers in…
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…
April 12, 2023
Yahan Li Received William R. Lamberson Distinguished Dissertation Award as Part of 2023 Celebration of Excellence
Yahan Li, who recently earned his PhD in Animal Sciences, received the William R. Lamberson Distinguished Dissertation Award at CAFNR’s 2023 Celebration of Excellence awards ceremony, held April 11. His advisor is Rocio Rivera, professor of animal sciences; she was also recognized as part of the ceremony. Li first came to CAFNR in 2016 as a master’s student and quickly impressed both his advisor and other faculty he collaborated with. He was offered a spot as a PhD candidate in 2018 and made many valuable contributions to the Developmental…
April 12, 2023
Sigma Alpha Received Outstanding Student Club Award as Part of 2023 Celebration of Excellence
Sigma Alpha, Mizzou’s professional agricultural sorority, was named Outstanding Student Organization at 2023 Celebration of Excellence awards ceremony, held Tuesday, April 11. With four founding pillars – scholarship, leadership, fellowship and service – Sigma Alpha is focused on furthering the development of women pursuing careers in agriculture. The organization highlights each of those pillars in different ways. For scholarship, Sigma Alpha hosts study hours each semester, where older chapter members offer help to younger members. Those peer-to-peer conversations strengthen an important educational focus area. Leadership is a vital Sigma Alpha pillar and one…
April 12, 2023
Hailey Schepers Received Outstanding Senior Award as Part of 2023 Celebration of Excellence
Hailey Schepers, an agribusiness management major, was named Outstanding Senior at CAFNR’s 2023 Celebration of Excellence awards ceremony, held Tuesday, April 11. Schepers has had a variety of hands-on learning experiences throughout her time as a Tiger. She is the president of Sigma Alpha, where she leads more than 60 members and assists the executive officer team in completing a variety of duties. Schepers is the vice president of Collegiate Farm Bureau and also a member of the University of Missouri Honors College. She participated in a study abroad experience to Italy last spring. …
April 12, 2023
Grant Norfleet Received Outstanding Junior Award as Part of 2023 Celebration of Excellence
Grant Norfleet, an agricultural education major, was named Outstanding Junior at CAFNR’s 2023 Celebration of Excellence awards ceremony, held Tuesday, April 11. Norfleet, who is also completing a minor in both agribusiness management and digital storytelling, has taken on numerous leadership roles in CAFNR. He is currently a CAFNR Ambassador, where he serves as president, and discusses all that the College has to offer to prospective students. As president, Norfleet also manages 40 student ambassadors through meetings, campus events and volunteer hours. Norfleet is a member and past president of the Agriculture Education…
April 12, 2023
Abby Loesing Received Outstanding Sophomore Award as Part of 2023 Celebration of Excellence
Abby Loesing, an agricultural education major, was named Outstanding Sophomore at CAFNR’s 2023 Celebration of Excellence awards ceremony, held Tuesday, April 11. Loesing is a CAFNR Ambassador and member of Sigma Alpha. She is also part of the Agriculture Education Society, where she serves as part of the executive team. Loesing spent her first semester at Mizzou working for Tiger Garden, Mizzou’s student-run floral shop. She was an events associate where she planned, coordinated and assisted with delivery, set up and pick up of event pieces. This year, Loesing is…
April 12, 2023
Morgan Watkins Received Outstanding Freshman Award as Part of 2023 Celebration of Excellence
Morgan Watkins, an agricultural education major, was named Outstanding Freshman at CAFNR’s 2023 Celebration of Excellence awards ceremony, held Tuesday, April 11. Watkins is an active member of Missouri 4-H and the National FFA Organization. She is currently serving as a 2022-23 Missouri state FFA vice president, where she educates high school students and is focused on building a bright future for the agricultural industry. The vice president role allows Watkins to network with industry leaders, and she has facilitated numerous events during the past year. Since coming to the University of Missouri,…