Stories

April 17, 2025
Shuangyu Xu receives 2025 Outstanding Mid-Career Teacher Award
Shuangyu Xu, associate professor and natural resources-human dimensions graduate coordinator, School of Natural Resources, has been selected for CAFNR’s 2025 Outstanding Mid-Career Teacher Award. She was honored at CAFNR's annual awards ceremony, Celebration of Excellence, on Thursday, April 17.

April 17, 2025
Eric Aldrich inducted into CAFNR Teaching Academy
Eric Aldrich, assistant teaching professor of atmospheric science in the School of Natural Resources, was inducted into the CAFNR Teaching Academy at the 2025 Celebration of Excellence award ceremony, Thursday, April 17. In 2005, the college established the CAFNR Teaching Academy to recognize outstanding teachers and to seek their assistance in mentoring colleagues. To be eligible for induction, an individual must have received a teaching award on a national, regional or university level that is selected by peers. Aldrich was inducted for receiving the Maxine Christopher Shutz Award & Lecture for Distinguished Teaching in 2024, presented by the…

April 17, 2025
Amy Petry receives 2025 Outstanding Early Career Teacher Award
Amy Petry, assistant professor in the Division of Animal Sciences, received the 2025 Early Career Teacher Award at CAFNR’s Celebration of Excellence April 17.

April 17, 2025
Chung-Ho Lin receives Outstanding Graduate Mentor Award at Celebration of Excellence 2025
Chung-Ho Lin, lead scientist for the Center for Agroforestry’s bioremediation and natural products research programs, has been selected for the 2025 CAFNR Outstanding Graduate Mentor Award. He was presented with the honor at CAFNR's annual awards ceremony, Celebration of Excellence, on Thursday, April 17.

April 17, 2025
Sonja Wilhelm Stanis honored with CAFNR’s 2025 Outstanding Senior Teacher Award
Sonja Wilhelm Stanis, professor and director of undergraduate studies in the School of Natural Resources (SNR), has been chosen for CAFNR’s 2025 Outstanding Senior Teacher Award. Wilhelm Stanis also serves as associate director of SNR. She received this honor at CAFNR's annual awards ceremony, Celebration of Excellence, on Thursday, April 17.

April 17, 2025
Ben Brown honored with 2025 J.W. Burch State Specialist Agricultural Extension Award
Ben Brown, senior research associate and extension specialist, Division of Applied Social Sciences, has received the 2025 J.W. Burch State Specialist Agricultural Extension Award. Brown was honored at CAFNR's annual awards ceremony, Celebration of Excellence, on Thursday, April 17.

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
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
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
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…