Stories
May 8, 2023
CAFNR Senior Spotlight – Danielle Rotert
Rotert is a senior graduating in May with a degree in environmental sciences
May 3, 2023
SNR Faculty Recognized for Top-Cited Paper
A paper by Ranjith Udawatta, research professor of soil, environmental and atmospheric sciences, “Grassland conversion to croplands impacted soil pore parameters measured via X-ray computed tomography,” was recently named a top-cited paper in Soil Science Society of America Journal. The recognition covers work published between January 2021 and December 2022.
May 3, 2023
International Programs Awards International Faculty Collaboration Grants
Four CAFNR faculty have been awarded International Faculty Collaboration Grants from the CAFNR Office of International Programs.
April 20, 2023
Building Their Careers
The University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) offers its students a variety of opportunities to connect with industry professionals, through career fairs, symposiums and tours. For Alex Stone, one of those opportunities connected him with a fellow parks, recreation and sport alumnus – as well as the St. Louis Cardinals. During his senior year, Stone attended a sport-specific symposium where he met Andrew Dean. Dean had earned his parks, recreation and sport degree from MU two years prior and was working with the Cardinals in ticket development. The two had a good conversation and Stone…
April 17, 2023
Soil Judging Team Takes Fourth Place at National Competition
The MU Collegiate Soil Judging Team took fourth place in the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture Judging Conference 2023 Soils Contest, held April 12-15, in Modesto, California. Two students from the Mizzou team also placed in the top ten: India Williams, freshman in environmental sciences, placed sixth; Kali Dolson, sophomore in environmental sciences, received seventh place. The team was composed of the following students (front row, in the photo): Sophie Teddy, sophomore in environmental sciences; Paige Simpson, sophomore in environmental sciences; Bit Sochacki, sophomore in environmental sciences; Dolson; Rosie Garza, senior in environmental sciences; Williams; Alayna Kruse, junior…
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
Eric Aldrich Received 2023 Outstanding Early Career Teaching Award at Celebration of Excellence
Eric Aldrich, assistant teaching professor of meteorology in the School of Natural Resources, received the Outstanding Early Career Teaching Award at CAFNR’s 2023 Celebration of Excellence awards ceremony, held April 11. During the past five years, Aldrich has been the faculty advisor of the Mizzou Meteorology Club. He participates in the SNR Student Mentorship program where he mentors 12 Environmental Science students in the field of atmospheric science. Aldrich’s philosophy of teaching is centered on creating a learner-centered environment that allows students to take an active role in their own learning process. His instructional goals…
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…