Student and Faculty Achievement ⋅ Page 1

Norfleet Selected as National FFA Officer Candidate

CAFNR Student Grant Norfleet will represent Missouri FFA at the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana, Nov. 1-4.

When Grant Norfleet graduated from Mexico High School, he chose to attend Mizzou because it was “far away enough to get the college experience but close enough to keep mom and dad happy.” Now in his senior year as an agricultural education, communication and leadership major with minors in agribusiness management and digital storytelling, Norfleet has gained much more from…

Putting the AI in AI

Animal Sciences research team awarded $1 million NIFA grant to improve artificial insemination with artificial intelligence

Peter Sutovsky, professor of animal sciences, and one of his postdoctoral researchers, Lauren Hamilton, were recently awarded a $1.3 million grant by USDA-National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) to support their work in creating artificial intelligence they hope will not only help farmers and the agriculture industry, but couples battling infertility, too. “We want to translate this into any…

An Immersive Learning Opportunity

Unique collaboration between three Mizzou Colleges offers environmental sciences students an opportunity to study weather through virtual reality

An exciting collaboration between three University of Missouri experts is opening the door to a unique learning opportunity for environmental sciences students, specifically those interested in studying weather. Eric Aldrich, Fang Wang and Xinhao Xu have combined their expertise in meteorology, virtual and augmented reality, and mixed-reality-based learning environments to help students gain a deeper understanding of mid-latitude cyclones, which…

$10 Million Grant will Help MU Double the Acreage of Cover Crops in the U.S. by 2030

Five-year USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture grant will help double cover crop seed production.

Rob Myers, director of MU’s Center for Regenerative Agriculture, is leading a new $10 million grant project from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, a federal agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), to support farmers and improve agriculture practices during severe weather and a warming climate.The project aims to help double the acreage of cover crops in…

CAFNR Plant Scientist Named AAAS Fellow

Bing Yang recognized for contributions in plant genomics 

In recognition of nearly two decades of work creating rice varieties resistant to certain types of bacteria, Bing Yang, professor of plant sciences, was named as a 2022 American Association for the Advancement of Science fellow. “There is so much diversity within the Society, and it is an honor to be among them,” Yang said. “The recognition of my work…

National Academy of Inventors Names MU’s Randall Prather to 2022 Fellows Program

Prather is one of only 169 academic inventors to receive the prestigious honor this year

In December, the National Academy of Inventors (NAI) named Randall Prather to its 2022 Fellows Program. Prather, a Curators’ Distinguished Professor in the University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, joins the ranks of an elite group of academic inventors recognized for their research and intellectual property contributions. “I was pleasantly surprised to be named a NAI…

CAFNR Welcomes New Faculty

Seven new faces join CAFNR faculty for the fall 2022 semester

With the fall semester underway, we are excited introduce and welcome the new faculty members in our college. The College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources at the University of Missouri is proud to introduce seven new faculty members this semester who are equipped to advance our core missions of research, teaching and extension. They each bring a wealth of…

Preparing for the Dental Field

Nutrition and exercise physiology (NEP), biochemistry offer students a pathway to careers in the medical field, including dentistry

With 14 unique programs, a degree from the University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) prepares students for careers in a variety of fields. CAFNR alumni impact the largest industries and address the most significant challenges in the world today, including animal and human health, environmental sustainability, food nutrition, tourism and agricultural policy. Two of those…

Small RNA Have Big Implications for Crop Growth

Learn more about Blake Meyers, the 12th MU faculty member to be elected to prestigious National Academy of Sciences

https://youtu.be/RTuaMzvqLFs Blake Meyers’ interest in plant science reaches back to his childhood, when he helped his mother tend to the family garden of flowers and vegetables in Williamsburg, Virginia. Today, Meyers is a professor of plant science and technology at the University of Missouri and a researcher at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, an independent, not-for-profit research institute in…

Building a Research Footprint

Kristen Barwick, junior biochemistry major, secured two national awards this summer

When Kristen Barwick made the decision to attend the University of Missouri, her primary goal was to get into a research laboratory. Barwick enjoyed biology and chemistry as a high school student and developed an interest in research after listening to a professor describe their research endeavors. “I honestly didn’t even know research was an option until my senior year…