News
2017
Basket weaving, or simply basketry, is one of the most ubiquitous and oldest forms of craft making in human civilization, with some of the oldest known baskets dating back nearly 12,000 years. Early basket makers used materials close at hand, such as grass, wood, even animal remains—which decay over time without proper preservation—so much of the early history of the craft has been lost.
Committed to engaging with the communities it serves, MU's College of Arts and Science offers Beyond Campus, a series that showcases the range and relevance of the college's research and programs, which serve as the foundation for all undergraduates at MU, whether they major in an A&S discipline or not. The events in this series are intended for the general public, including alumni, business and community leaders, and prospective students.
Prof. Hearne’s upcoming book, Chickasaw Hollywood: The Fox Brothers and the Studio System, 1914–1954, focuses on the history of the first indigenous family of writer–directors in Hollywood.
Until recently, most depictions of indigenous people in films and documentaries were of the stereotypical “cowboys versus Indians” variety or tales of the “vanishing Indians” who once proudly roamed the plains of early America. A common misconception about the early years of Hollywood is that indigenous people were actors or extras but never writers, directors, or heads of studios.
Committed to engaging with the communities it serves, MU's College of Arts and Science offers Beyond Campus, a series that showcases the range and relevance of the college's research and programs, which serve as the foundation for all undergraduates at MU, whether they major in an A&S discipline or not. The events in this series are intended for the general public, including alumni, business and community leaders, and prospective students.
Dr. Dawn Cornelison, 2017 PECASE recipient
Dawn Cornelison, an associate professor of biological sciences at the University of Missouri, has been named as a recipient of a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). The award is the highest honor bestowed by the United States government on science and engineering professionals in the early stages of their independent research careers.
The University of Missouri Research Reactor Center, or MURR, has received a new 20-year operating license from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The University of Missouri Research Reactor Center (MURR®) has received a new 20-year operating license from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). MURR has been a crucial component for research at the university for more than 40 years.
2016
Asst. Prof. Mark Lee Jr. discovered that aromatic hydrocarbons will chemically react with polyhedral boranes (green in figure below) to create a new class of highly fluorescent materials.
About eight years ago, Assistant Professor of Chemistry Mark Lee Jr. was in the lab trying to make a simple ether compound from a boron-oxygen-hydrogen bond. He injected the mixture he was trying to manipulate into his lab’s new mass spectrometer and found the reaction he was trying to achieve had failed.
Some of the many students who will benefit from a new music facility are shown at the site of the new building, of which construction was approved by the Board of Curators.
The University of Missouri Board of Curators today approved plans to construct a new School of Music building on the Columbia campus. The board’s action allows Phase 1 of the project to move forward; fundraising will continue toward Phase 2 of the overall plan, which includes a 500-seat concert hall.
More than 2,500 degrees will be granted at MU fall commencement ceremonies.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – During the weekend of Dec. 16-18, 2,400 students will celebrate the culmination of their academic achievements during fall commencement ceremonies at the University of Missouri. Throughout the weekend, MU officials will award 2,563 degrees, including 1,911 bachelor’s degrees, 488 master’s degrees, 151 doctoral degrees, 3 professional degrees and 10 education specialists’ degrees.
Chief Harrington says he considers his invitation to speak at the winter 2016 Arts and Science Commencement a capstone event in his career.
U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. William Harrington has completed tours of duty in Afghanistan, Japan, Korea, the United Kingdom, and even the White House. He currently serves as superintendent of the Jeanne M. Holm Center for Officer Accessions and Citizen Development at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama, where he handles training, safety, morale, welfare, and quality-of-life issues for 3,200 personnel.
Professor Kathleen Newton has been awarded the distinction of Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science for her “distinguished contributions to the fields of plant biology and genetics, particularly for investigations of mitochondria and chloroplasts in plant growth and development.”
The new NIH grant was awarded to Dr. Elizabeth King, Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences.
Many human health problems are thought to result from our modern diet, especially in industrialized countries. Foremost among these is a growing epidemic of obesity and obesity-related disorders, such as diabetes.
Professor Wendy Sims received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music education from Kent State University and her doctorate in music education from Florida State University. She has been a member of the University of Missouri faculty since 1985.
Curators’ Distinguished Professor of Psychological Sciences Nelson Cowan has been studying different kinds of childhood language problems with colleagues from Arizona State University. Their grant focuses on the use of working memory as an important part of language use and may provide insights into differences in intelligence. Cowan is a co-author of the research that will be published by Professor Shelley Gray et al.
Tucked away on the third floor of McReynolds Hall on the MU campus is one of the country’s most prestigious literary magazines. For 38 years, the Missouri Review has striven to find and publish the best writers first, sifting through some 12,000 unsolicited submissions each year to fill its quarterly issues.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The Mizzou Alumni Association (MAA) will honor broadcasting legend Jann Carl, internationally recognized geneticist Jerry Taylor, and 13 other outstanding faculty and alumni at its 49th annual Faculty-Alumni Awards Ceremony on Nov. 11 in the Reynolds Alumni Center. The Distinguished Service Award, Distinguished Faculty Award and Faculty-Alumni Awards will be presented to outstanding MU faculty and alumni.
MU history professor Steven Watts says his curiosity about the popularity of President John F. Kennedy led to a new understanding of America’s 35th president, which he explores in his new book, JFK and the Masculine Mystique: Sex and Power on the New Frontier.
An MU history professor who specializes in the cultural and intellectual history of the United States says his curiosity about the popularity of President John F. Kennedy led to a new understanding of America’s 35th president. Steven Watts’s new book, JFK and the Masculine Mystique: Sex and Power on the New Frontier (St. Martin’s Press 2016), was officially released this week.
Senior J'Den Cox is a psychology major, an MU wrestler, and a recent bronze medalist in the 2016 Olympics. Read more of his story inside Mosaics.
The autumn 2016 issue of the College of Arts and Science alumni magazine, Mosaics, is available to view at http://www.omagdigital.com/publication?i=352383
Cory Koedel, associate professor of economics and public policy at MU, says that teachers may not value pension benefits as much as they cost to provide. He suggests funds currently devoted to support defined-benefit plans could likely be spent in a more strategic manner to promote the highest quality workforce for students.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Fifteen years ago, in an effort to improve teacher benefits, St. Louis Public Schools enacted a change to the defined-benefit pension plan that resulted in an immediate and dramatic increase in the incentives to remain teaching in St. Louis. Similar enhancements also occurred across the country.
Morganite is a gem-quality stone that is becoming increasingly popular for its use in engagement and wedding rings because it often comes in light pastel shades of pink. Morganite, named after the financier J.P. Morgan in 1911, is a type of pegmatite, an igneous rock that forms during the final stage of a magma’s crystallization.