Forty-three University of Missouri students have been awarded MizzouForward Undergraduate Research Training Grants to support their investigations in STEM and National Science Foundation-supported fields and enhance their graduate school applications.
The one-year grants include up to $5,000 per year in salary support for the students. The grants are funded as part of the MizzouForward investment, which includes increased support for undergraduate research.
The candidates were reviewed by 56 MU faculty, and the recipients are rising juniors, juniors or seniors with at least six months of undergraduate research experience in the same lab as their application research project, which must be related to science, technology, engineering and math or an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program field.
“Many of us have had the experience of falling in love with science and a project and want undergraduates at MU to have the opportunity to have this experience and follow up on the ideas that they develop,” said D Cornelison, a biological sciences professor who worked with Rocío Melissa Rivera, an animal sciences professor, to launch the program. “By working side-by-side, day-by-day with faculty and other lab members, undergraduates get a sense of belonging and contributing to the greater research effort and becoming key players on a research team.
“Our goal is that this support will allow the grantees to spend more of their time on research, enhancing their education and experience while also contributing to their faculty mentors’ success with results that will go into grants and manuscripts, ultimately enhancing the research mission of the University of Missouri.”
Students must submit an external fellowship application within one year of the start of funding and also present their work at appropriate venues at least once during the funding period, among other deliverables.
The students receiving MizzouForward Undergraduate Research Training Grants, along with their home department and mentor, are:
- Luke Annin, Biochemistry, Aaron Stoker
- Cooper Barnes, Biological Sciences, Pamela Brown
- Kristen Barwick, Biochemistry, Antje Heese
- Margaret Beecher, Biochemistry/CAFNR, Donald Burke-Agüero
- Lorenzo Ceccon, Biological Sciences, D Cornelison
- Kai Chen, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Dong Xu
- Jordan Chiantelli-Mosebach, Linguistics, Rebecca Grollemund
- Elizabeth Conley, Physics, Gavin King
- Mia Connor, Chemistry, Kent Gates
- Erin East, Anthropology, Brandi MacDonald
- Maya Elste, Psychology, Lisa Flores
- Dylan Fowler, Chemistry, Kurt Brorsen
- George Frees, Biochemistry/CAFNR and Plant Sciences, Bill Folk
- Leah Groene, Nutrition and Exercise Physiology, Jaapna Dhillon
- Felicity Guttmann, Plant Sciences, Soyon Park
- Camryn Habben, Biological Sciences, Rocío Melissa Rivera
- Mia Hackworth, Biological Sciences, Shiying Jin
- Gillian Hark, Biological Sciences, Aaron Stoker
- Abigail Hernandez, Biological Sciences, Johannes Schul
- Preston Kellenberger, Biochemistry, Peter Cornish
- Henry Koenig, Chemistry, Matthias Young
- Marissa LaMartina, Biological Sciences, Manuel Leal
- Jocelyn Lamore, Psychology, Ashley Groh
- Ashley Lienemann, English, Michael Marlo
- Samantha Mackley, Economics, Brittany Street
- Emma McDougal, Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Bret Ulery
- Mallory Moats, Chemistry, Brandi MacDonald
- Randi Noel, Plant Sciences, Richard Ferrieri
- Jada Paden, Biological Sciences, Caroline Kopot
- Advaya Patro, Biological Sciences, Scott Zawieja
- Aubrey Pipkins, Biological Sciences, Jacqueline Limberg
- Kellen Sharpe, Chemistry, Victor Outlaw
- Ben Shostak, Chemistry, Tim Glass
- Paige Snider, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Baolin Deng
- Pierce Taylor, Plant Sciences, Peng Tian
- Zach Tretter, Biochemistry, Lloyd Sumner
- Corey Valleroy, Physics, Carlos Wexler
- Ethan Vanderwert, Biochemistry, Guangfu Li
- Jayna Wallinger, Chemistry, Gary Baker
- Bayliee Wegman-Roark, Psychology, Jordan Booker
- Demi White, Plant Sciences, Soyon Park
- Colin Wilburn, Plant Sciences, Paula McSteen
- Veronica Worthen, Chemistry, Michael Harmata