July 26, 2023

A Summer of Study

Late in his high school career, Lorenzo Ceccon had a bit of a radical idea. Ceccon grew up in Subbiano, a small town just more than an hour southeast of Florence, Italy. While he had never traveled to the United States, he decided he wanted to pursue an undergraduate degree there, nearly 5,000 miles away from home. As Ceccon began searching for potential universities, he happened upon the University of Missouri. It didn’t take long for him to hit the apply button. “Once I made the decision to apply to American colleges, it was a bit late in the game,”…

July 24, 2023

A Perfect Fit

There was little doubt where Margaret Beecher was going to continue her education after earning her high school diploma. Living just a couple hours from Columbia, in a family full of Tigers, Beecher knew the University of Missouri was going to be the perfect fit for her. Receiving the Chancellor’s Award scholarship from MU was a nice bonus, too. “I come from a family of Mizzou graduates, so it wasn’t surprising that I would follow in their footsteps,” said Beecher, who is from the Kansas City, Missouri, area. “Being familiar with what all the campus had to offer was really…

July 21, 2023

Following Her Passions

A double major at the University of Missouri, Michelle Woolridge’s degree programs are an extension of her educational journey.  Part of a Spanish immersion elementary school, Woolridge spent her youth learning both English and Spanish. Once she began high school, Woolridge was part of the International Baccalaureate (IB), an extensive educational program that helps students develop a variety of skills for the future, where she was heavily involved in biology. At Mizzou, Woolridge is majoring in romance languages, with an emphasis in Spanish, and biological sciences. “I really enjoyed both areas of study, so…

July 19, 2023

Beginning Her Research Journey

The Freshman Research in Plants (FRIPS) Program paves the way for first-year students at the University of Missouri to connect with the exciting plant-related research taking place across campus. For Rachel Weber, the program opened the door for her to explore her own research interests. Weber grew up in Columbia, and attended Hickman High School. She chose MU because she knew there would be numerous research experiences for her to pursue. “I knew Mizzou had plenty of research opportunities, which is a big reason why I chose to come here,” Weber said. “I was fortunate enough to learn…

July 17, 2023

Finding a Love for the Lab

Growing up in a family of scientists, it made sense that Audrey Shively would eventually find an interest in the subject matter. Her specific interest developed in elementary school. Shively had a classmate with cerebral palsy. As her teacher explained what the condition is, and how the student was born with it, Shively was curious about why some individuals are born with certain disorders. It was the beginning of what has now become her primary research focus at the University of Missouri – genetics. “I always enjoyed science in general, but this was the first time that I became really…

July 14, 2023

Turning Curiosity into Research

Faith Quist’s research project is a perfect reflection of her interdisciplinary interests. A dual major in journalism and international studies at the University of Missouri, Quist is studying a variety of materials related to North Korean defectors. Her primary focus is researching when individuals leave the country, where they go and why they choose those locations. “This project allows me to combine my passions,” said Quist, who will be a senior this fall. “I’ve always been a very curious person, and I like to ask questions. I love hearing about other people’s stories. I have an…

July 11, 2023

Preparing for the Future

A kind gesture led to a vital connection early in Luke Annin’s collegiate career. As a freshman, Annin attended an undergraduate research forum hosted by the University of Missouri. He arrived a bit early and asked if they needed any help setting up. “I was pretty early, so I spent a little bit of time helping set everything up,” Annin said. “I didn’t realize that I was helping the director of undergraduate research, Linda Blockus. She came up to me a little later when things began, and we had a great conversation. She connected me with my current mentor and…

July 10, 2023

Advocating for Others

Willow Amann has always had a passion for helping others.    When she made the decision to attend the University of Missouri, she was focused on finding a degree program that would guide her as she looked at careers centered on advocacy. Amann, who will be a junior this fall, chose to pursue a degree through the Bachelor of Social Work program. “I’ve been interested in advocacy since high school,” Amann said. “I’m really interested in being on the ground, helping others. I was looking at programs that would be fit my passions, and social work seemed like the perfect…

July 7, 2023

Finding a Connection to Research

Camryn Habben is convinced that the high school version of herself would be in disbelief about how passionate the college version of herself is regarding research. While Habben has always enjoyed science, research wasn’t something she expected to connect with in such a strong way. She has worked in the laboratory of Rocío Rivera, a professor in the Division of Animal Sciences, for nearly two years, focusing on a project related to epigenetics, which is the study of how behaviors and environment can cause changes that affect the way genes work. Habben is building on her research…

July 5, 2023

Born to do Research

While Anvitha Boosani never officially toured the University of Missouri campus, she knew Mizzou was going to be the perfect fit for her. That feeling came from her familiarity with a single building – the Animal Science Research Center. Boosani got acquainted with the space as a high school student. At just 16 years old, she applied for and received a grant from the National Tri-Services (Army, Navy and Air Force) to conduct her own independent research project. She was living in Nebraska at the time, but her father had just moved to Columbia to work as…