Story and photos by Logan Jackson
Videos by Eric Kiekeben
Like many undergraduate students just beginning their research journeys, Nora Pryor was tasked with reading multiple research papers and articles in 2022 when she first began working with Heather Hennkens, an associate professor in the Department of Chemistry and the University of Missouri Research Reactor (MURR).
Just two years later, Pryor found her name – along with other collaborators – on a published research article.
“One of the first assignments Dr. Hennkens gave me was to read a ton of papers, and I remember poring over them and having to email her because I didn’t understand a lot of what I was reading,” said Pryor, a senior chemistry and romance languages (French) double major who is pursuing the Honors Certificate. “It’s crazy because just a couple years later I helped write a manuscript. It’s really cool to look back at that growth. I’m just very blessed and am definitely grateful for the research experiences I’ve been able to have at Mizzou.”
Pryor’s research at Mizzou focuses on creating and testing new radiopharmaceuticals that can function as therapeutic and diagnostic pairs – known as a theranostic pair – which is a precision medicine approach to treating cancer. Her work has led to two research internships in New York and earlier this year she was one of 10 Tigers who shared their research during the University of Missouri System’s Undergraduate Research Day at the Capitol.
Pryor was originally connected with Hennkens through the Discovery Fellows program. Discovery Fellows begin research during their first semester on campus. The scholarship, offered to incoming Honors College students, can last for up to two years. Students who receive the scholarship work closely with Honors College staff to find the perfect research fit. Every Discovery Fellow is also part of a research-based Honors College course that prepares them for their research placement. The Honors College awards around 15 Discovery Fellow scholarships each academic year.
The Discovery Fellows program is primarily funded through the Chancellor’s Fund for Excellence, as well as other smaller funding sources.
“I owe so much of where I’m at to the fact that I got involved early,” Pryor said. “I love the continuity, and I’ve enjoyed being able to start a project and see it all the way through.”
For many students – like Pryor – the research placement lasts throughout their entire time at Mizzou. A key part of the program is centered on forging invaluable connections between students and their faculty mentor.
“I think that’s the great thing about this program – students can work on something they’re really interested in,” said John Wigger, the Noble E. Cunningham, Jr. Professor of History and affiliate faculty in the Honors College. “Their research through the Discovery Fellows program is something that they truly are invested in, and it’s also a program that allows them to gain new skills. Students work in-depth with primary sources and work long term on a project where they can really build those research skills.”
During the last academic year, Wigger mentored Leyton Lawing, a sophomore anthropology and history double major who is pursuing the Honors Certificate. Lawing took Wigger’s History of Flight course during the fall semester and the two eventually connected further through the Discover Fellows program.
“Leyton completed a project in that class related to World War II flying, and it was clear that he had a deep knowledge of World War II planes,” said Wigger, who is also a Tarkow Teaching Fellow in the Honors College. “When he approached me about a possible research project, I had this collection of letters and documents from my great uncle who flew B-25s during World War II. He was shot down over the Mediterranean Sea and spent a couple of years in a prisoner of war camp. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to hand the letters and documents over to Leyton and let him have a go with them.”
Students from all majors are able to participate in the Discovery Research program. It’s a feature that makes the program incredibly unique. Discovery Fellows come from all fields and each research project is distinctive.
“Everyone’s heard of medical research,” said Michael Hark, a junior business and music double major who is pursuing the Honors Certificate. “But as someone passionate about music, I wasn’t sure what opportunities were really out there for someone like me. I quickly found out that there was quite a bit of music-related research taking place at Mizzou, and the Discovery Fellows program allowed me to pursue a project that was a ton of fun.”
Hark’s research project allowed him to study ways to bridge the gap between commercial music and concert music, with a specific focus on making commercial music more accessible to a concert audience.
The program also showed Hark how valuable research is, no matter the topic area.
“I just didn’t think an opportunity of this nature existed,” Hark said. “It’s interesting when I talk to people about my research; they are really impressed and excited to hear more. I don’t think my work is that big of a deal, but to others, it really is. It’s easy to take for granted just how special the research resources are here at Mizzou. The Discovery Fellows program has really given me a passion for seeing the research behind everything, even the things I don’t interact with that often. Individuals are out there looking at the tiniest details to expand their knowledge. That’s incredibly exciting to see and be a part of.”
Learn more about the incredible research that Discovery Fellows have participated in and why those experiences have made an impact on their time at Mizzou.
- Taylor Forillo – Textile and Apparel Management (Class of 2025) with mentor Caroline Kopot
- Michael Hark – Business and Music (Junior)
- Arya Kalathil – Chemistry (Class of 2025)
- Leyton Lawing – Anthropology and History (Sophomore) with mentor John Wigger
- Luke Marx – Biological Sciences (Class of 2025)
- Nora Pryor – Chemistry and Romance Languages (Senior)
- Amy Winkler – Nursing (Class of 2025)
- Derek York – Chemical Engineering (Junior) with mentor Kiruba Krishnaswamy
- Discovery Fellows Mentors – Caroline Kopot (assistant professor of textile and apparel management); Kiruba Krishnaswamy (associate professor of chemical and biomedical engineering); John Wigger (Noble E. Cunningham, Jr. Professor of History)