July 14, 2024

Cherng Summer Scholar Q&A – Mackenna Rodgers

The Cherng Summer Scholars program allows Honors College students at the University of Missouri to explore their passions through research projects aimed at questions they are interested in analyzing. Students who are accepted into the nine-week program participate in projects that are individually designed, with the support and mentorship of a Mizzou faculty member. This year, there are 12 Cherng Summer Scholars. Meet Mackenna Rodgers, a senior biochemistry major. Question: Which faculty member are you working with on your research? Answer: I am currently working with Peter Cornish, an associate professor of biochemistry, along with some assistance…

Feb. 7, 2024

Planting Seeds of Success

Maxwell Daubert, a senior majoring in biology with a minor in anthropology, grew up in an environment that fostered constant learning. Daubert, who moved to the Columbia area between his freshman and sophomore years of high school, spent a lot of time on college campuses throughout his childhood. He remembers these experiences fondly. “I really enjoyed being around a college campus all my life,” Daubert said. “I always enjoyed the atmosphere – this kind of environment of learning as a lifestyle was really attractive to me. Maybe that’s because I was taught to love it from…

Oct. 29, 2023

Making Connections

When Manisha Muthukaruppan arrived on the University of Missouri campus in August to begin her first semester, she knew there were going to be multiple chances to make connections with her fellow Tigers. The freshman biochemistry major has taken advantage of those opportunities. Muthukaruppan has joined a handful of organizations during her first semester, such as the Pre-Med Scholars, Biochemistry Club, Asian American Association, South Asian Student Association and Mizzou Masti (Bollywood dance team). She is also helping other students get involved as a member of the Honors College Programming Board. “When I first stepped on…

Oct. 8, 2023

Contributing to Vital Research in African Linguistics

Undergraduate students who are part of the Collaborative Research in African Languages (CORAL) team at the University of Missouri contribute to vital research in African linguistics. Students perform a variety of tasks depending on their experience, their interests and the needs of the team. Some of that work includes extracting linguistic data from existing sources, such as vocabulary from dictionaries, and working with software to align transcriptions and translations with audio from interviews. The CORAL team, which began in 2016, is an extension of two separate National Science Foundation (NSF) grants secured by Mizzou faculty – Michael Marlo,…

Oct. 5, 2023

ASH Scholars Program Promotes Research in the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities

A unique collaboration between the University of Missouri Office of Undergraduate Research and the MU Honors College has led to an ongoing research opportunity for undergraduate students involved in the arts, social sciences and humanities (ASH) disciplines. The ASH Scholars Program began in 2016 and has continued to grow over the years, including bringing in a new team this year. With the addition of the Santa Fe Trail research project, the ASH Scholars Program now features five teams that research a variety of topics. “The goal was to replicate the benefits of working…

Oct. 4, 2023

Examining Close Relationships

Undergraduate students at the University of Missouri who participate in the Close Relationships research project study how youths’ interactions with close relationship partners shape their development and emotional adjustment. Students approach the study of relationships from a lifetime perspective – with a primary focus on childhood and adolescence. It’s a project that has been ongoing since 2017 and is led by Amanda Rose, a professor of psychological sciences, and Ashley Groh, an associate professor of psychological sciences. The research was born out of a different project that Rose and Groh were co-supervising with a doctoral student focused on…

Oct. 4, 2023

Studying the Importance of Minority-Focused Content

The Minority Focused News as a Locus of Empowerment research team investigates the manners in which news websites and streaming platforms that serve under-represented and marginalized populations provide a benefit to society. Undergraduate students at the University of Missouri who participate in the research seek to understand how identity-focused content serves as a safe space for those affected groups. The original research was born out of work that Chris Josey, an associate teaching professor of communication at MU, started as a graduate student at the University of Illinois. Josey, who helps lead the team at Mizzou, conducted research…

Oct. 4, 2023

Exploring Death Through the Lens of Artistic Production

Since 2017, the Art of Death research project has allowed undergraduate students at the University of Missouri to normalize conversations about death and dying through the lens of artistic production. Students use a variety of media tools – such as virtual reality (VR), projection mapping, augmented reality (AR) and video art – to generate creative projects that explore death and dying. The innovative project is also an interdisciplinary one. Led by Katina Bitsicas, an assistant professor in the MU School of Visual Studies, and Debora Verniz, an assistant professor of architectural studies, students have the opportunity to confront…

Oct. 4, 2023

A Historical Dive into the Santa Fe Trail

An important piece of Missouri history, the Santa Fe Trail connected the Show-Me State to present day Santa Fe, New Mexico, providing a valuable trade route through the middle of a still growing United States. The trail has been of interest to historians in the Kinder Institute on Constitutional Democracy – and a new research project will now allow undergraduate students at the University of Missouri to excavate historical data related to the trail. Through the ASH Scholars Program, the Santa Fe Trail research team will not only dive into the importance of the trail, but…

Aug. 1, 2023

Representing Mizzou on a Big Stage

When Brooke Bowman chose the biological sciences degree program at the University of Missouri her focus was on getting into the medical field, with the goal of eventually becoming a doctor. However, the more time she spent in laboratories across campus, Bowman realized that her career may not be in the clinic. She had started to develop an interest in research. That passion has connected Bowman with a variety of hands-on learning opportunities at Mizzou, as well as an exciting research program on the west coast this summer. Bowman is currently participating in the Bruins-In-Genomics (B.I.G.) program at UCLA. A…