University of Missouri

Sep. 15, 2017

Paul Caldo #IAmScience

By Allison Scott | Bond LSC  “#IAmScience because research allows me to challenge my understanding of the world around me and strive toward figuring out the unknown.” Paul Caldo isn’t your typical undergraduate student. As a junior, Caldo is double majoring in Biology and Psychology, which gives him a unique perspective on science as a whole. It is in the overlap between his majors, however, that most interests him. “I am fascinated with development in both psychology and biology because the early stages of life lay the foundation for who and what you will become,” he…

Sep. 14, 2017

Bond Life Sciences grant leads to revolutionary way to create vaccines

Researchers Jeffrey Adamovicz, Bret Ulery, and Dong Xu work together to develop a vaccine in a novel way. The trio received a Bond Life Sciences Center seed grant to fund their interdisciplinary research. | Photo by Samantha Kummerer, Bond LSC By Samantha Kummerer, Bond LSC What happens when a chemical engineer, a computer scientist, and an immunologist walk into a lab? Vaccines are created faster and cheaper. At least this trio hopes that’s the answer. Bond Life Sciences Center computer scientist Dong Xu joined forces with immunologist Jeffery Adamovicz and chemical engineer Bret Ulery for the…

Sep. 8, 2017

A Ph.D. in structural virology

Anna Gres studies HIV capsid protein using X-ray crystallography. She recently finished her five-year research project at the Bond Life Sciences Center. | photo by Roger Meissen, Bond LSC Gres reflects on the dissertation in HIV research By: Samantha Kummerer, Bond LSC Ph.D. candidate Anna Gres frequently described her success at the Bond Life Sciences Center as being lucky. “It was challenging and stressful, but I think everything worked out well for me and I was lucky in a way. I was fortunate to get to the good labs, interact with great people, attend courses,…

Sep. 5, 2017

Into muscles

Rebecca Craigg, an undergraduate biology major, studies muscle regeneration in D Cornelison’s lab. | Photo by Samantha Kummerer, Bond LSC Undergrad’s passion spurred by mice muscle regeneration research By: Samantha Kummerer | Bond LSC Uncertainty and curiosity led Rebecca Craigg to work in a lab. As a first-generation college student with an interest in science but no idea what undergraduate research entailed, her path at the University of Missouri landed her in the Bond Life Sciences Center and the lab of D Cornelison. “I honestly thought undergraduate research meant you just followed around someone like…

Aug. 31, 2017

Women Power At Bond LSC

Melissa Mitchum, D Cornelison and Cheryl Rosenfeld (from left to right) of Bond Life Sciences Center were promoted to full professor on September 1, 2017. Three Promoted to Full Professor By MJ Rogers, Bond LSC Scientific success largely hinges on research results, and four recent promotions at Bond Life Sciences Center celebrate that achievement. Cheryl Rosenfeld, D Cornelison and Melissa Mitchum of Bond Life Sciences Center were promoted to full professor as of September 1, while Laurie Erb received a promotion as a non-tenure-track research professor. They are the first…

Aug. 30, 2017

Emilia Asante #IAmScience

“#IAmScience because looking into the unknown and coming up with a plan to take a stab at answering it is so fascinating.” No one in Emilia Asante’s family works in a science field or attended graduate school. “As an immigrant from Ghana, my family was unaware of the American educational system,” she said. “So many of my academic journeys were unknown and I had to navigate it by myself. I was always interested in science and with the help of programs such as the Lang Youth Medical program when I was in…

Aug. 23, 2017

Summer ripens undergrad research interest

Natalie Hickerson stands next to her research poster at MU’s Undergraduate Research Forum. Hickerson, a biochemistry major, spent her summer in Dr. Hannink’s lab. By: Samantha Kummerer| Bond LSC It takes a lot of time and patience to be a scientist. This is something that first-time researcher Natalie Hickerson quickly discovered. “A lot of the time things are so small. I mean you’re using such tiny volumes of DNA that you can’t see anything happening,” said the undergraduate biochemistry major. For some, this uncertainty pair with long lab hours and multiple trial and errors…

Aug. 22, 2017

Johanna Morrow #IAmScience

Johanna Morrow collects leaf samples from plants in the Bond Life Sciences Center’s growth chamber. Morrow is a Ph.D. student in the Liscum lab.  By Samantha Kummerer | Bond LSC  “#IAmScience because learning something new is super exciting! I love that by performing research one can contribute to the collection of knowledge.” Johanna Morrow discovered her love for plant sciences after working in Mannie Liscum’s lab for more than a decade after college. “I was a biology undergraduate and I didn’t really know what I wanted to do, but I knew I enjoyed research…

Aug. 18, 2017

Drowning in Data

New web-based framework helps scientists analyze and integrate data By Emily Kummerfeld | Bond LSC Large-scale data analysis on computers is not exactly what comes to mind when thinking about biological research. But these days, the potential benefit of work done in the lab or the field depends on them. That’s because often research doesn’t focus on a single biological process, but must be viewed within the context of other processes. Known as multi-omics, this particular field of study seeks to draw a clearer picture of dynamic biological interactions from gigantic amounts of data. But, how exactly can scientists suitably…

Aug. 16, 2017

Striking Oil

Jay Thelen, a Bond LSC researcher, next to the GC-MS machine in his lab, which tracks seed oil measurements. | photo by Mary Jane Rogers, Bond LSC How to get crops to produce seeds with more oil By: MJ Rogers, Bond LSC You can’t get blood out of a stone, but Jay Thelen wants to find ways to get more oil from seeds. “We’re specifically working on the metabolic engineering of oil seeds. Broadly, trying to increase the oil content of crops and raise the value of the seed in the process,”…

Aug. 11, 2017

Katelynn Koskie #IAmScience

Katelynn Koskie, a Ph.D candidate, works in Mannie Liscum’s lab. | Photo by Samantha Kummerer, Bond LSC By Samantha Kummerer | Bond LSC “#IAmScience because I want to help unravel the mysteries of nature that will improve our futures and positively impact our planet.” Katelynn Koskie didn’t always know she loved plants. As an undergraduate, she focused on what was above her rather than what grew below her. “I was really interested in how galaxies interact and then I started to think, ‘you know I’ve always thought plants were really, really cool,’ and I…

Aug. 11, 2017

Beverly Agtuca #IAmScience

Beverly Agtuca was born in New York, but has family in the Philippines, a country that struggles with malnutrition and undernourishment. Her overall goal for her research is to help countries that struggle with undernourishment by increasing the agricultural productivity in those countries. “When I was little, I went on summer vacation to visit my family, which included my grandmother in the Philippines,” she said. “Everyday my grandmother wanted me to go out to the rice fields from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. with the other children to get rice for our meals. That was not…