News
March 24, 2023
#IAmScience Kristyn Conrad
By Sarah Kiefer Whether it’s on the tennis court or in the lab, Kristyn Conrad keeps a firm grip on her plans for the future. One way she maintains her goal-oriented mindset is in the lab doing cancer research. “This type of work makes me feel amazing. I don’t know how else to describe it, to be honest; it’s what I’ve always wanted to do,” Conrad said. “The main reason I got into research was to do cancer work. Throughout the years, I’ve always wanted to do something that could benefit a lot of people.”…
March 17, 2023
#IAmScience Dario Alavez Mercado
By Sarah Kiefer | Bond LSC With a few clicks and taps on a cellphone, the timeline of a seedling of corn is preserved forever. Dario Alavez Mercado is responsible for this simple yet effective method of recording the growth of corn from seedling to maturity. “I know that only by understanding the things that surround us and trying to solve problems with the help of the scientific method, will we be a society better prepared to face the challenges that will come in the future,” Alavez Mercado said. The research assistant…
March 10, 2023
#IAmScience Shin-Ichiro Agake
By Sarah Kiefer | Bond LSC It may have taken almost three years, but Shin-Ichiro Agake made it back to the Prof. Gary Stacey lab. The Japanese native had his study abroad cut short in 2020, sending him packing, and a lot happened in that time. He got married, has a five-month-old baby, earned his Ph.D., and became an assistant professor. “At the time I was disappointed that my research had been put on hold, but after that I tried to look ahead to the future and how I can go back to the United States again,…
March 2, 2023
Scientists discovered a NEET connection in leaf-specific iron deficiency responses
By Josie Heimsoth and Cara Penquite | Bond LSC David Mendoza unflinchingly faces the “black box” of plant science everyday, asking the question, ‘how do plants know if they don’t have enough nutrients?’ Mendoza’s study of micronutrients — elements vital to plant health and energy but only present in small quantities — led him to iron and a collaboration with Ron Mittler on a $1.2 million grant. The grant was awarded by the National Science Foundation in October 2022 to advance the understanding of autonomous leaf-specific iron deficiency responses. “For iron, the window between being…
Feb. 24, 2023
#IAmScience Leah Whitley
By Sarah Kiefer | Bond LSC When cold and dry air collide in a battle of wind and debris, a tornado begins to form. This process got Leah Whitley into the field of science, intrigued with how things materialize in the world. “I’ve always had a fascination with how things build up, and how everything has to come together to produce the weather, and that’s what interested me in science” Whitley said. Between meteorology, anesthesiology and more, Whitley found a premed academic track, studying biological sciences, to be the path that’s stuck thus far and one that can…
Feb. 24, 2023
Bond LSC researchers recognized among most cited scientists of 2022
Bond Life Sciences principal investigators Bing Yang (left) and Ron Mittler (right) are recognized for making the Highly Cited Research List by Clarivate. | Photos by Erica Overfelt, Bond LSC. By Josie Heimsoth | Bond LSC Science builds on the work of all those experiments that come before, so it’s no surprise that being frequently cited is an honor that reflects on the quality and importance of a researcher’s work. Two members of Bond Life Sciences Center once again join a list of the most Highly Cited Researchers for 2022. Bing Yang…
Feb. 17, 2023
#IAmScience Adam Shoemaker
By Sarah Kiefer | Bond LSC With each fresh streak of transformed E. coli cells growing in a Petri dish, Adam Shoemaker finds a bigger purpose in the lab work he is doing every day. “I’ve always had the philosophy that I want to have the world be a better place when I’m gone because of my work, and anything I can do to contribute towards that is work that I’m interested in,” Shoemaker said. Missouri born and raised, Shoemaker is doing essential research that yields results with time and dedication. Although now working…
Feb. 10, 2023
#IAmScience Roberto Nascimento
By Sarah Kiefer | Bond LSC Roberto Nascimento believes a personal touch led him to where he is today. Nascimento found it essential to reach out via email to the programs where he might land, which is something many of his peers questioned. But, Nascimento saw it very clearly. “If you don’t try, you already have the no. If you take a chance, you might get it. It’s always worth trying,” Nascimento said. One of those emails and a desire to combine new skills with his previous experience in mass spectrometry led him to become a…
Feb. 3, 2023
#IAmScience Barbara Sumner
By Sarah Kiefer | Bond LSC Barbara Sumner grew up in Houston, Texas, and discovered her enthusiasm for chemistry in high school, captivated by how chemical processes can explain how things work in our everyday lives. “It was a subject that I just really loved,” Sumner stated. Sumner originally pursued chemical engineering in college, which she thought she would love because of how much she liked piecing things back together or fixing problems that arise in an experiment. But after deciding she enjoyed learning about the detailed understanding provided by the fundamental chemistry more than…
Jan. 27, 2023
#IAmScience Gangadhar Vadla
By Sarah Kiefer | Bond LSC Sunlight is where it starts for a daffodil. As rays cascade upon the plant, photosynthesis begins and this carbon dioxide and oxygen exchange gives the flower what it needs to survive. For Gangadhar Vadla, he drew a picture of this vibrant process in his head in high school. “When my teacher was explaining photosynthesis I was in a hallucination of how that was happening in a colorful picture form, and that’s how I got interested in the science,” Vadla said. Vadla’s passion for processes that fuel our planet’s…
Dec. 16, 2022
Competing signals: scientists explore how iron sensing and plant immune signaling interact with $1.2 million NSF grant
Bond LSC researchers Scott Peck (right) and David Mendoza (left) collaborate with MU biochemist Antje Heese in a new $1.2 million NSF grant. By Josie Heimsoth, Bond LSC Plants must integrate many environmental signals to successfully grow and reproduce. Three researchers at MU have recently discovered a new connection between some of these signals that recently led to a $1.2 million National Science Foundation (NSF) grant that may lead to improvements in both plant immunity and plant nutrition. Lead researcher Scott Peck has studied how plants respond to changes in their environment…
Dec. 9, 2022
#IAmScience Longfei Wang
By Sarah Kiefer | Bond LSC Longfei Wang, like many, was in high school when he realized for the first time what he wanted to be when he grew up. In his case, it happened to be choosing the path of a biologist. His fascination with a well-known fundamental biological structure was the main factor in his decision. “I was thinking the DNA double helix looks awesome,” Wang said. “This structure is identical for everyone, but each person is unique, at both [a] physical and mental level, which indicates how miraculous this…