#MizzouResearch
Dec. 1, 2017
Makenzie Mabry #IAmScience
Makenzie Mabry, a Ph.D. candidate, works in the Pires Lab in Bond LSC. | photo by Allison Scott, Bond LSC For Makenzie Mabry, every day is a new puzzle when it comes to science. That desire to solve new problems led her from wanting to be a veterinarian to considering much less cuddly focus in plants. “I think the beautiful thing about research is that it evolves itself,” Mabry said. Although she had an acceptance letter to vet school in tow, she altered her career path to work with a new passion: plants. That led her…
Nov. 22, 2017
Kris Budd #IAmScience
Kris Budd, a Ph.D. candidate in Lori Eggert’s lab, works with Bond LSC to track elephant DNA in Southeast Asia. | photo by Allison Scott, Bond LSC “#IAmScience because I have the ability to transform the fate of endangered species.” If someone had told Kris Budd that she’d be investigating elephant feces on daily basis in her Ph.D. program, she wouldn’t have bought it. If they’d said she’d realize it’s a passion of hers, she would’ve been in shock. As a third year Ph.D. candidate in Lori Eggert’s lab, Budd is able to do meaningful…
Nov. 17, 2017
Lisa Caesar #IAmScience
Lisa Caesar is a biological sciences Ph.D. candidate who works in Laura Schulz’s lab. | photo by Allison Scott, Bond LSC “#IAmScience because education and my pursuit of learning became my ticket out of poverty and a way that I can really help others.” “Mother knows best” rings true for Gerialisa Caesar. In her family, the career options were either to be a lawyer, engineer or doctor. But with little interest in law and a greater love for science than math, Caesar decided to pursue her doctorate. “I graduated high school at 16 fully…
Nov. 10, 2017
Julia Brose #IAmScience
Julia Brose is a senior studying biochemistry at Mizzou. She works in Chris Pires lab in Bond LSC. | Photo by Allison Scott, Bond LSC “#IAmScience because I really enjoy discovering and being around people who cultivate a positive learning environment.” As a freshman at Mizzou four years ago, Julia Brose knew she had a love for plants. That, however, competed with her fascination with biochemistry. Luckily, she found and was selected for FRIPS, Freshman Research in Plant Sciences, which allowed her to do both. The program is made up of 10 freshman each year…
Nov. 3, 2017
Marianne Emery #IAmScience
Marianne Emery is a Ph.D. candidate in Ruthie Angelovici’s Lab in Bond LSC. | photo by Allison, Bond LSC “#IAmScience because it leads to innovation that makes for a better world, which is an awesome thing to be a part of.” It’s good to have a role model, and Marianne Emery has always looked up to female pioneer scientists. One of her favorites is Barbara McClintock, a Nobel prize winning botantist who studied how the chromosomes of corn change during reproduction. It is from women like McClintock that Emery is encouraged to always be impactful…
Oct. 27, 2017
Vivek Shrestha #IAmScience
Vivek Shrestha, a Ph. D candidate, works in Dr. Ruthie Angelovici’s lab at Bond LSC. | photo by Allison Scott, Bond LSC “#IAmScience because it provides me with a platform to make that which seems impossible possible.” Agriculture is a mainstay in Nepal, where Vivek Shrestha was born and raised. He grew up in a small farming family, but he was surprised that although a significant portion of the country was involved with agriculture, food insecurity was prevalent. “Nepal is a small, developing nation that is naturally beautiful,” Shrestha said. “Agriculture is huge, but still…
Oct. 20, 2017
Ronnie LaCombe #IAmScience
Ronnie LaCombe, a Ph. D candidate in biological sciences at MU, stands near her lab station in D Cornelison’s lab in Bond LSC. | photo by Allison Scott, Bond LSC By Allison Scott | Bond LSC “#IAmScience because I feel most alive when I’m talking to people, both in and out of my field, about my work.” While other kids were playing with Legos and dolls, Ronnie LaCombe was exploring the world through a microscope. Alongside her cousins, LaCombe used science at an early age as both a way of learning and for entertainment. “I’ve…
Oct. 13, 2017
Katy Guthrie #IAmScience
Katy Guthrie, a Ph.D. candidate, works in Dr. Paula McSteen’s lab in Bond LSC. | photo by Allison Scott, Bond LSC By Allison Scott | Bond LSC “#IAmScience because I want to take the knowledge I gain and teach it to other young scientists so they share in this excitement, too.” Katy Guthrie grew up as one of five girls. All five sisters took very different paths —one ended up in hospital management, another in marketing and advertising, one became an engineer and the other works in logistics for a start up. But Guthrie took a…
Sep. 27, 2017
Vinit Shanbhag #IAmScience
Vinit Shanbhag is a Ph.D. candidate in biochemistry and works in Michael Petris’ lab in Bond LSC. | photo by Allison Scott By Allison Scott | Bond LSC “#IAmScience because I like to discover. The excitement of uncovering things that could have an impact on millions of lives is fascinating.” Vinit Shanbhag isn’t your typical student. His extensive background both overseas in India and at the Florida Institute of Technology serve to prove just that and prepared him for his next adventure at Mizzou. “When I came here for the on-campus interviews, the department…
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…
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…
July 25, 2017
Megan Sheridan #IAmScience
Megan Sheridan, a Ph.D candidate in biochemistry, works in Dr. Michael Robert’s lab. | Photo by Mary Jane Rogers, Bond LSC By Mary Jane Rogers | Bond LSC “#IAmScience because it’s extraordinary knowing that a small step towards a treatment could positively impact someone’s life down the road.” Megan Sheridan doesn’t let anything slow her down. From presenting at the Society for the Study of Reproduction’s Trainee Research Competition last week—and winning first place—to finishing up her thesis while working in Dr. Michael Roberts’ lab, she’s always juggling multiple projects. Sheridan is finishing up a Ph.D…