Missouri State University was well represented at the 2025 annual Missouri Center for Advanced Power System (MOCAP) regional symposium. 

Eight College of Natural and Applied Sciences (CNAS) students attended and seven students presented their posters at the Feb. 25 event at Missouri S&T in Rolla. MSU student Mick Drecker placed third overall for his poster presentation on “Analyzing Li-ion Battery Performance at Different Temperatures and Cycling Conditions.” 

Drecker is a junior dual degree major in physics/astronomy and astrophysics at MSU and mechanical engineering through the co-op program at Missouri S&T.  

Dr. Daniel Moreno, professor in the cooperative engineering program, attended the symposium for the fourth time. He said Drecker’s win was well deserved.  

“He has worked in my lab for almost a year and he’s a very hard worker,” Moreno added. “It was quite challenging in the days leading up to MOCAP, but Mick did an excellent job bringing it together and I’m happy for him.”  

The symposium brings together faculty, students and industry leaders.  

“Students have a great chance to network with professionals from the region,” Moreno said. 

The other students and their presentations include: 

• Olumide Akinduro, materials science graduate student – “A Chitosan-Based Gel Polymer Electrolyte for Improving Performance and Stability of Nickel-Zinc Batteries” 
• Tony Astuhuaman Davila, natural and applied science graduate student – “Quantum Kernel Learning for Energy Efficient Battery Degradation and Drug Discovery” 
• Md. Zulkernain Haider, materials science graduate student – “Tuning Structural Properties of LiCoO2 through Reduction Annealing” 
• Emily Rapp, senior, physics/astronomy and astrophysics – “Development of Physical and Circuit-Based Computational Models for Temperature-Dependent Performance of Lithium-Ion Batteries in Extreme Environments” 
• Anika Tabassum, materials science graduate student – “Atomistic modeling of Gallium oxide for neuromorphic computing Abstract” 
• Gregory Vatrano, materials science graduate student – “Investigation of Solid-State Synthesis of Na2FeSi04 Cathode for Utilization in Sodium-Ion Batteries” 

Plans to host

Missouri State will host the 2026 annual MOCAP regional symposium.  

“I hope we can increase attendance and involvement from other departments next year. It’s a really great opportunity for students,” Moreno said. 

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