Congenital heart defects affect nearly 40,000 births every year in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Dr. Ryan Udan, associate professor of biology at Missouri State University, leads studies in his lab to understand how blood-vessel-related birth defects form. “We want to learn how the smooth muscle tissue grows to surround … [Read more...] about Vascular research as a path toward a cure
From November to March, bats put out their “Do Not Disturb” sign while they hibernate. Dr. Tom Tomasi, professor of biology at Missouri State University, studies hibernating animals in torpor, especially bats. He investigates the causes of declining bat populations, which he attributes to two things: white nose syndrome and torpor. White nose syndrome leads to a fungal … [Read more...] about Telling the (sometimes tragic) tales of bats
Summer was a time of adjusting plans due to concerns of COVID-19. Conferences were no exception. The Society for Freshwater Sciences (SFS) adapted their annual Summer of Science meeting events to a virtual format. They hosted virtual activities throughout most of June and into July. Dr. Debra Finn, assistant professor of biology, shares how SFS managed to provide … [Read more...] about A summer of (mostly virtual) science
Diversity has always served as an important value at Missouri State. With recent events, the College of Natural and Applied Sciences (CNAS) is taking a renewed look at how we can facilitate diversity at the university. We have prepared diversity initiatives to ensure the college can best promote diversity, inclusion and cultural consciousness. “There is so much … [Read more...] about Diversity initiatives of the College of Natural and Applied Sciences
Every human body must keep up with a lot of biological responses. Biosensors help signal those that matter most. Chemistry graduate student Megan Prado studies how to make biosensors even more useful to the demands of human life. She recently received the Dr. Matthew and Patricia Harthcock Chemistry Research Fellowship Award to enable her to continue her graduate … [Read more...] about (Bio)sensing the body’s demands