Ryan Moon is a junior cell and molecular biology student at Missouri State University. Moon is from Springfield, Missouri, and attended Glendale High School.

His favorite course has been fundamentals of physiology.

“We got the opportunity to learn more about how the human body functions at the molecular level,” Moon said.

“I was able to build on the knowledge of structures that I previously learned in anatomy and build on how different cells interact with one another.”

For Moon, the best part of being a Bear is the close-knit community.

“I have met many friends and mentors through joining different organizations who have supported me throughout college,” he said.

After graduation, Moon plans to attend graduate school.

Helping a student find his or her own voice is one of the most important things a teacher can do.  

Dr. Daisy Collins, a faculty member in the school of social work, is motivated by her personal journey to help her students learn to speak up. 

Collins moved to the United States from Mexico in her early 20s to continue her education. She faced many challenges on her journey through academia before eventually reaching her role as a teacher at Missouri State University.  

“I moved here not speaking any English,” Collins said. “There were not many women like me – bilingual, non-native English speaker, first generation – who were working in higher education.” 

Collins was inspired to find more women like her so they could help each other, share their stories and inspire one another.  

Advocating with a scholarly voice 

Collins was pursuing her doctorate in educational leadership and policy analysis when she began to look for ways to advocate for Hispanic women in higher education.  

Her dissertation advisor encouraged her to turn her concern into a research question. Specifically, what are the experiences of Hispanic women in higher education, and what can we learn from them?  

Finding Hispanic women in higher education was not an easy task.  

“I ended up with 25 participants from five different universities,” Collins said. “Which sounds like a great pool, but it’s actually pretty small.”  

Yet Collins turned the small sample size into a full account of the 25 women’s experiences. This became her dissertation, “The Brown Glass Ceiling? A Qualitative Study of Hispanic Women/Latinas Leaders in Higher Education.”  

The dissertation was one of the first works giving a scholarly voice to the stories of Latinas in higher education. 

“Sometimes you see people in high positions, but you don’t know their journey,” Collins said. “For me, it was so powerful to be able to give a voice to these Latina women’s experiences. It’s worth recognizing the barriers they had to overcome and the roles they reached, such as those of department heads or leaders of overseas programs.” 

Expanding her work  

Collins used her passion for advocacy to begin the work of creating a new textbook for EDC 345 Introduction to Multicultural Education and Diversity, a course she taught in the College of Education.  

“It has been the most humbling experience to work with my colleagues,” Collins said. “Our collaboration has allowed us to share the voices of preservice teachers and help guide those interested in multicultural education and diversity.” 

At the end of Collins’s email signature is a tagline that she strives to live by: “communicate respectfully, humanize and create positive environments around you.” 

 She hopes that her work – in the classroom and beyond – will do just that.   

“Sometimes we take for granted what people do. That’s why I feel like advocacy is my calling,” Collins said. “I want Latina women in higher education to know they’re not alone. We are here to join hands and go through the journey of making our voices heard together.” 

Read more about Collins’s recent publications  

Tracking the spread of contagions has proven to be crucial to preserving health. This extends to protecting cattle.

A Missouri State University research team recently discovered a species of tick in southwest Missouri that is harmful to cattle.

The team was led by Drs. David Claborn and Kip Thompson, faculty members in the master of public health program at Missouri State.

They were searching for the Asian longhorned tick, which can spread a deadly disease. Claborn notes it harms mainly cattle, not humans.

“Although the risk posed by the Asian Longhorned tick in the U.S. is primarily to cattle, the tick is a known vector of human diseases as well” said Claborn.

“It has a disease called theileria, which is like malaria, though malaria only infects red blood cells,” Claborn said. “Theileria affects all blood cells in all ages and can be very devastating to cattle.”

After being located on the East Coast four years ago, there was an Asian longhorned tick spotted in northwest Arkansas two years ago.

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services asked if the Missouri State research team could find this tick in Missouri. In 2021, the department awarded the team a grant of $17,000 to conduct this survey.

The results

Research began in 2019, but halted in 2020 due to COVID. It resumed this year.

“In 2021, we focused on the southwest corner of the state and that is where we found them,” Claborn said.

By dragging through conservation sites and using baited traps, the team members collected 4,ooo samples of ticks. Out of that sampling, they were able to identify five Asian longhorned ticks.

What farmers need to know

Thompson asserts the best way for farmers to prevent harm from these ticks is to regularly check cattle and make sure they have repellent on.

The Missouri Department of Agriculture encourages farmers to keep grass and weeds trimmed and check their livestock regularly.

The team plans to continue conducting surveillance in conservation sites.  It’s hopeful to learn more about this species of tick.

Read more about Dr. Claborn’s reseach in Mind’s Eye

As of the summer 2021 semester, Missouri State University has conferred doctoral degrees to 1,000 graduates.

Missouri State has a total of five doctoral programs, as well as two programs in cooperation with the University of Missouri system.

Dr. Jennifer Orkin, a recent graduate of MSU’s Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia program, was living and working abroad while she completed her program of study.

“Dr. Monika Feeney and her team were flexible, undeterred and completely supportive of my goals from day one,” Orkin said. “I am grateful for all I have learned through the MSU completion program and its direct applicability into my current practice.”

Dr. Ashley Jasinsky, also a recent graduate of MSU’s Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia program, made the decision to go back to school as a mother of four children and while working full-time.

“Every professor and member of this program has been so personable, available and supportive,” Jasinsky said. “Not once did I feel as though I was doing busy work. Each class was so thoughtfully put together by the instructors.”

Community impact

Doctoral programs at Missouri State provide the opportunity for members of the community to take the next step in their education.

“Students graduating from these programs have been readily employed because of the specialized education and talents they contribute to meeting community needs,” Provost Dr. Frank Einhellig said.

The Missouri State professional doctoral program has grown consistently over the past two decades and there is still room for expansion.

“The long-range plan for our university is to add to our offering of professional doctorate degree programs in fields of study where there is a strong need for this level of education,” Einhellig said.

Missouri State currently offers a range of doctoral programs from audiology to physical therapy, as well as a new program in defense and strategic studies. A doctoral program in occupational therapy is also in progress.

Learn more about MSU’s doctoral programs