At this midpoint of the fall semester, there is much to celebrate and many reasons to take pride in the work of faculty, staff and students throughout Missouri State. “The breadth and depth of the significant accomplishments across our colleges is flat-out exhilarating,” says Provost Dr. John Jasinski. “The following represent only a smattering of MSU faculty contributions. Overall, the collective footprint displays robust points of pride, community impacts and engagement, innovation and relevant research and service — that combined, enhance the vitality of the teaching-learning process.”

This week, we’re looking at just a few recent accomplishments in the College of Natural and Applied Sciences, the Darr College of Agriculture and the Reynolds College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities. We look forward to highlighting achievements in other units next week.

College of Natural and Applied Sciences (CNAS)

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  Dr. Razib Iqbal, associate professor of computer science, Dr. Keiichi Yoshimatsu, associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry, and Joshua Ellis, CNAS alumnus, were awarded a U.S. patent for their work on spectra matching. According to Yoshimatsu, it’s “a process to compare one spectrum with another to determine how similar they are to each other,” and it helps make accurate matches within large data sets.

• Dorian DeHart, who’s currently pursuing his master’s degree in geology, recently traveled to Washington, D.C., to speak to members of the U.S. Congress and advocate for geoscience funding. DeHart was part of a national scientific delegation. While in D.C., he presented his research to Congress members. “I’m using a $418,000 grant from the United States Army Corps of Engineers to conduct comprehensive research of streams and rivers to quantify their stability and erosion rates,” he says. “This uses a lot of fieldwork, computer data processing and even remote sensing methods, such as drones. This research has tons of applications for many different fields of science.”
• Dr. Tuhina Banerjee, assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry, received approval of a two-year, $250,000 grant from the National Science Foundation. The funding will support Banerjee’s research into a light tunable colorimetric sensor that can be used to detect foodborne pathogens. It’s part of an initiative to broaden inclusive participation in mathematics and physical sciences.

Darr College of Agriculture

• Dr. Chin-Feng Hwang, professor of agriculture and chancellor of the Mountain Grove campus, and Li-Ling Chen, clinical instructor of environmental plant sciences and natural resources, are researching “Sustaining the Genome-Enabled Grape Breeding Program via Research, Education and Extension” in collaboration with the University of Missouri. The project received $299,879 in funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s Non-Land-Grant Colleges of Agriculture program (USDA-NIFA-NLGCA).
• Dr. Benjamin Onyango, professor of agriculture, is researching the project “Is there room for goat meat in the American diet? Consumer preferences analysis to spur a neutral American rural goat production potential” in collaboration with Georgia Fort Valley State University. The project received $299,975 in USDA-NIFA-NLGCA funding.
• Dr. Christine Sudbrock, assistant professor of agriculture, is researching “Enhancing Digital Communication and Marketing for Missouri Food Entrepreneurs” in collaboration with the University of Central Missouri. It received $226,341 in funding from the Missouri Agricultural and Small Business Development Authority’s Show-Me Entrepreneurial Grants for Agriculture program.
• Marty Lueck, manager of the Journagan Ranch, will be inducted into the American Hereford Association Hall of Fame at the Annual Membership Meeting and Conference, which takes place October 19–22.

Reynolds College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities (RCASH)

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  Dr. Ethan Amidon, associate professor of criminology, and Dr. Jennifer LaPrade, assistant professor of criminology, received funding from Health Forward to continue and expand their research into racial and ethnic fairness within Missouri courts. This work builds on a statewide examination that Amidon and LaPrade have been conducting since 2021. “We have had a wonderful research partnership with the Supreme Court of Missouri and its Commission on Racial and Ethnic Fairness, and we are honored to not only continue this research, but also be able to expand it with more resources in phase two,” LaPrade says.

• The School of the Arts took home a big honor at the Springfield Regional Arts Council’s Ozzie Awards on October 14. The school, which houses programs in art and design; music; theatre and dance; musical theatre; and electronic arts, won the Arts Champion Award. Dr. Steve Willis, professor of art and design, was also recognized with the Excellence in Arts Education Award.
• RCASH released a college-level video to commemorate and celebrate the combination of arts, letters, humanities and public affairs programs into the new Judith Enyeart Reynolds College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities.

Around Campus…

The Honors College Enhancement Task Force is currently crafting recommendations for Honors College enhancements. The task force is seeking recommendations from faculty. If you are a faculty member and have recommendations for the Honors College, please provide feedback via this form.