Missouri State regards research opportunities as vital components of education — at both graduate and undergraduate levels. This approach consistently pays off in meaningful research experiences for students. It also helps raise awareness of research activity within our university, which recently received the designation “Research Colleges and Universities” from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.

Showcasing Student Success

In April, three events highlighted student research: the Graduate College’s Einhellig Interdisciplinary Forum (EIDF), the College of Natural and Applied Sciences (CNAS) Undergraduate Research Symposium and the McQueary College of Health and Human Services (MCHHS) Student Research Symposium.

Graduate College

Earlier this spring, we spoke to Dr. Julie Masterson, dean of the Graduate College, and Dr. Carrisa Hoelscher, associate dean of the Graduate College, about EIDF. They shared exciting updates, including EIDF’s move to Friday and the return of its oral presentation category. It all added up to a successful event on April 25.

EIDF Winners

• Mahmoud Abusaqer (Computer Science)
• Nnenne Ben-Ekechukwu (Applied Second Language Acquisition)
• Tucker Bittick (Agriculture)
• Emma Braun (Master of Natural and Applied Sciences)
• Matthew Bruenning (Materials Science)
• Jami Bull (Master of Natural and Applied Sciences)
• Jianna Cox (Biomedical Sciences)
• Jackson Davis (Biology)
• Daniel Donkor (Geography and Geology)
• Vignan Ele (Audiology)
• Cristina Flaquer Fuste (Cell and Molecular Biology)
• Callie Fry (Biomedical Sciences)
• Mateo Guerra Toro (Master of Natural and Applied Sciences)
• Morgan Hoover (Nutrition and Dietetics)
• Fahim Irfan (Computer Science)
• Brett Jones (Dramatic Writing)
• Rahab Kanogo (Chemistry)
• Matthew Knoll (Biology)
• Nicholas Levell (Professional Studies)
• Emma Liimatta (Cell and Molecular Biology)
• Ali Muhammad (Geography and Geology)
• Jordan Murray (Biology)
• Tony Nyabayo (Chemistry)
• Ophelia Pettington (Biology)
• Olivia Reinwald-Johnson (Biomedical Sciences)
• Jordan Schler (Audiology)
• Rubina Sherchan (Master of Natural and Applied Sciences)
• Nguyen Nam Anh Tran (Master of Business Administration)
• Abbi Vachon (Nutrition and Dietetics)
• Kennedy Webb (Audiology)
• Hunter White (Environmental Plant Science)

CNAS

All current CNAS undergraduates and those who graduated in December 2024 were invited to submit to the Undergraduate Research Symposium, which was held on April 24.

Participants entered poster presentations, and all entries were refereed. Awards included First Place and Second Place honors for each CNAS academic unit and the cooperative engineering program.

Undergraduate Research Symposium Winners

Category: Biology (Ecology, Wildlife and Conservation)

• First Place: Jaslyn Johnson and Anna Faust (Dr. La Toya Kissoon-Charles, faculty advisor)
• Second Place: Jaycie Balkenbush and Jordan Porsch (Dr. Alexander Wait, faculty advisor)

Biology (Cellular, Microbiology and Genetics)

• First Place: Daniel Kim, Abhishhu Chand, Emma Braun, Nhi Le, Kyoungtae Kim (Dr. Reza Sedaghat-Herati, faculty advisor)
• Second Place: Emma Goodwyn and Nicole Nalley (Dr. Paul Durham, faculty advisor)

Chemistry and Biochemistry

• First Place: Abby Teitelbaum, Rahab Kanogo, Eniola Arogunyo, Mitchell Kim, Alexis Holyfield, Trishna Timalsena, Fei Wang, Santimukul Santra and Tuhina Banerjee (Dr. Tuhina Benerjee, faculty advisor)
• First Place: James Speake (Dr. Santimukul Santra, faculty advisor)
• Second Place: Tim Howard (Dr. Gautam Bhattacharyya, faculty advisor)

Computer Science

• First Place: Christopher Housholder, Zelun He and Vivian Ning (Dr. Yifan Zhang, faculty advisor)
• Second Place: Keegan Spell, Santimukul Santra and Tuhina Banerjee (Dr. Mukulika Ghosh, faculty advisor)

Cooperative Engineering

• First Place: Benjamin Cuebas and Justin Fausto (Dr. Rohit Dua, faculty advisor)
• Second Place: Preston Carroll, Nathan Swan, Ben Alexander (Dr. Rohit Dua, faculty advisor)

School of Earth, Environment and Sustainability: Geology

• First Place: Grace Chalfant (Dr. Toby Dogwiler, faculty advisor)
• Second Place: Noah Short (Dr. Gary Michelfelder, faculty advisor)

School of Earth, Environment and Sustainability: Geography, Geospatial and Planning

• First Place: Kayla May, Dr. Robert Pavlowsky, Marc Owen, Joshua Hess and Brianne Edwards (Marc Owen, faculty advisor)

Mathematics

• First Place: Christopher Housholder and Layna Mangiapanello (Dr. Steven Senger, faculty advisor)
• Second Place: Christopher Housholder (Dr. Animesh Biswas, faculty advisor)

Physics, Astronomy and Materials Science

• First Place: Simarpreet K. Girn (Dr. Sarah Morrison, faculty advisor)
• Second Place: Lana Janson, Wade Van Riessen, Markos A. Georgy (Dr. Robert A. Mayanovic, faculty advisor)

Learn more about the CNAS Undergraduate Research Symposium.

MCHHS

On April 24, MCHHS held its 29th Student Research Symposium, an event that Dr. Mark Smith, MCCHS dean, describes as a “cherished tradition” for the college. This year’s symposium featured 53 entries, with research from both graduate and undergraduate students.

As Smith put it: “This year’s symposium celebrates the innovative research of our students and provides a platform for them to share and discuss their scholarly work.”

Learn more about the MCHHS Student Research Symposium.

Around Campus…

On April 17, the Graduate College hosted the Graduate Education Awards Reception. Graduate students and faculty were recognized for outstanding work. We’ll focus on faculty honorees in an upcoming article; in this post, we’ll recognize student winners.

Graduate Student Award Winners

• Distinguished Teaching Assistant: Whitney Owonubi Latture (Communication, Media, Journalism and Film)
• Distinguished Thesis Awards: Shelby Palmer (Biology); Anna Guenter (History); Samara Mizutani Cesar (Criminology and Criminal Justice); Shusmoy Choudhury (Computer Sciences)
• Outstanding Graduate Assistant Awards: Fatima Jurat (Special Education, Leadership and Professional Studies); Arshpreet Kandola (RStats Institute); David Brockway (English)
• Aileen and Keith Ford Endowed Scholarship: Zack Collison (Criminology and Criminal Justice); Hannah Ndiba (Earth, Environment and Sustainability)
• Basil and Joann Boritzki Endowment Scholarship: Ta’lor Gold (Biology); Grace Herbold (Mathematics)
• Masterson Family Graduate Student Research Award: Mary Fakunle (Chemistry and Biochemistry); Mackenzie McIntire (Biology)