The College of Natural and Applied Sciences at Missouri State University recently recognized outstanding faculty and staff for the academic school year 2014-15. In addition, many students presented their research at the CNAS Undergraduate Research Day and the Graduate Interdisciplinary Forum.
For the CNAS Faculty/Staff Awards, the award winners were nominated by departmental personnel committees, department heads or students. The nominations were then reviewed by a faculty committee for the faculty/staff awards and by a student committee for the student nominated award.
Each award winner received a certificate and a small monetary award.
CNAS Excellence Award – Staff
- Brian Grindstaff – CNAS machinist
- Tara Herring – Biology laboratory supervisor
- Gale Lininger – CNAS executive assistant
CNAS Faculty Excellence in Service Awards
- Dr. Paul Durham – Biology
- Dr. John Heywood – Biology
- Dr. Bryan Breyfogle – Chemistry
- Abbe Ehlers – Hospitality and restaurant administration
CNAS Faculty Excellence in Research Awards
- Dr. Nikolay Gerasimchuk – Chemistry
- Dr. Kevin Mickus – Geography, geology and planning
- Eric Bosch – Chemistry
CNAS Faculty Excellence in Teaching Awards
- Dr. Rich Biagioni – Chemistry
- Dr. Janice Greene – Biology
- Dr. Melida Gutierrez – Geography, geology and planning
- Dr. Paul Schweiger – Biology
- Dr. Jill Black – Geography, geology and planning
CNAS Student Nominated Awards for Faculty/Staff Excellence
- Debbie Corcoran – Geography, geology and planning
- Jorge Rebaza – Mathematics
- Gigi Saunders – Biology
- Vera Stanojevic – Mathematics
The 2015 recipient of the Atwood Research and Teaching Award is Durham.
About the Atwood Research and Teaching Award
The Atwood Research and Teaching Award was endowed by Dr. Jerry Atwood a 1964 graduate of MSU and now an internationally known chemist. He started his career at University of Alabama in 1967 but has been the department head at University of Missouri-Columbia since 1994. In addition he was appointed a Curators Professor starting in 1999. The award winner receives a certificate and $1500 to be spent over the next year on students, research supplies, summer salary or travel.
CNAS Undergraduate Research Day
The 6th Annual CNAS Undergraduate Research Day was held April 24.There were 45 poster presentations in a variety of categories.
Biology: Ecology, Conservation and Wildlife
First Place: Dana Green
SEASONAL SEX RATIO VARIATION OF GRAY BATS (MYOTIS GRISESCENS) NEAR A HIBERNACULUM IN SOUTHWEST MISSOURI
Faculty Adviser: Dr. Lynn Robbins
Second Place: Kendell Loyd
USE OF VISUAL AND CHEMICAL CUES DURING PREDATOR DETECTION IN THE RAINBOW DARTER, ETHEOSTOMA CAERULEUM
Faculty Adviser: Dr. Alicia Mathis
Biology: Cellular, Microbiology and Genetics
First Place: Justin Conover and Chelsea Campbell
PHENOTYPING A SEGREGANT MAPPING POPULATION OF VITIS PIASEZKII X VITIS VINIFERA HYBRIDS FOR QUANTITATIVE TRAIT LOCI ANALYSIS FOR RESISTANCE TO PLASMOPARA VITCOLA
Faculty Adviser: Dr. Laszlo Kovacs
Second Place: Shelby Harris
EVALUATION OF COMMERCIAL SILVER-IMPREGNATED DRESSINGS TO INHIBIT GROWTH OF SILVER-RISISTANT BACTERIA ISOLUATED FROM PATIENTS AT A LEVEL I TRAUMA CENTER
Faculty Adviser: Rhy Norton and Dr. Paul Durham
Chemistry
First Place: Adam Kirkpatrick
ROTENOID BIOSYNTHESIS: COMPUTATIONAL ANALYSIS OF COMPETING IONIC AND RADICAL PATHWAYS FOR CYCLIZATION
Faculty Adviser: Dr.Matt Siebert
Second Place: Hillary Mitchell
INKJET-PRINTED MULTI SENSOR ARRAYS ON FLEXIBLE SUBSTRATES
Faculty Adviser: Dr. Adam Wanekaya
Engineering
First Place: Shane Jestus and Bryan Viles
OPERATING A 3 PHASE INDUCTION MOTOR FROM A SINGLE PHASE SUPPLY
Faculty Adviser: Dr. Robert Egbert
Second Place: Tyler Harris, Daniel Hill, Jesse Sherman
DC TO AC SOURCE CONVERSION
Faculty Adviser: Egbert and Dr. Rohit Dua
Geography, Geology and Planning
First Place: Jameelah Rodriguez
GEOCHEMICAL STUDY OF Al, Cd, Pb, AND Zn FOUND IN CREEK SEDIMENT IN AURORA MISSOURI
Faculty Adviser: Dr. Melida Gutierrez
Second Place: Erica Gerweck
DESCRIPTION AND PRELIMINARY INTERPRETATION OF THE PRAIRIE CREEK DIATREME CRATER OF DIAMOND STATE PARK, ARKANSAS: A RE-EVALUATION OF THE VOLCANIC HISTORY FROM CORE ANALYSIS
Faculty Adviser: Dr. Gary Michelfelder
Mathematics
First Place: Aaron Ogle
COUNTING PERFECT MATCHINGS IN GRAPHS
Faculty Adviser: Dr. Les Reid
Second Place: Meagan Leppien and Mena Whalen
DYNAMICS AND BIFURCATIONS OF A CHOLERA EPIDEMIOLOGY MODEL
Faculty Adviser: Dr. Jorge Rebaza
Graduate Interdisciplinary Forum lets science students shine
Forty graduate students from CNAS presented their results at the Graduate College Interdisciplinary Forum. All abstracts are posted at http://graduate.missouristate.edu/currentstudents/IDF.htm.
Oral Presentation Awards to CNAS Students
Adrienne Gemberling- Biology
Interactions among Invasive Species in Lakes: A Mesocosm Experiment
Faculty Adviser – Dr. John Havel
Alicia Kane – Chemistry
Erbium (III) Tetraphenylporphyrin-Based Ion Selective Electrodes
Faculty Adviser – Dr. Erich Steinle
Jay Krystyniak – Biology
Ranavirus Surveillance in a Turtle Community Following Population Declines
Faculty Advisers – Dr. Day Ligon and Dr. Paul Schweiger
Poster Presentation Awards to CNAS Students
Shiva Kumar Goud Gadila – Biology
Yeast Dynamin and Clathrin Interaction
Faculty Adviser – Kyoungtae Kim
Matthew Ellis – Chemistry
Gd-Doped Inp/Zns Quantum Dots for Theranostic Applications
Faculty Adviser – Katye Fichter
Nicholas Mundt – Chemistry
Design and Development of Quantum Dot Probes with Exceptionally High Fidelity for Single-Molecule Imaging
Faculty Adviser – Katye Fichter
Other Awards to CNAS Students and Faculty
Outstanding TA – Justin Drane
Outstanding Graduate Mentor – Dr. Kyoungtae Kim
Outstanding Thesis Adviser Awards – Dr. Kartik Ghosh and Steinle