Featured researchers
Kaitlyn Faries
Year in school:
senior
Major degree program/department:
biology
Raccoons, typically solitary animals, tend to gather because of increasing human population. This gathering might be contributing to the transmission of diseases and parasites, but genetics could also play a role. Kaitlyn Faries delved into the question in her undergraduate research.
Mallory Heaton
Year in school:
senior
Major degree program/department:
animal science
Mallory Heaton studies reproduction in beef cows. She spends a lot of time at the University’s research farms, as well as in the lab. Heaton has been doing undergraduate research since 2005. She has worked in the labs of Mike Smith, reproductive physiologist, and John Bader, senior research specialist. Heaton says skills she has gained over the past few years will help with her current research project, which involves doing ultrasounds on heifers to obtain data on reproductive capability.
Jordan Marshall
Year in school:
junior
Major degree program/department:
biology
Jordan Marshall started doing research his freshman year. He chose to major in biological sciences at Mizzou because of an excellent scholarship offer and plenty of opportunities, such as the Exposure to Research for Science Students (EXPRESS) program, that other colleges didn’t offer. Marshall plans to attend medical school after completing his undergraduate degree.
Rebecca Norris
Year in school:
senior
Major degree program/department:
journalism (advertising sequence)
Do anti-smoking public service announcements evoke fear or disgust in viewers? How do 50–55 and 65–70-year-olds assess the risks and benefits in televised prescription drug ads? Rebecca Norris researches questions like these in the PRIME (Psychological Research on Information and Media Effects) lab. Norris started working in the PRIME lab in the second half of her sophomore year at Mizzou.
Kim Pope
Year in school:
senior
Major degree program/department:
psychology
Disorders of the brain fascinate Kim Pope. Combining research in anatomy and psychology helps her understand how different parts of the brain control neurological functions.
Catherine Stricklin
Year in school:
senior
Major degree program/department:
nursing
Catherine Stricklin works in a public health lab and says she loves every minute of it. Her recent work on the Baby BEEP (Behavioral Educational Enhancement of Pregnancy) study helps pregnant women stop smoking. Stricklin's work was supported by the MU Graduate School's summer program.