Current Ambassadors

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Andrew Hellman

Year in School
Freshman

Major Degree Program / Department
Computer Science

Faculty Mentor(s)
Dr. Prasad Calyam

How did you get started in research?

“When I was a freshman…”

Ask Andrew Hellman a Question

Bethany Moore, Junior in Public Policy and Administration

Bethany Moore

Year in School
Senior

Major Degree Program / Department
Public Administration and Policy

Faculty Mentor(s)
Dr. Fiorella Carlos Chavez

Why did you want to become an Ambassador?

“Participating in research was the best experience of my Freshman year. I was able to develop skills in communication, leadership, and collaboration; meanwhile, I made lasting academic connections and gained personalized mentorship. I wanted to become an ambassador to encourage other undergraduates to pursue research opportunities. Coming to college, I thought “research” was solely defined by lab experimentation with test tubes and microscopes; I quickly learned that there is a vast space and great need for research in all areas of study. As an ambassador, I hope to demonstrate that people of all majors and all interests – whether STEM, humanities, or anything in between – have a place in undergraduate research.”

Ask Bethany Moore a Question

CarissaBerscheForWeb

Carissa Bersche

Year in School
Sophomore

Major Degree Program / Department
Biochemistry

Faculty Mentor(s)
Dr. Antje Heese

How did you get started in undergraduate research?

“I always knew I wanted to be involved in research, and that was a big reason that I came to Mizzou. The summer before entering my freshman year, I was looking at the Undergraduate Research page and I found FRIPS (Freshman Research In Plants) applications and I applied for that, and then throughout my first week at Mizzou I took several lab tours and went to a bunch of the Undergraduate Research events and got connected with other professors, and then I joined Dr. Heese’s lab through FRIPS.”

Ask Carissa Bersche a Question

ConnorHallForWeb

Connor Hall

Year in School
Junior

Major Degree Program / Department
Biological Sciences

Faculty Mentor(s)
Dr. Joseph Santin

How did you get started in undergraduate research?

“I took Genetics my second year of college, and I was in the discussion section talking with my TA, because he’s a cool guy, and he said that he knew a professor that was looking for undergraduate students to help out in his lab. I was interested, so I looked at some of his research and read some of his papers, and I thought it was absolutely fascinating so I just walked into his office one day when I knew he was available and brought about 3 pages worth of questions, and we just talked about his research for about 3 hours. He liked the passion that I brought and I loved his research so he offered me a position in the lab.”

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Devanshi Patel, Junior in Health Sciences

Devanshi Patel

Year in School
Senior

Major Degree Program / Department
Health Science

Faculty Mentor(s)
Dr. Gary Baker

Why did you want to become an ambassador?

“The desire to make it easier for freshman to get into research is how I reached out and became an ambassador.”

Ask Devanshi Patel a Question

DylanFowlerForWeb

Dylan Fowler

Year in School
Senior

Major Degree Program / Department
Chemistry and Mathematics

Faculty Mentor(s)
Dr. Kurt Brorsen

How did you get started in undergraduate research?

“When I was a freshman, I did the S.T.A.R. program and I took an “Intro to Undergraduate Research” workshop with Dr. Sarah Humfeld. In this workshop, she told us that if we wanted to get started in research, we should look at our department website and find faculty whose research interests us. Dr. Brorsen was the first and only faculty member that I emailed, and I joined his lab the beginning of sophomore year and have been there ever since.” 

Ask Dylan Fowler a Question

HaleyHultzForWeb

Haley Hultz

Year in School
Senior

Major Degree Program / Department
Psychological Sciences

Faculty Mentor(s)
Dr. Timothy Trull

How did you get involved with undergraduate research?

“During my freshman year I joined the Discovery Fellows program through the Honors College application. I was applying for other scholarships and then just happened to apply also for the Discovery Fellows and got it, and then I researched the labs online, read all of the professors’ ‘About’ bios of their labs, and then I found Dr. Huang’s lab and we meet over Zoom and I started in her lab.”

Ask Haley Hultz a Question

JillianVoskovitchForWeb

Jillian Voskovitch

Year in School
Senior

Major Degree Program / Department
Biological Sciences

Faculty Mentor(s)
Dr. Monique Lorson

How did you get started in undergraduate research?

“I knew about Dr. Chris Lorson’s research before I came to college and his work in spinal atrophy and all this neuro degenerative research. It was something I was super interested in and passionate about, so I reached out at the end of my freshman year and got in touch with Drs. Chris and Monique Lorson and then I started working in the lab and have been there ever since.” 

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Kameron Hahn, Sophomore in Biological Sciences

Kameron Hahn

Year in School
Junior

Major Degree Program / Department
Biological Sciences

Faculty Mentor(s)
Dr. Laura Schulz

How can students get involved in undergraduate research?

“I would recommend that you attend workshops. We have plenty of workshops through the Office of Undergraduate Research, as well as the S.T.A.R. program. If you attend five of these workshops, you receive a S.T.A.R which verifies that you’re interested in joining a lab.”

Ask Kameron Hahn a Question

KaranKommu

Karan Kommu

Year in School
Junior

Major Degree Program / Department
Biological Sciences

Faculty Mentor(s)
Dr. Jaume Padilla

Why did you want to become an Ambassador?

“During my freshman and sophomore year, I joined two different labs. With that experience, I thought I would be able to better help other people join labs, and I wanted to let other students know that to switch to different labs if you haven’t found the right fit yet.”

Ask Karan Kommu a Question