Current Ambassadors
Amanda Bennett
Year in School
Junior
Major Degree Program / Department
Psychology, Spanish
Faculty Mentor(s)
Dr. Kristin Hawley and Dr. Ashley Groh, Psychological Sciences
Why did you want to become an ambassador?
“I wanted to become an ambassador because when I first came to Mizzou I thought getting involved in research was only for upperclassmen and I didn’t realize until my sophomore year that I could have been doing research all along. I want to be able to reach out to students, especially freshmen, so that they know how they can get involved with research early on.”
Jenna Bohler
Year in School
Sophomore
Major Degree Program / Department
Biological Sciences, Psychology, Spanish
Faculty Mentor(s)
Dr. Paula McSteen, Biological Sciences
What would you identify as your best moment, so far, as an undergraduate researcher?
“My best moment as an undergraduate researcher was getting to present a poster at the American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) Midwest Meeting this past March. It was really enriching to meet other scientists there and I felt so proud of the research that I’ve done throughout the school year.”
Madeline Clarke
Year in School
Junior
Major Degree Program / Department
Political Science, Geography
Faculty Mentor(s)
Dr. Bill Horner, Political Science
What piece of advice would you give to any student interested in pursuing undergraduate research?
“Don’t shy away from research! Take any opportunity you can to conduct research and do not be afraid to approach faculty about research opportunities. You’ll never regret trying, but you’ll regret not giving yourself a chance to see what could have been.”
Will Costigan
Year in School
Sophomore
Major Degree Program / Department
Biochemistry
Faculty Mentor(s)
Dr. Scott Peck, Biochemistry
Why did you want to become an ambassador?
“I wanted to become an ambassador to help recruit new people into the MU research community. I have found that becoming involved in research at Mizzou has greatly shaped the course of my academic career thus far, and I would like to extend that opportunity to others as well.”
Sarah Pribe
Year in School
Junior
Major Degree Program / Department
English, Secondary Education
Faculty Mentor(s)
Dr. Michael Marlo, English
Why did you want to become an ambassador?
“Being in a field that is not STEM-related, I was not aware that there were undergraduate research opportunities for students in humanities-related fields until I heard about the ASH Program. Therefore, one of the reasons I wanted to become an ambassador is so that other students in humanities-related fields will know that there are research opportunities for them too.”
Muhammad Salim
Year in School
Junior
Major Degree Program / Department
Biomedical Engineering
Faculty Mentor(s)
Dr. Ferris Pfeiffer, Bioengineering
Why is undergraduate research important?
“Undergraduate research is so important because it provides students with a unique opportunity to witness the application of their studies. By participating in undergraduate research, you are able to gain a deeper understanding of what you learn in the classroom, while also building on that knowledge and implementing it in the real world.”
Ashwin Garlapaty
Year in School
Sophomore
Major Degree Program / Department
Biological Sciences
Faculty Mentor(s)
Dr. Aaron Stoker, Orthopaedic Surgery
Why is undergraduate research important?
“Undergraduate Research allows students to go beyond the classroom. Students are not learning from textbooks but learning from new discoveries they’ve made in their own research.”
Cole Diggins
Year in School
Senior
Major Degree Program / Department
Soil, Environmental, and Atmospheric Science
Faculty Mentor(s)
Dr. Stephen Anderson, School of Natural Science
What would you identify as your best moment, so far, as an undergraduate researcher?
“I would say my best moment as an undergraduate researcher was also bittersweet. When I finished with my data collection, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t relieved. However, it also meant that I was done with work that I had come to enjoy over the course of my project. The more you become invested in your research the work associated with it becomes fun and exciting. It is a bit like an art project where you are one of the people involved in its creation. It’s a great feeling to know that by creating this paper and collecting this data you have created something new and exciting. “
Delanie Vinzant
Year in School
Sophomore
Major Degree Program / Department
Biological Sciences, Economics
Faculty Mentor(s)
Dr. Pam Brown, Biological Sciences
What piece of advice would you give to any student interested in pursuing undergraduate research?
“I would advise any student interested in research to look into the work of several labs that seem interesting and then speak to more than one PI before selecting a lab. Choosing the right lab for you is important!”
Grace Wiley
Year in School
Junior
Major Degree Program / Department
Biochemistry
Faculty Mentor(s)
Dr. Peter Sutovsky, Animal Science
Why is undergraduate research important?
“Undergraduate research is important to enable students to gain experience prior to pursuing graduate school or jobs in research after graduation. One must learn that research is not all about glamorous publications. It takes years of tedious work to get there, and at times the data you collect for a project doesn’t pan out as you had hoped. Students must learn to foster tenacity through undergraduate research, so they are prepared for the challenges of research. “
Joshua Miles
Year in School
Senior
Major Degree Program / Department
Physics, Economics
Faculty Mentor(s)
Dr. Se Kwon Kim, Physics & Astronomy
What would you identify as your best moment, so far, as an undergraduate researcher?
“Personally, my research has featured many, many frustrating days and no novel discoveries or results of much foreseeable significance to the scientific community. My best moment as a researcher, though, occurred when my mentor, Dr. Kim, assigned me my first problem. When I saw it, I recognized very quickly that my coursework had given me many of the tools necessary to handle the problem. This was very rewarding to me because in undergraduate physics coursework, as with coursework in perhaps many fields, one can worry that the ideas and methods being taught are many years outdated and no longer useful in modern research. For me, this moment was proof that what I had learned in class is still relevant today.”
Mollie Harrison
Year in School
Junior
Major Degree Program / Department
Chemical Engineering
Faculty Mentor(s)
Dr. Bret Ulery, Biomedical, Biological, and Chemical Engineering
Why did you want to become an ambassador?
“When I first came to Mizzou, I knew nothing about undergraduate research. I didn’t know that tons of undergraduates across all disciplines are involved in research, or that those students were getting to make real scientific discoveries and not simply perform grunt work for graduate students. I was lucky to get involved with undergraduate research through Discovery Fellows early in my college career, and this involvement has completely changed my projected career path. Once a Pre-Med student, I now plan to earn my Ph.D. after I complete undergrad in order to pursue a career in research. I found my passion through undergraduate research, and I want to help other students at Mizzou do the same by being an Undergraduate Research Ambassador.”
Rebecca Winkler
Year in School
Senior
Major Degree Program / Department
Biological Sciences
Faculty Mentor(s)
Dr. David Braun, Biological Sciences
Why did you want to become an ambassador?
“I wanted to become an ambassador to help other students and to show them how fun research at a research one university can be!”