University of Central Missouri
College of Health, Science, & Technology Issue No. I | Fall 2021
grant funding In this past calendar year, Dr. Daniel Marschalek had two grants funded for his ongoing butterfly research. The first, funded by the Missouri Department of Conversation (MDC) for $20, 714, considered the "Effects of grassland management and vegetationcoomunities on regal fritillary-butterfly populations."
The second, funded from the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) for $97,555, addressed the "2021 Hermes copper butterfly surveys and San Diego pollinator monitoring plan."
The outcomes for both grants provided research opportunities and wages for undergraduate and graduate students.
agricultural achievements: GROWING SEASON On September 22nd, the agriculture department hosted its annual field day at the UCM Prussing farm. Dr. Sushil Thapa (UCM Agronomist) and Dr. Mark Goodwin (UCM Horticulturalist), in coordination with agronomy students (Robert Johnson, James Chapman, Robert Hunter) and the Director of the UCM farms, Mr. Travis Hume, discussed the UCM soybean research and variety test plots for the 2021 growing season. The faculty and students also demonstrated the latest cutting-edge technology for evaluating soybean plant performance. This field day program focuses on educating the agriculture students in soybean crops, field research, and using equipment through demonstration and hands-on activities. On September 24th, the UCM Agriculture Department hosted 'Choose Ag Day' at the UCM Prussing farm. There were over 50 high school students that attended the event. In addition, there were several high school FFA agriculture teachers and parents in attendance. These future UCM aggies were able to learn about the exciting future of the UCM Agriculture department through farms tours, program presentations on the five areas of specialization, and Q&A sessions with current UCM agriculture students.
FEATURE STORY
Faculty Research
CASSANDRA D. PAULING, WHO IS ONE OF OUR FULL-TIME INSTRUCTORS, HAS PUBLISHED ANOTHER ARTICLE TITLED, "INTERRELATIONSHIP OF SOIL MOISTURE & TEMPERATURE TO SYLVATIC PLAGUE CYCLE MAONG PRARIE DOGS IN THE WESTERN UNITED STATES," FROM HER ONGOING PhD WORK THAT SHE IS FINISHING UP AT MU.
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n this study, we asked whether soil parameters, primarily moisture and temperature, are associated with outbreaks of plague in black-tailed prairie dogs and
Gunnison's prairie dogs in the Western United States, and at what depth these associations were apparent. We collected publicly available county-level information on the occurrence of population declines or colony extirpation, while historical soil data was collected from
SCAN and USCRN stations in counties and states where prairie dogs have been located. The analysis suggests that soil moisture at lower depths correlates with colony die-offs, in addition to temperature near the surface, with key differences within the landscape ecology that impact the occurrence of plague. Overall, the model suggests that the burrow environment may play a significant role in the epizootic spread of disease amongst black-tailed and Gunnison's prairie dogs. "
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Documented locations of prairie dog colonies and nearby soil stations in plague endemic areas in the western United States.
School of Natural Sciences
FEATURE STORY
Highlights DR. SANG-WOOK CHA HAS PUBLISHED A PROTOCOL TECHNIQUE TITLED "GENERATING NON-MOSAIC MUTANTS IN XENOPUS USING CRISPR-CAS IN OOCYTES," IN CONJUNCTION WITH HIS WORK WITH THE COLD SPRING HARBOR LABORATORY. THIS TECHNIQUE IS ON THE GROUND FLOOR OF RESEARCH &
DEVELOPMENT IN PRECISION MEDICINE AND UTILIZED IN MANY EXCITING MEDICAL ADVANCEMENTS.
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n CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing, double-strand DNA breaks (DSBs) primarily undergo repair through nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ), which produces insertion or deletion of random nucleotides within the
targeted region (indels). As a result, frameshift mutation-mediated loss-of-function mutants are frequently produced. We have taken advantage of the fact that Xenopus oocytes have much higher levels of HDR than eggs to increase the effectiveness of creating precise mutations. We introduced the oocyte host transfer technique, well established for knockdown of maternal mRNA for loss-of-function experiments, to CRISPR-Cas9-mediated genome editing.
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School of Natural Sciences
Treatment of oocytes with a DNA ligase IV inhibitor, which blocks the NHEJ repair pathway, before fertilization further improves the efficiency of HDR. This method allows straightforward generation of either nonmosaic F0 heterozygous indel mutant Xenopus or Xenopus with efficient, targeted insertion of small DNA fragments (73-104). The germline transmission of mutations in these animals allows homozygous mutants to be obtained one generation (F1) sooner than previously reported."
HEROES TO HIVES Protecting Our Food Security The 'Heroes to Hives' program is for more than just the hives. It is also for the heroes. Travis Harper, University of Missouri Extension agronomist, said, "UCM was also an ideal location to establish the first Missouri apiary because they have worked together in the past, and the Whiteman Air Force Base is located nearby. Veterans from the base often settle down in Johnson County and the surrounding areas, and many servicemen and women take courses at UCM while they are on active duty."
The ‘Heroes to Hives’ bee-keeping collaboration between UCM and the University of Missouri - Columbia extension is in full swing. An outdoor classroom has been constructed with support of UCM Agriculture students and CAREs funding. This project serves as a teaching site for over 250 Missouri Veterans to come to the UCM Mitchell Street Farm and learn how to take care of bees and the basics of bee-keeping (apiculture).
FEATURE STORY
AWARDS & HONORS School of Natural Sciences
Dr. Aaron Geheber was recently recognized at a national scientific meeting by being presented the Ichthyology - Best Paper - Young Scholar Award by the journal Ichthyology & Herpetology (Formerly Copeia). It is a quarterly, peerreviewed scientific journal covering research in ichthyology and herpetology that was originally named after Edward Drinker Cope, a prominent American researcher in these fields.
School of Geoscience, Physics, & Safety Sciences
Fred A. Manuele, P.E, CSP, longtime occupational safety and health expert received the inaugural Prevention through Design (PtD) Award, on July 14, 2021, for his outstanding foresight, wisdom, tireless effort, and major accomplishments in preventing harm to workers by helping organizations avoid and prevent hazards. Fred is a member of the Safety Sciences advisory board. In 2015, the University of Central Missouri presented him with its Distinguished Service Award.
School of Computer Science
Paige Crain was awarded a 2021 Missouri Section Next Fellowship for the Mathematical Association of America. She also earned her Certificate in Effective Instruction from the Association of College and University Educators (ACUE). The certificate signifies the completion of a 25-module course in effective teaching practices requiring the implementation of evidence-based instructional approaches. The credential is co-issued by the American Council on Education and distinguishes faculty for their commitment to educational excellence and student success.
FEATURE STORY
Celebrating Achievements
Risk & Uncertainty In The Workplace The chair of the Safety Sciences Advisory Board, Bruce Lyon, and Georgi Popov collaborated on a project for the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) Risk Assessment Technical Report and a brand new textbook titled Assessing and Managing Risk: An ERM Perspective, Published in February, 2021.
Climate Variability In the Pacific & Atlantic Oceans An article published in Science by an international team of researchers, including Dr. Sally Zellers, recently won the “Kirk Bryan Award” from the Quaternary & Geomorphology Division of the Geological Society of America.
“Risk should be viewed as a continuum that requires constant monitoring and management,” said TAG Chair Bruce Lyon. “The degree of uncertainty can be difficult to measure and communicate within an organization, but it can be reduced through a strong commitment to risk management.” “Risk management techniques should be used by an organization within all steps of the risk management process,” said TAG Vice-Chair Georgi Popov, Ph.D. “That systematic course of action includes establishing context, identifying and analyzing risk, evaluating and treating risk, monitoring and reviewing risk, recording and reporting risk, and communicating risk.”
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This award is given to a “published paper advancing the science of Quaternary geology, geomorphology, or a related field.” This paper reports that marine sediments from the Gulf of Alaska show that increases in vertical mixing of the ocean there correspond with intense iceberg calving from the Pleistocene ice sheet covering much of western North America, and that these changes occurred before analogous North Atlantic ice-rafting events, once thought to be major northern hemisphere drivers of climate. Instead, this research shows that these Pacific climate system reorganizations may have greater global repercussions in climate reconstructions. Dr. Zellers’ role was to use the remains of microscopic, single-celled organisms called foraminifera, to evaluate the oceanographic conditions associated with past glaciation of the northwest Pacific.
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FEATURE STORY
Teamwork Makes the Dream Work School of Computer Science & Mathematics
School of Natural Science
During the summer, Vanessa Shultz and Jenna Kelly of UCM participated as Cerner Software Interns in Cerner's ShipIt code-a-thon.
Two of Dr. Dan Marschalek's graduate students, Michael Engel and Abigail Lyons, submitted abstracts and were accepted to give a presentation to the Entomological Society of America conference. (Denver, CO in November 2021)
Vanessa Shultz and Jenna Kelly's team project won 2nd place among other interns and 4th place in the overall code-a-thon. The code-a-thon consisted of building a technology-related project and presenting a demo within 24 hours. For the team's project, they built a chat bot that provided the meanings of different technology acronyms used at Cerner as well as specific FAQs that new interns experience. To do this, they constructed a knowledge base with technology acronyms and personality capabilities. Their witty bot implemented natural language processing capabilities by incorporating Java, Javascript, and Azure Cognitive Services.
Vanessa & Jenna
The premier event of the Society is its Annual Meeting. Each year, approximately 3,500 entomologists and other scientists gather to exchange scientific information. A program of symposia, conferences, submitted papers, and continuing education seminars provides attendees the opportunity to hear and present research results. The meeting also provides a chance to interact informally with peers and prospective employers.
Abigail & Michael
North Morrow Suite 100 Phone: 660-543-4450 Email: chst@ucmo.edu
Created by:
Alaseuimanu Faumuina