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2026 Student Participants

Alex Alonso

Hometown: Kansas City, Missouri
Majors: Chemistry, Biology, and Health Sciences
Faculty Mentor: Kelsey Gardiner
Mentor's Department: Health Sciences

Food Is Medicine in Practice: The 91�� FoodFARMacy and Relevance for Missouri Communities

Food insecurity and diet-related chronic disease remain significant challenges across Missouri, particularly in communities with limited access to consistent, nutritious food. Food Is Medicine (FIM) programs address this issue by integrating nutrition support into healthcare and community systems, recognizing food access as a key driver of health outcomes. Using a national framework developed through a CDC-supported project, this research examines how different Food Is Medicine models operate and how they can be implemented in real-world settings to support individuals at risk for chronic disease.

As a local case study, the 91�� FoodFARMacy program demonstrates how a community-based Food Is Medicine model can be applied in Missouri. The program provides nutrition education, coaching, and consistent access to healthy foods for adults experiencing food insecurity and chronic disease risk. Evaluation data show improvements in dietary behaviors, self-reported health, and sustained participant engagement, supporting the feasibility of community-integrated nutrition interventions. Together, these findings highlight the potential for Food Is Medicine approaches to strengthen nutrition support systems, improve health outcomes, and inform ongoing discussions around food access and health in Missouri communities.

Amgad Benkhadra

Hometown: Raymore, Missouri
Major: Biology
Faculty Mentor: Hillary McGraw
Mentor's Department: Biology

From Zebrafish to Missouri: Wnt Signaling and Hair Cell Regeneration in Sensory Health

Hearing loss is a significant public health issue that affects many Missourians and has direct consequences for quality of life, workforce participation, and healthcare costs. In Missouri, approximately 14.8% of adults report having at least one disability, a figure that continues to rise as the population ages and rural healthcare access remains limited (Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services [MDHSS], 2023). Nationally, about one in eight Americans aged 12 and older has hearing loss in both ears, and hearing difficulty increases substantially with age, affecting nearly 27% of adults aged 65 and older (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2021; National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders [NIDCD], 2021). These trends are especially relevant for Missouri’s older and rural populations, where hearing loss can contribute to social isolation, reduced employment opportunities, and increased reliance on healthcare services. Unlike humans, zebrafish possess the ability to fully regenerate sensory hair cells following injury, making them a powerful model for studying hearing and balance regeneration. This research investigates the molecular signaling pathways that regulate hair cell regeneration within zebrafish neuromasts, with particular attention to conserved pathways involved in tissue repair. Previous research demonstrates that understanding these regenerative mechanisms may provide insight into why similar repair processes fail in the human inner ear (Warchol, 2011; Wan et al., 2013). Advancing this knowledge could inform future regenerative therapies aimed at reducing the long-term medical and economic burdens of hearing loss. Supporting undergraduate research of this kind strengthens Missouri’s biomedical workforce, promotes innovation within public universities, and contributes to solutions for health challenges that directly affect Missouri communities.

Grace Brandner

Hometown: Blue Springs, Missouri
Majors: Biology and Chemistry
Faculty Mentors: Xiaolan Yao and Hillary McGraw
Mentor's Department: Biology

Role of CERT1 in Hair Cell Development

Over 15% of Missourians have some degree of hearing loss. Hearing requires delicate sensory hair cells in the ear. Damage to hair cells is extremely common as many of us are regularly subjected to loud noises, aging, and infections. In humans, once hair cells are damaged, they can never grow back. However, zebrafish animal models can regenerate hair cells within days of injury. Hair cells and cilia (small hairlike structures on the cell that give them their name) convert vibrations into signals the brain can process as sound. Using zebrafish animal models, we used gene editing technology to target ceremide transfer protein (CERT1) and observe the consequences of mutation on hair cells. Fish with the CERT1 mutation exhibit developmental abnormalities including decreased brain development, abnormal eye shape, and extreme spinal curvature. Our research shows CERT1 mutations in zebrafish also contribute to dysfunction and loss of cilia. This effect of CERT1 on cilia formation is a previously understudied role of the mutation. Using zebrafish as animal models, we aim to better understand the impact of CERT1 mutations on human health.

Liv Courtney

Hometown: Washington, Missouri
Majors: Environmental Science
Faculty Mentor: Alison Graettinger
Mentor's Department: Earth & Environmental Science

Analysis of Urban Heat Island at 91�� Bus Stops to Understand Impacts on Vulnerable Populations

For my research, I am analyzing the Urban Heat Island effect at public transportation stops around 91�� to understand how rising temperatures and extreme heat might be impacting vulnerable populations in our local community. I am using surface temperature data collected by myself, historic air temperature data documented by weather stations, and temperature data collected by the KC E3 program led by Dr. Alison Graettinger to investigate this phenomenon. Additionally, I am also surveying local bus stops and assessing if they have structures to provide shade, ensure safety, and protect against the natural elements. The goal of my research is to determine if our city could be doing more to mitigate against extreme heat and weather brought by climate change and if certain areas need more help than others in order to ensure our local community stays safe.

Sienna Ficken

Hometown: Independence, Missouri
Majors: Biology
Faculty Mentor: Maria Spletter
Mentor's Department: Biology

The Role of Bru1, an RNA Binding Protein, in Drosophila Indirect Flight Muscles as a Model to Understand Muscular Dystrophic Conditions

Striated muscle development is regulated by a variety of distinct cellular processes, such as protein modification and RNA regulation. The basic contractile unit of the muscle fiber is the sarcomere, and regulation of splicing of sarcomere genes determine the contractile ability of a muscle. CELF family proteins are regulation factors that correctly guide the splicing of sarcomere genes during development, impacting muscle function and growth. CELF proteins are conserved, and homologous proteins have similar functions in muscle development from flies to humans. CELF protein activity is misregulated in patients with the neuromuscular disorder Myotonic Dystrophy Type I (DM1), although we still do not fully understand how CELF1/2 misregulation leads to myotonic dystrophy phenotypes. In my research with Dr. Maria Spletter, we use Drosophila melanogaster as a model organism, allowing us to follow the development of indirect flight muscle (IFM) and protein activity. Drosophila muscle structure has been conserved, presenting the same sarcomere length, contractile mechanism, and even the same proteins to build up muscles as found in mammals. We previously found that a CELF homolog Bruno1 (Bru1, also called Arrest, Aret) is a crucial RNA binding protein in IFM that instructs alternative splicing and myofiber function. Bruno1 and homologous proteins also undergo alternative splicing that produces at least 11 mRNA transcripts that encode 6 distinct proteins, but isoform-specific functions are not known. Our lab has created a set of isoform specific transgenes to research this question. We will determine if the localization of Bru1-eGFP reacts differently at 48 h or 1 d adult to the overexpression of isoforms A, B, or D.

Olivia Fritz

Hometown: Overland Park, Kansas
Major: Biology: Biotechnology

Faculty Mentors: Xiaolan Yao and Hillary McGraw
Mentor's Department: Biology

Role of CERT1 in Hair Cell Development

Jacqueline Gildo

Hometown: Kansas City, Kansas
Major: Business Administration: Nonprofit Management
Faculty Mentor: Angela Cottrell
Mentor's Department: Missouri Institute for Defense & Energy

Scaling Controlled Environment Agriculture: Growing Food and Growing Opportunity

The average vegetable travels over 1,500 miles before reaching the consumer, resulting in significant nutrient loss and contributing to a supply chain where nearly 40% of produce is wasted. Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) offers a potential solution by producing fresh, nutrient-dense food in urban settings while also serving as a model for experiential learning, community engagement, and workforce development. Using a small-scale Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) hydroponic system, the project has grown and donated 173.5 pounds of fresh lettuce to the Kangaroo Pantry at the Dr. Raj Bala Agrawal Care Center since the first harvest in April 2024. These outcomes illustrate how compact, efficient growing systems can meaningfully support community food access, enhance food security, and reliably produce high-quality produce with a minimal physical footprint.

Building on this work, the development of the first multi-institutional undergraduate certificate in Controlled Environment Agriculture, in partnership with the University of Missouri–Kansas City, the University of Missouri, and Kansas State University, seeks to create an educational pathway that equips students with practical skills, scientific knowledge, and professional experience to meet growing workforce demands in modern agriculture and sustainable food production. The goal of the project is to expand urban Controlled Environment Agriculture systems to increase year-round access to fresh, nutrient-dense produce and strengthen local food security. The initiative provides a scalable model that other communities can adopt while also preparing students to become leaders in sustainable agriculture and urban food systems.

Mohammad Jarrad

Hometown: Overland Park, Kansas
Major: Biology and Chemistry
Faculty Mentor: Hillary McGraw
Mentor's Department: Biology

From Zebrafish to Missouri: Wnt Signaling and Hair Cell Regeneration in Sensory Health

Erica Ludy

Hometown: Parkville, Missouri
Major: Biology
Faculty Mentor: Saul Honigberg
Mentor's Department: Biology

Understanding Budding Behavior in Yeast Cells Under Stressful Conditions

Every living organism depends on cellular regulation, which enables cell survival and division. In yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), we observe many functions similar to those of human cells, including cell-cell signaling, cell-cycle regulation, DNA repair, and genetic influences on gene expression. By studying yeast, our lab can directly observe how changes in environmental conditions influence cell growth and division in real time. This makes yeast an effective system for investigating how abnormal budding patterns arise. However, when a cell has a defective G1/S checkpoint, it can lead to rapid growth, producing smaller, non-viable satellite daughter cells. Using time-lapse microscopy, my research examines precisely when during the cell cycle they begin to grow/mutate, providing crucial evidence and deeper insight into how and why these cells undergo mutations. Satellite-like budding patterns are also observed in pathogenic fungi such as Paracoccidioides, the causative agent of paracoccidioidomycosis, which primarily affects rural agriculture workers. The similarity between satellite cells observed in model yeast and the multiple budding structures seen in Paracoccidioides suggests that related cellular mechanisms may influence fungal growth in host environments. One proposed hypothesis is that nutrient availability, including glucose levels in lung tissue, may contribute to conditions that favor this growth pattern. In this study, time-lapse microscopy is used to observe yeast cells during division to determine when satellite cells form and under what conditions they arise. By identifying the timing and environmental context of abnormal budding in a model organism, this work aims to explain how similar morphological patterns may develop in pathogenic fungi.

Savy Nistala

Hometown: Columbia, Missouri
Major: Six-Year Medicine
Faculty Mentor: Saman Zeeshan
Mentor's Department: Biomedical & Health Informatics

Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality in Missouri, with more than 3,400 Missourians dying from the disease in a single year and rates well above the national average. Missouri ranks among the worst states for new lung cancer cases, with about 68 cases per 100,000 people, and survival after diagnosis is lower than the U.S. average. Smoking remains the main driver: about 17% of Missouri adults smoke, compared with 14% nationally, contributing over 3 billion dollars each year in smoking-related healthcare costs. Rates of lung cancer and smoking are especially high in rural regions, including parts of southeastern Missouri. My project uses large national datasets of tumor samples and machine‑learning tools to study how smoking changes the molecular “fingerprints” of non–small cell lung cancers. By comparing tumors from smokers and nonsmokers, and across major lung cancer subtypes, we aim to identify patterns that predict who benefits most from screening and targeted treatments. These insights can guide smarter use of low‑dose CT screening, biomarker testing, and prevention programs in Missouri, helping lawmakers invest in evidence-based policies, such as tobacco control, screening access, and biomarker coverage, that save lives and reduce costs for our state.

Kaitlyn Schebaum

Hometown: Sullivan, Missouri
Major: Criminal Justice & Criminology
Faculty Mentor: Seth Fallik
Mentor's Department: Criminal Justice & Criminology

SAVE KC: A Process Evaluation of a Gun Violence Focused Deterrence Initiative

Gun violence has caused concerns for local and state governments across the county, driving many cities to implement focused deterrence programs to address violence. In 2024, SAVE KC was implemented in Kansas City, Missouri to address this problem. In this study, grant funds were utilized to explore the unique context of Kansas City, how SAVE KC was established, and to identify contextual issues that may have implementation implications in other cities. In doing so, these analyses take a mixed methods approach to implementation science, whereby this action research study observed Kansas City to have specific needs within what is known about focused deterrence programs. Substantively, other communities may find many of Kansas City’s specific strategies useful in developing their own focused deterrence initiatives.

Alexandria Woerth

Hometown: Liberty, Missouri
Major: History and English
Faculty Mentor: Virginia Blanton
Mentor's Department: English

Cantorales in the Americas and Beyond

The aim of the Cantorales in the Americas and Beyond research project is to catalog manuscripts of plainchant outside of Europe that were produced in the Iberian Peninsula and across the Spanish diaspora between 1300 and 1800, with a principal focus on the Americas. Missouri is home to five known cantorales and 13 fragments. Our team uses these manuscripts to learn valuable skills in identifying and gathering information on cantorales. Those skills are applied all across the United States as we travel to other institutions to identify and record information on their manuscripts. Our work is to share metadata about sources with researchers worldwide, putting Missouri cantorales in conversation with similar manuscripts throughout the Americas. There are 137 documented cantorales in the United States, which are soon to be available on with more still to be discovered as we continue our research. My poster highlights the digital aspect of our project, which makes information about each manuscript available internationally, and the local aspect, which benefits Missouri researchers and students with training in archival studies. If you have seen a manuscript like this and would like to share information, please email us at cantoralesintheamericas@gmail.com.

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