¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ

Dear university community,

More than a year into the coronavirus pandemic, our university is holding strong. Our mission to advance education, research and engagement remain on course and we’ve seen exciting developments.

NextGen continues forward with the high-quality and impactful research happening across the UM System. Last week, we announced a collaboration agreement with Thermo Fisher Scientific, a global leader in scientific instrumentation, which provides new electron microscopy equipment that will between researchers, clinicians and industry leaders. The equipment will be located in the new NextGen building, as well as at Missouri S&T and UMSL. These new resources will be invaluable to our statewide initiative to improve health outcomes for people across Missouri and beyond through . Stay up-to-date with our precision health efforts by watching the or catch the .

"We announced a collaboration agreement with Thermo Fisher Scientific, a global leader in scientific instrumentation, which provides new electron microscopy equipment."

Research is a vital part of the university’s mission. Nearly 50 undergraduate researchers across the UM System will be showcasing their projects virtually during Undergraduate Research Day at the Capitol the week of April 12.  Undergraduate research is a formative experience for many students. For example, undergraduates Grace Holton and David Meyerhoff work with Dr. Jeffrey Whyte to , including SARS-CoV-2, at the MU Laboratory for Infectious Disease Research (LIDR). Our researchers make a major impact in many ways. At Missouri S&T, Dr. Hu Yang has filed a patent for a . Projects like these demonstrate the value our research brings to society.

We’re advancing our missions of education and engagement, too.

• Medical students at and celebrated Match Day 2021, the culmination of their hard work and an exciting step into their residency training.
• UMKC recently rolled out its , pledging to invest more than $50 million in five strategic areas with major benefits anticipated to cultivate workforce readiness.
• The who completed the Express Scripts Saturday Academy, which has prepared high school students for college success since 1986.
• from the Missouri Foundation for Health to enhance leadership development in Missouri, including statewide expansion of MU Extension’s Neighborhood Leadership Academy (NLA). This 10-week training program is designed to equip participants to be effective leaders in their communities.

"Medical students at MU and UMKC celebrated Match Day 2021, the culmination of their hard work and an exciting step into their residency training."

As part of Women’s History Month, our university celebrates and thanks the many outstanding women who have forwarded our mission and made the ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ such a proud institution. The UMKC , including assisting more than 2,200 women with more than $2 million in graduate fellowships. Missouri S&T student for her work as a student leader in engineering. MU researcher , with more than 30 years of experience developing targeted therapies for diseases like cancer and sickle cell disease. across their campus who have made an impact. We appreciate the opportunity to recognize the important contributions of talented women throughout our history and in support of our mission today.

"MU researcher Carolyn Anderson will be a major driving force for NextGen Precision Health"

To close, please enjoy this performance of Troy Robertson’s . I look forward to the day when we can meet together in large groups again. If you have an inspiring story about our university community, please send it to president@umsystem.edu.