Dec. 10, 2025
Contact: Janese Heavin, heavinj@missouri.edu
Photo by Genevieve Howard
From her earliest experiments to her latest award-winning research on plant immunity, University of Missouri senior Carissa Bersche has consistently chased the questions that push science forward. Now, she’s been recognized at the national level for that pursuit.
Bersche recently received first place for her plant science research in the bioscience division at the 2025 Goldwater Summit, Gulf Coast Undergraduate Research Symposium at Rice University in Houston. The event allowed Bersche — a biochemistry major in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) who received a prestigious Goldwater Scholarship last year — to present alongside fellow Goldwater Scholars in front of top scientists.
“It was exciting to be recognized because I spend a lot of time balancing research, school and other responsibilities,” Bersche, who is also pursuing an Honors Certificate from Mizzou's Honors College, said. “It reinforces my goals and makes me want to work harder.”
Her drive for discovery took root early. For a kindergarten science fair, Bersche tested a hypothesis that plants grow taller in light than in dark.
“I found out that’s actually not true,” she said. “The plant will grow taller seeking light when it’s absent. My hypothesis was rejected, but it was such a cool experiment, I wanted to learn more.”
That simple discovery sparked a curiosity that continued throughout childhood.
By age 11, she was attending academic lectures; her first was a talk on precision medicine and molecular biology at Washington University in St. Louis.
“That’s when I knew I would become a scientist,” she said.
Throughout middle and high school, Bersche sought out more opportunities to explore science, joining and eventually leading the Junior Academy of Science in St. Louis.
When it came time to select a university, Bersche discovered Mizzou’s Freshman Research in Plants (FRIPS) program, which pairs first-year students with faculty mentors. She applied before she ever stepped foot on campus and was quickly matched with Antje Heese, associate professor of biochemistry.
Today, under Heese’s mentorship, Bersche studies how immune proteins move within plants to help defend against pests. Understanding these molecular movements could inform future efforts to develop crops that naturally resist disease, resulting in higher yields. Her work has garnered other awards, including a recent first-place honor at CAFNR’s undergraduate poster competition.
Outside of the lab, Bersche is deeply involved in supporting other Tigers. As an undergraduate research ambassador at Mizzou, she gives talks to different classes and provides one-on-one mentorship to other students. She tutors at the Mizzou Writing Center, where she focuses on helping Tigers write scientific proposals and personal statements for graduate school — work that has sharpened her own writing as she applies for fellowships and grant funding.
Her pursuit of science has taken her beyond Mizzou, as well. She spent one summer researching plants at Duke University and another as an undergraduate researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. This summer, she’ll explore the corporate side of research at Eurofins BioPharma Product Testing before determining whether to immediately enter a doctoral program or pursue a master’s degree at Cambridge University in England first.
Through it all, Bersche credits the support she’s received from Heese.
“Dr. Heese motivated and encouraged me to apply for awards and conferences,” she said. “I’m very inspired by her enthusiasm. She cares for her students and the science, and she’s supportive of everything I do.”
Her advice to other aspiring scientists? Dive in.
“Getting involved has been the highlight of my college career,” she said. “It’s given me opportunities I couldn’t have imagined. I never thought I’d be traveling for conferences or spending summers conducting research at different colleges. It’s definitely worth it, and Mizzou makes it easy.”
