Sept. 8, 2026
Photo by Logan Jackson
Fourteen Honors College students at the University of Missouri pursued their academic interests this summer through the nine-week Cherng Summer Scholars program. Students design their own research projects with the support and mentorship of a Mizzou faculty mentor.
The program is supported by a gift from Peggy and Andrew Cherng. Recipients receive a $7,000 award and access to a $1,000 expense account. Their projects cover a wide range of topics and allow students to pursue work that is truly meaningful to them.
Students in the program shared their work during the Summer Research Forum, hosted by the Mizzou Office of Undergraduate Research. The event gave each Cherng Summer Scholar the opportunity to present their discoveries with faculty, staff and peers.
Learn more about this year’s Cherng Summer Scholars:
Theo Agniel, sophomore majoring in constitutional democracy and journalism, College of Arts and Science and Missouri School of Journalism
- Research mentor: Nick Mathews, assistant professor in the Missouri School of Journalism
Nearly a year ago, the Missourian Publishing Association, which operates the Columbia Missourian, purchased the Boone County Journal, a weekly newspaper that serves Ashland, Hartsburg and southern Boone County. For his project, Theo Agniel spent the summer conducting an audience analysis to better understand how the community felt about the change in ownership and identify ways to strengthen relationships with readers.
Read Agniel’s story: Strengthening community coverage
Josiah Anderson, junior English major, College of Arts and Science
- Research mentor: Phong Nguyen, professor of English and the Miller Family endowed Chair of Writing
Josiah Anderson has spent the past two years at Mizzou working to improve his writing skills. Last summer, he was able to explore the short story genre through the Cherng Summer Scholars program. This summer, he returned for a second year in the program and worked on a fantasy novel, with a specific focus on the editing process.
Read Anderson’s story: A second story of storytelling
Henry Birkmeier, sophomore majoring in constitutional democracy and political science, College of Arts and Science
- Research mentor: Scott LaCombe, professor in the Truman School of Government and Public Affairs and the Kinder Institute on Constitutional Democracy, College of Arts and Science
Henry Birkmeier was introduced to the impact of research last year through the ASH Scholars program and built on that work this summer. His project focused on artificial intelligence (AI) policy diffusion, examining how federal AI policies influence state policymaking and how AI policy ideas spread from one state to another.
Read Birkmeier’s story: Tracing the path of AI policy
Jennifer Boyd, junior majoring in biological sciences, College of Arts and Science
- Research mentor: Pamela Brown, associate professor of biological sciences and the associate director of undergraduate research and experiential learning, affiliated faculty in the Honors College
Jennifer Boyd spent the summer researching the characterization and regulation of three specific proteins within a bacterium that can infect and genetically transform susceptible plants. She began working in Brown’s lab last summer through Mizzou’s Summer Research Exposure Program.
Read Boyd’s story: Making connections in the lab
Anna Boyle, senior majoring in journalism, Missouri School of Journalism
- Research mentor: Matthew Frierdich, assistant teaching professor in the Honors College and the Kinder Institute on Constitutional Democracy
This summer, Anna Boyle built on her internship experience with the Missouri House of Representatives through a research project exploring how religion influences political decisions. Her project examined how individuals translate their religious convictions into action and how those beliefs shape decision-making in government.
Read Boyle’s story: From the newsroom to the statehouse
Cole Brodeur, junior majoring in biochemistry, College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR)
- Research mentor: Clarissa Durie, assistant professor of biochemistry
Cole Brodeur continued work this summer in Durie’s lab, which he joined during his first year at Mizzou. The lab focuses on bacterial secretion systems, which are large protein structures that transport molecules into or out of bacterial cells, enabling bacteria to interact with their environment and carry out important functions.
Read Brodeur’s story: From first-year curiosity to Cherng Summer Scholar
Madeline Claravall, junior majoring in biological sciences, College of Arts and Science
- Research mentor: Zhe Sun, assistant professor in the Dalton Cardiovascular Research Center
Madeline Claravall, who is on the pre-med track, joined a research laboratory early in her time at Mizzou. This summer, her work at the Dalton Cardiovascular Research Center focused on prolonged vasoconstriction, one of the most serious complications that can follow a hemorrhagic stroke.
Read Claravall’s story: From checkbox to discovery
Noah Davis, sophomore majoring in plant sciences, CAFNR
- Research mentor: Jaime Barros-Rios, assistant professor in plant molecular biology
Noah Davis began his research with Barros-Rios the summer before his freshman year at Mizzou. This summer, he continued his work on the dry-grind bioethanol process, a common method for producing fuel ethanol.
Read Davis’ story: Research takes root
Jacob Hicks, junior majoring in plant sciences, CAFNR
- Research mentor: Craig Schenck, assistant professor of biochemistry
Jacob Hicks’ research centered on plants in the nightshade family, which includes more than 2,500 species such as tomatoes, potatoes and peppers. Hicks joined Schenck’s lab years earlier through the FRIPS (Freshman Research in Plants) Program.
Read Hicks’ story: Digging into the defenses of plants
Adam Muellersman, senior majoring in environmental sciences, CAFNR
- Research mentor: Sam Lord, assistant research professor and soil ecologist
Adam Muellersman studied microbial communities in soil samples from Tucker Prairie and Sanborn Field. Tucker Prairie is a 146-acre tract that has never been plowed, while Sanborn Field is the oldest continuous experimental field west of the Mississippi River. By comparing the two, he is examining how agricultural inputs influence soil microbial communities.
Read Muellersman’s story: From soil to sequencing
Abby Plenge, senior majoring in constitutional democracy and history, College of Arts and Science
- Research mentor: Kristin Schwaim, professor in the School of Visual Arts; art history coordinator; affiliate faculty in the Honors College
As a senior majoring in constitutional democracy and history, Abby Plenge has spent many hours on the fourth floor of Jesse Hall, home to the Kinder Institute on Constitutional Democracy. There, she became intrigued by a decades-old mural painted by James O. Hatfield. This summer, she researched the mural’s history and explored how the fourth floor of Jesse Hall has evolved over the years.
Read Plenge’s story: Finding history in the fishbowl
Archer Stone, junior majoring in biological sciences, College of Arts and Science
- Research mentor: Caroline Grunenwald, assistant professor of biological sciences
Archer Stone continued work in Grunenwald’s lab, where he has been studying Staphylococcus aureus,a bacterium commonly known as staph. He has a personal interest in staph because his sister once had a serious staph infection, an experience that piqued his interest in biology. His work this summer focused on a protein affected by the mutation of a particular strain of staph.
Read Stone’s story: Small protein, big questions
Ajay Tosh, junior majoring in biological sciences and neuroscience, College of Arts and Science
- Research mentor: David Beversdorf, professor of radiology, neurology and psychological sciences; a practicing neurologist with MU Health Care; affiliate faculty in the Honors College
Ajay Tosh researched docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an omega-3 fatty acid vital for brain health, eye function and reducing inflammation. His project examines how DHA supplementation affects brain volume in autism spectrum disorder models and whether the fatty acid could have positive effects on the condition. He’s been conducting research with Beversdorf for two years.
Read Tosh’s story: Taking research to the next level
Alex Tyrrell, junior majoring in English and middle school education, College of Arts and Science and College of Education and Human Development
- Research mentor: Donald Quist, assistant professor of English
Alex Tyrrell spent the summer researching and writing about Crooked Creek, which runs through Weldon Spring, Missouri, near where she grew up. Her project connects the area’s history with her own experiences at the creek as a teenager.
Read Tyrrell’s story: Turning a personal connection into creative scholarship
Read more from the Honors College
