3/12/2025

MU Info is currently undergoing a makeover that will improve and enhance the customer and the audience experiences! Changes will include: three different article types, article categories, improved user experience, the ability to choose non-consecutive publication dates, an archive of past publications on the website and access to analytics. To learn more, visit the MU Info page.

The Department of Medicine-Endocrinology and Metabolism is recruiting hypertensive (systolic blood pressure greater than or equal to 130 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure greater than or equal to 80 mmHg) or obese (BMI greater than or equal to 30) men and women between the ages of 18-35 for a research study exploring arterial stiffness markers in individuals with obesity or hypertension. This study involves a one-hour visiting time for a single clinic visit in the University Hospital’s Clinical & Translational Science Unit. The study visit will include a blood draw and monitoring via sensors. Participants will be compensated $50 gift card for their time and effort. To participate, please email: Jiag@health.missouri.edu.

The MU School of Medicine Premedical Rural Education Program (PREP) is a post-baccalaureate program for Missouri rural background, college graduates interested in applying to medical school. Applicants accepted to PREP will complete online modules, participate in required workshops and activities and complete a graduate certificate program during the two-year program to prepare and enhance their application to medical school. PREP participants will receive an annual $12,000 stiped to assist with costs. For general and academic eligibility requirements, please visit the PREP website. For additional questions, please contact RuralScholars@health.missouri.edu. Applications are due by Tuesday, April 1.

We are conducting a research study evaluating a virtual self-management intervention. Eligible participants are 45-80 years old and had a stroke in the last 6 months, live in the community and can read/write/speak English. This study will last for 8 months. There will be 6, 90-minute weekly sessions. You will be at your home for sessions by videoconferencing. We will administer assessments before and after the intervention and 6-months after. Assessments will take 2 hours, and you will be paid $75 for each. The assessments will consist of questionnaires, interviews and thinking tests. This study is completed virtually, so no campus visit is required. Contact Meghan Doherty at muotopenlab@missouri.edu or 573-882-1777.

Do you have the flu or COVID-19 that is confirmed as positive by at-home test or at a clinic within the last 5 days, English speaking and 18 years or older? We are examining how flu or COVID-19 influences our body’s immune responses against the virus and how the virus spreads. Participants can follow this link: https://redcap.link/ilied_vaxstudy to learn more about the study. We will ask you to provide blood sample and nasal swab within 5 days of illness, and then a blood sample about 7 days, 1-, 3- and 6- months afterwards at the University Hospital. Participants receive $20 e-gift card per visit for up to $100 total compensation. For information contact WanLabStudies@missouri.edu. PI: Dr. Xiu-Feng (Henry) Wan.

Summer 2025: If you’ll be in Columbia June 2-27 & love working with kids, spend 4 wks with our kids apply here. Must be avail. Mon-Fri. Shifts: 6:40-8:05 a.m., 2:25-5:45 p.m. & 3-5:45p.m. $15.00/hour. Fall 2025: Don’t wait until August to apply for the Fall 2025 semester. We are interviewing & hiring now before students leave for the summer. Adventure Club is a before & after school program located in elementary schools in Columbia. Available shifts: 6:40-8:05 a.m., 2:25-5:45 p.m. & 3-5:45 p.m. Mon-Fri & can work 2-10 shifts/wk. Your schedule stays consistent for the semester. Pay is $15.00. Semester starts August 19, 2025. Apply here. If hired, you will need physical forms of ID in Columbia.

Tuesday, April 1, 2025, 5 p.m., via Zoom. Thinking about international service after graduation? Join this panel featuring seasoned Peace Corps volunteers to hear about their experiences and get an inside look at what serving in the Peace Corps is really like. Learn how service-minded graduates make an impact around the world each year and how you can too. Register now on Engage.

Are you a graduating senior planning a bridge (gap) year or seeking a great opportunity? Join the Missouri College Advising Corps (MCAC)! MCAC recruits, trains and places recent college graduates of any academic discipline as full-time, near-peer college advisers in partner high schools in the Kansas City, St. Louis and Southern Missouri regions. MCAC college advisers help students and their families identify their "best fit" postsecondary option and navigate college admissions, financial aid and planning processes. Join our 2025-2026 cohort and help high school students across the state pursue their dreams. Learn more about our program and application process at http://mcac.missouri.edu/apply-now/.

Are you 18-45 years old, not taking a medication for cholesterol/triglycerides and exercising < 90 minutes per week? If so, you might be eligible to participate in a study examining the way lipids (fats) are processed in the body. This study involves a screening visit (~4 hours), body imaging visit (~3 hours), overnight metabolic testing visit with feeding through nasogastric tube (~36 hours) and two brief (30 minutes) blood draw visits. Study measures include body composition imaging and blood tests. For more information contact Heather McHatton with Dr. Mittendorfer’s lab at heathermchatton@umsystem.edu. Participants will be compensated up to $1,060 for completing all study time points.

MSA and VoteMizzou are hosting a Mayoral Forum featuring candidates for the City of Columbia. The forum will provide an opportunity for the Mizzou community to hear directly from the Buffaloe, Heath and Murphy campaigns about their visions for our city. March 12, 5-7 p.m. at the Bond Life Sciences Auditorium-save your seat so you don't miss this chance to engage with the candidates and make your voice heard in shaping Columbia's future! March 12 is also the last day to register to vote in the April 8 election.

Open to undergrads of all majors at Mizzou, the Kinder Institute’s Society of Fellows provides students with a chance to spend a full academic year immersing themselves in an intellectual community devoted to studying the complicated history of constitutional democracy in the U.S. and around the globe. The program kicks off with a conference at the Tiger Hotel the week before classes start in August and continues throughout the fall and spring with various events designed specifically for the Fellows. Application materials can be found here (deadline April 6), and the Kinder Institute will host an optional info session on Friday, March 7, at 1 p.m. in Jesse 410. Contact Dr. Thomas Kane, KaneTC@missouri.edu, with any questions.

Seeking young adults for a paid research study looking at brain and mental processes during learning of new visual cues for liquid rewards. Individuals age 21-25 who drank alcohol at least twice in the past month may be eligible. The study involves 3 lab visits to MU Campus (Marx Building) within 1 week and 5 short (<15 min) electronic (online) surveys across 12 months. During the lab visits, we will record your EEG (brain waves) while you view shapes on a computer screen and get small sips of water and alcohol. You will consume about 1 standard drink total at each lab visit. You can earn up to $350 total for completing the entire study. For more details, visit the study webpage at https://www.mulamplab.org/sipsandshapes3.

We’re seeking participants for a University of Missouri study on blood flow and oxygen in women experiencing menopause. Join us for one 60-min in-person screen visit and three 5-hour research visits at Gwynn Hall. Participants receive body composition and blood panel results, plus up to $250 for their time. To learn more and check if you qualify, contact limberglab@missouri.edu or visit www.mustudies.com to complete a short questionnaire.

The Department of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology seeks individuals, aged 20-55 years, who are overweight for a research study. Researchers are studying the effect of high fiber diet on satiety and the microbiome. Participants must be in generally good health, willing to consume the study meals and not have metal within or outside their body that is MRI incompatible. Monetary compensation is available. If you are interested in participating, please contact, Dr. Anguah (principal investigator) at 573-883-8966 or email at anguahk@missouri.edu.

Dr. Maria Mills, Assistant Professor in the Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, will be the speaker for the March 15, Saturday Morning Science located in room 171 of the Bond Life Sciences Center. Everyone knows DNA is the blueprint for life, but DNA is not just a carrier of information. It is a complex structure with unique properties that shape many biological processes. This talk will explore the ways physics has helped us understand how DNA works, from the experiments that first determined the double-helical nature of DNA to the physical properties of DNA itself. This free event is open to the public; open to all ages. Click here to learn more.

We are recruiting participants for a 12-month research study investigating alcohol use. Individuals between the ages of 21 and 29 who regularly drink alcohol (at least once a week) may be eligible. Participation is mostly remote and, over the 12-month period, involves two Zoom meetings with lab staff, five web-based questionnaires, four 2-week periods of completing brief surveys on your smartphone and one full-day alcohol administration session in the lab. You will be compensated up to $790 for your participation. Please contact Dr. Trull and project staff at MUASTrullLab@missouri.edu for more information.

Make sure your voice is counted. The deadline to register to vote is March 12. Learn more about registering and going to the polls in upcoming elections at vote.missouri.edu.

The Nutrition and Exercise Physiology Department is recruiting healthy women who are non-nicotine users between the ages of 18-55 for a research study. This project examines how blood flow in women changes during pre- and perimenopause. This study has one 30-min informational Zoom, one 60-min in-person screen visit and one 7-hour research visit. Participants will be compensated up to $250 for their time and effort. Please contact limberglab@missouri.edu or visit www.mustudies.com to complete a short questionnaire to find out if you qualify!

Don't rely on luck in relationships! Join us over Zoom to learn strategies and tips to strengthen your communication skills, discover qualities of a good partner and enrich your own personal well-being in this eight week class. Earn gift cards for class and survey completion! Participants must be single or not in a committed relationship, and living in Missouri. For more information or to set up your enrollment meeting, contact us at 573-882-4325 or email kara.duke@missouri.edu. Start dates: Mar. 12, Wednesdays 6:30-8:30 p.m.; Mar. 13, Thursdays 7-9 p.m.; Mar. 25, Tuesdays 8-10 p.m.; Mar. 27, Thursdays 12-2 p.m.

We are recruiting participants for a research study on cannabis and alcohol use. You may be eligible if you are 1) age 18 to 45, 2) are interested in quitting or cutting back on alcohol use (including if you are in treatment for alcohol) and 3) use cannabis regularly (3+ times per week). Participation involves a brief survey and a 10-minute pre-screening call to determine eligibility, a 1-hour meeting at our lab or on Zoom plus completing smartphone app surveys for three weeks. This study will not provide treatment. You will be compensated up to $170 for your participation. If you are interested in participation please complete this screener or for more information contact Dr. Wycoff and project staff at sudllab@missouri.edu.

We are seeking individuals 18 and over to participate in a research study with the purpose of validating a new balance test on a portable motor function assessment platform developed in our lab. Participation will include 1 data collection session, lasting less than 30 minutes. Participants will be asked to complete a questionnaire and perform a balance test twice, once on an industry-standard balance assessment platform, NeuroCom and a similar test on the Mizzou Point-of-care Assessment System (MPASS) developed by our lab. There is no compensation for participation in this study. Please contact Jamie Hall at halljami@umsystem.edu if you are interested in learning more!

Are you 18-45 years old and have a weight status classified as normal, overweight or mildly obese (BMI: 18-35 kg/m2)? If so, you might be eligible to participate in a study examining the effects of lean beef on cardiometabolic health outcomes and gut microbiome. This study involves a 1-hr screening visit, two 3-hr and one 1-hr research visits at Gwynn Hall/CRC. Main study measurements involve blood, stool and sensory tests. Study foods (cooked meat portions) provided. Total compensation for study is $200. For more information, contact Elaheh Rabbani in the Department of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology, University of Missouri at MuNepBeefStudy@missouri.edu.

The Boone County Early Childhood Coalition (BCECC) can help you find out with free screening to assess the general development and social-emotional health of your children ages 2 months to 5 years who live in Boone County. The screening takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. BCECC staff will discuss results with you and share resources to support your family. Use the link to register and complete an age-appropriate survey for your child today. https://screeninghub.bcecc.org/home/registerfamily.

World-famous concert pianist Edward Auer will present a recital of classical music on Wednesday, March 19, 2025 at 7 p.m. in Whitmore Recital Hall in the School of Music’s Fine Arts Building and a Master Class (public lesson with performances by MU School of Music students) in Whitmore Recital Hall. Both events will be free and open to the public. This event brought to you in part by Student Activity Fees.

We are inviting high school students to participate with a close friend in a study about texting and friendship. To be eligible, teens must own a smartphone and use it regularly to communicate with the participating friend. Participation involves two visits to our research lab at MU. Friends will complete surveys and do a short activity together and then text each other as they normally would for two weeks. At the second visit, we will securely download the text messages exchanged between the two friends during the study period. Both friends will receive $20 per lab visit ($40 total) and can enter to win a $100 gift card by completing an online survey six months later. If interested, contact Allie Spiekerman (aspiekerman@missouri.edu).

The purpose of the study is to look at how the air moves in the lungs after inhaling hyperpolarized xenon gas using MRI. The study requires one 2-4 hour visit and will include the xenon MRI and pulmonary function testing. Study-related procedures are provided free of charge. For information, contact: Radiology Coordinators at 573-884-5372, umhsradresearch@health.missouri.edu; or visit https://sites.google.com/umsystem.edu/thomenr. IRB #2011732 Principal Investigator: Talissa Altes, MD.