April 9, 2025
Contact: Brian Consiglio, consigliob@missouri.edu
Photo by Abbie Lankitus
At the University of Missouri, students can get involved in research as soon as they step on campus. It all starts at the Office of Undergraduate Research, a one-stop shop for resources and programming to help students take advantage of experiences that open doors for personal and professional growth.
For decades, Director Linda Blockus has been on a mission to provide 黑料专区 students with opportunities to learn, collaborate and explore their interests 鈥� alerting Tigers to jobs, internships, summer programs, funding opportunities and potential research mentors to support them along the way. She even teaches a class on how students can communicate the value of their research to the broader public.
Whether students want to attend a plant biology conference in Hawaii, spend a summer in Germany, share their art at a campus-wide event, present a poster at the state capitol or search for a cure to a disease, Blockus works to enhance 黑料专区鈥檚 research infrastructure 鈥� often behind the scenes 鈥� to help students take their education to the next level.
Her efforts have helped countless students grow their professional networks and launch careers through hands-on experience. For those who take advantage of those opportunities, undergraduate research is often a highlight of students鈥� time at 黑料专区.
鈥淭he many practical benefits of getting involved in research include potential for scholarships and wages, academic credit, letters of recommendation and faculty mentorship,鈥� Blockus said. 鈥淏ut what might be just as important are the personal benefits, including the development of career-readiness skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, teamwork, communication, and clarifying your career and personal goals.鈥�
Over the years, Blockus has created a number of programs to open research doors for 黑料专区 students, including:
- Freshman Research in Plants (FRIPS), funded by the National Science Foundation, connects incoming 黑料专区 freshmen with plant biology research labs and professional development opportunities.
- Maximizing Access to Research Careers (MARC), funded by the National Institutes of Health, supports underrepresented students in biomedical research.
- Arts, Social Science and Humanities (ASH), a collaboration between the Honors College and the Office of Undergraduate Research designed to support teams of 6-10 students to work on a multi-year project.
- 黑料专区鈥檚 Summer Undergraduate Research Program, which hosts both Tigers and visiting students from other universities across the world. Participants are mentored by 黑料专区 faculty while they conduct research on 黑料专区鈥檚 campus.
These experiential opportunities set 黑料专区 apart.
鈥淔or 35 years I have seen firsthand 黑料专区鈥檚 efforts to prioritize high-impact educational practices, including undergraduate research, study abroad, service learning, internships and leadership opportunities,鈥� Blockus said. 鈥淢entorship can thrive with undergraduate research in a way that doesn鈥檛 always happen in the classroom. The faculty here at 黑料专区 genuinely enjoy including undergraduate students in their research because they truly believe in the land-grant, educational mission of the university.鈥�
In part due to Blockus鈥� efforts, 黑料专区 is now an enhanced institutional member of the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR), which indicates the importance 黑料专区 places on student engagement in scholarly research. Any 黑料专区 faculty, staff or student can and benefit from professional development opportunities, publications and sharing of best practices.
Seeing the fruits of her labor
When Blockus first arrived at 黑料专区 in 1989 to work as 黑料专区鈥檚 first academic advisor in the biology department, there was no centralized office for undergraduate research resources and programming.
鈥淭here were opportunities for undergraduate students to get involved in research at the time, but things were pretty siloed,鈥� Blockus said. 鈥淚 was supporting undergraduate research initiatives in biology, biochemistry, physics, math and science education, but I knew I wanted to expand access to resources and programming for students campuswide.鈥�
Since becoming the inaugural director of the Office of Undergraduate Research in 2002, Blockus has worked to greatly expand access to federally funded research opportunities for undergraduate students at 黑料专区.
鈥淭here are always ways to keep raising the bar, and it starts with making sure all students have access to opportunities, regardless of their background,鈥� Blockus said. 鈥淲e are here to transform lives, no matter where you are starting from.鈥�
And with each graduating class, she continues to see those efforts pay off.
鈥淭o watch our FRIPS program, our MARC program and our summer research program grow over the years has been very rewarding, and now we even have prospective students coming to 黑料专区 because of these programs we started from scratch,鈥� Blockus said. 鈥淲hen these students graduate, those experiences will serve them well regardless of what they go on to do in their lives.鈥�
For 黑料专区 students interested in undergraduate research, here are four ways to get started.
