May 5, 2026
MUIDSI Student Receives Mizzou 18 Award
MU IDSI PhD student, Sonia Akter, is a Mizzou 18 recipient in 2026. According to the Mizzou Alumni Association, “In the spirit of service, first modeled by the University’s founding families in 1839, the Mizzou Alumni Association Student Board presents the Mizzou 18 Award. This award is dedicated to honoring 18 University of Missouri graduate and professional students in the last year of their degree eligibility.” Congratulations Sonia!…
May 5, 2026
MU IDSI Core Faculty Dr. Ai-Ling Lin received $3.4 NIH grant studying Gut and Brain Health
One researcher from the University of Missouri School of Medicine has received a $3.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to continue her work studying how the gut may influence Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), the most common form of dementia. Recent studies suggest that the degeneration leading to AD may be related to imbalances in gut health. “The gut microbiome is home to trillions of bacteria that help regulate many aspects of our health,” grant recipient Ai-Ling Lin said. “That variety of bacteria supports healthy gut function. When that balance is disrupted, it may send signals that affect the…
May 5, 2026
MUIDSI Faculty and Student win Outstanding Graduate Mentor and Distinguished Dissertation Award at the Graduate and Postdoctoral Awards Reception
MU IDSI celebrates two major honors at the Graduate and Postdoctoral Awards Reception hosted by Mizzou Graduate School. Dr. William Baskett, who graduated last May, received the MU Distinguished Dissertation Award in the area of Mathematics, Physical Sciences, and Engineering—an outstanding recognition of his scholarly contributions. Dr. Chi-Ren Shyu, PhD, FACMI, FAMIA, Director of MU IDSI and Associate Dean for Graduate Education and Strategic Initiatives of College of Engineering, was named the campus-wide Outstanding Graduate Mentor Award recipient—the sole awardee across the University of Missouri – Columbia campus. Congratulations to both awardees for these remarkable achievements! (4/30/2026)…
Sep. 17, 2025
$4 Million Grant to Fund Telehealth Research Center
Researchers from the University of Missouri School of Medicine, including MUIDSI Core Faculty member Dr. Mirna Becevic recently received nearly $4 million from the Health Resources and Service Administration to establish a center dedicated to improving rural telehealth care. More than 20% of the United States population – including 30% of Missourians – live in rural areas and face significant challenges to accessing health care. These communities typically have higher mortality rates and limited specialty care, and many of their closest hospitals are at risk of closure. While the growth of telehealth services has helped, lead researcher…
Sep. 5, 2025
Entrepreneur Quest gives MUIDSI students the ultimate “learn-by-doing” experience.
Two MUIDSI students, Paul Schuler (MS DSA program) and Jeffrey Appiagyei (Informatics PhD program) were recently awarded funding for their business ventures by Entrepreneur Quest (EQ).
Aug. 11, 2025
Tracking invasive pear trees with the help of AI
Mizzou’s Justin Krohn is tracking the location of invasive pear trees in Columbia. Invasive plants are meeting their match. Driven by the desire to protect Missouri’s ecosystems, a University of Missouri research team created a low-cost method to track the spread of invasive Callery pear trees in mid-Missouri — shedding light on where they are now and where they might be headed. These trees, known for their rapid growth, ecological harm and unpleasant odor, have overtaken large swaths of the Midwest and Eastern United States, crowding out native species and breaking easily during storms. In response, Missouri’s legislature recently joined…
March 4, 2025
MUIDSI GSO Hosts 2025 Generative AI for Social Good Hackathon
Congratulations to the MUIDSI Graduate Student Organization for hosting the 2025 Generative AI for Social Good Hackathon from February 24-28. A total of 17 teams, with 47 participants from diverse academic backgrounds, showcased their innovative AI-driven solutions, addressing real-world challenges through the power of Generative AI. This year’s competition fostered interdisciplinary collaboration, with students representing nine different departments, including Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial & Systems Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, The Department of Biomedical Informatics, Biostatistics and Medical Epidemiology (BBME), Life Sciences, Statistics, and the Institute for Data Science and Informatics. Participants presented groundbreaking projects, competing in a highly engaging and…
Feb. 7, 2025
AMIA LEAD Fund Scholarship Awardees Announced
Congratulations to MUIDSI PhD student and MUIDSI Graduate Student Organization president Sonia Akter for being one of six 2025 AMIA LEAD Fund Scholarship recipients. The scholarship covers a portion of meeting registration for these selected presenters, many of whom are participating with AMIA for the first time. Be sure to check out their presentations at the AMIA 2025 Informatics Summit.
Dec. 4, 2024
Mizzou establishes IBM Quantum Innovation Center
Quantum information and computing open new horizons for innovation in data science and informatics. Over the past few years, MU IDSI’s Director, Chi-Ren Shyu, has collaborated with IBM to establish the Quantum Innovation Center (QIC) at Mizzou. We extend our gratitude to the MU leadership team for bringing this transformative vision to life. The QIC will provide the interdisciplinary research community with cutting-edge capabilities to advance science in fields such as healthcare, geospatial analytics, plant genomics, cybersecurity, material engineering, and beyond. Access to state-of-the-art quantum computing resources is critical for conducting serious quantum research and demonstrating quantum advantages. Most importantly,…