UMKC School of Science and Engineering

UMKC business student researcher Jackie Gildo and her mentor Angela Cottrell are helping make fresh produce more accessible with a new undergraduate certificate in controlled-environment agriculture!

What began as a single hydroponic growing system in Flarsheim Hall has already produced and donated more than 180 pounds of lettuce to the Kangaroo Pantry in the Dr. Raj Bala Agrawal Care Center.

The certificate provides students with hands-on experience in sustainable agriculture, food systems and workforce development. It is supported by a $730,000+ USDA-NIFA-funded, multi-university initiative between UMKC, Mizzou, Kansas State University and Kansas State University Olathe.

Learn how this UMKC student-staff duo is advancing solutions to food insecurity while creating new educational pathways: https://www.umkc.edu/news/posts/2026/june/umkc-student-staff-duo-launch-agriculture-certificate-to-address-food-insecurity.html

Congratulations to Maria Spletter, Ph.D. for receiving the Award for Excellence in Mentoring Undergraduate Researchers, Scholars and Artists at the 2026 Faculty Awards!

Congratulations to Ashley Winchell (B.A. '08) for being named to the 2026 ACEC Missouri Future Leaders Academy class. She has served as the Planning and Mobility Lead for Wilson & Company’s Midwest Region since 2024 and brings valuable experience and leadership to this year’s academy class.

SSE student Jawnaa Matter is one of six UMKC students selected to receive the prestigious Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship to study abroad. The biology and chemistry student with a Spanish minor is eager to immerse herself in a new culture while strengthening her language skills.

“I am most looking forward to becoming more fluent in Spanish, meeting new people, experiencing a new culture, trying new foods and spending time at the beach,” Matter said.

Learn more about the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship: https://www.umkc.edu/news/posts/2026/may/six-umkc-students-earn-prestigious-scholarship-to-study-abroad.html

UMKC and Children's Mercy have taken a significant step forward in their longstanding relationship, formalizing a new agreement that creates a clearer, faster pathway for Ph.D. students in the natural sciences and the School of Science and Engineering to collaborate directly with hospital researchers. Under the new agreement, the need for individual, project-by-project administrative approvals has been removed, eliminating a key barrier that often slowed the start of collaborative work.

Gerald Wyckoff, Ph.D. chair of pharmacology and pharmaceutical sciences, worked closely with two individuals from the Children’s Mercy Research Institute, Mark Hoffman, Ph.D., chief research information officer and Laura Ramsey, Ph.D., section chief of individualized therapeutics, clinical pharmacology, toxicology and therapeutic innovation to build a new framework designed to build on existing collaboration in a more intentional, structured way, ensuring that opportunities are easier to access and scale.

“UMKC and Children’s Mercy have a long history of collaboration,” Hoffman said. “This will streamline the process for UMKC Ph.D. students to perform their graduate work at Children’s Mercy. The inclusion of the UMKC School of Science and Engineering opens the door for deeper collaboration in biomedical engineering, AI and other technical topics.”

Learn more about the streamlined research agreement: https://www.umkc.edu/news/posts/2026/may/umkc-and-childrens-mercy-launch-streamlined-research-agreement.html

Congratulations to the Class of 2026! We're so proud of your accomplishments and can't wait to see what the future holds for our SSE alums. 💙💛

Congratulations to the Class of 2026! Here are a few of the graduates who will be walking across the stage today.🎓

UMKC Design Build Fly team, Aeroos, recently competed in the 2026 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Design/Build/Fly Competition against nearly 100 teams from around the world.

This year, they were tasked with designing a banner-towing bush plane. The team spent about two weeks constructing the final aircraft, which was decked out in UMKC blue and gold. They passed technical inspection and successfully completed Mission 1, flying three laps. Congratulations, Aeroos!

Every semester, outstanding graduating students are named Dean of Students Honor Recipients. SSE student Alana Lopez is one of 20 students given that honor this semester, for her academic achievements, service and leadership. Congratulations!

Learn more about the students: https://www.umkc.edu/news/posts/2026/may/graduating-students-named-dean-of-students-honor-recipients.html