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Articles by Elizabeth Derner
MU School of Music director stepping down after nine years
Julia Gaines, the director of the School of Music, is stepping down after nine years in the position. The next director has yet to be announced, but four final candidates have been selected. Gaines said she enjoyed being the director, and after completing her third three-year term, it just feels like the right time to transition to something new. “It’s a good time for me and my family, and I think it’s a good time for the school,” Gaines said.
Meet David Myers, who students call 'the busiest person in the School of Music'
After recording audio from his studio, David Myers buzzed around the University Philharmonic Orchestra’s rehearsal room, first controlling a drone and then filming with a camera strapped to his vest. He asked for another take of the horn section shot and adjusted his camera. “I’m trying to make it look cool,” he said in his bright, easy-going style. The orchestra laughed.
MU music students compose for St. Louis Symphony Orchestra
Each year, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra selects three MU students to compose a piece for one of its performances. The students work with the conductor and musicians twice and receive a professional recording of their works from the live performance. The collaboration is part of the Mizzou New Music Initiative, which involves a variety of programs largely funded by the Sinquefield Charitable Foundation to support young composers.
MU to launch program for students with developmental disabilities
MU will offer a new two-year residential program in fall 2023 tailored to students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Director Maggie Center said the program — called Preparing Adults for Work and Society, or PAWS — is designed to provide an inclusive, community-based college experience for students seeking education to help achieve their goals for meaningful employment, independent living and social skills.
MU to launch program for students with developmental disabilities
MU will offer a new two-year residential program in fall 2023 tailored to students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Director Maggie Center said the program — called Preparing Adults for Work and Society, or PAWS — is designed to provide an inclusive, community-based college experience for students seeking education to help achieve their goals for meaningful employment, independent living and social skills.
MU looks to sell dairy farm for $4.8 million, reinvest in agriculture
A dairy farm that MU has owned since the 1950s is up for sale with a price tag of $4.8 million. The patch of land, listed as Midway Dairy Farm, is a 320-acre rectangle adjacent to MU’s Foremost Dairy Farm, located off Old Highway 40, about 10 miles northwest of downtown Columbia. MU spokesperson Christian Basi said the university isn’t using the Midway property significantly now — just for grazing, some corn and soybean production and housing replacement cows.
MU looks to sell dairy farm for $4.8 million, reinvest in agriculture
A dairy farm that MU has owned since the 1950s is up for sale with a price tag of $4.8 million. The patch of land, listed as Midway Dairy Farm, is a 320-acre rectangle adjacent to MU’s Foremost Dairy Farm, located off Old Highway 40, about 10 miles west of downtown Columbia. MU spokesperson Christian Basi said the university isn't using the Midway property significantly now — just for grazing, some corn and soybean production and housing replacement cows.
MU looks to sell dairy farm for $4.8 million, reinvest in agriculture
A dairy farm that MU has owned since the 1950s is up for sale with a price tag of $4.8 million. The patch of land, listed as Midway Dairy Farm, is a 320-acre rectangle adjacent to MU’s Foremost Dairy Farm, located off Old Highway 40, about 10 miles northwest of downtown Columbia. MU spokesperson Christian Basi said the university isn’t using the Midway property significantly now — just for grazing, some corn and soybean production and housing replacement cows.
Marching Mizzou to perform in Dublin's 2024 St. Patrick's Day Parade
Marching Mizzou director Amy Knopps lifted up a drum head on Tuesday to reveal where the band would travel next year — but it was covered with paper. Students cheered when she finally broke the suspense and revealed the band’s logo with the Ireland flag in the background. On St. Patrick’s Day in 2024, Marching Mizzou will play MU’s fight songs down the streets of Dublin in the St. Patrick’s Festival Parade. The next day, they’ll compete in the International Band Championship in Limerick.
'One of the greatest honors': Marshall Stewart reflects on MU, looks to Kansas State
Marshall Stewart knows the magnitude of this moment. “This is the capstone of my extension and engagement career,” Stewart said. Stewart is headed to Kansas State after six years serving as the vice chancellor for extension and engagement and UM System chief engagement officer. Stewart has helped Missourians statewide, from his efforts for improved broadband access to his push to get students out serving the public.
'A light at night': Remembering Marching Mizzou member Alex Jackson
Band is where Alex Jackson always wanted to be. He would arrive at Marching Mizzou rehearsals over 45 minutes early sometimes just because he was excited to be there. “I’d be there around 4:00 (for 4:15 rehearsals), but he would get there at like 3:30,” Rachel Alvarez, a friend of Jackson and Marching Mizzou tuba player, said. “I’m like, ‘Bud, that is too early.’ Especially on the really cold days. He’d just sit there freezing, like, ‘I don’t care.
Marching Mizzou chosen to perform first at Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
Marching Mizzou has been chosen to lead the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thursday and will be the first of 12 marching bands to appear on the television broadcast. “It’s a huge honor for us to lead the parade and be the first marching band to perform on 34th Street,” said Amy M. Knopps, director of Marching Mizzou.
MU professor probes for earliest galaxies with the new James Webb Space Telescope
Haojing Yan, who teaches astronomy and physics at MU, stared at the first deep field image on his laptop in July when the White House live-streamed its release from the James Webb Space Telescope. The telescope had pointed its lens at a small point in the sky — “approximately the size of a grain of sand held at arm’s length, a tiny sliver of the vast universe,” according to a NASA release. With a 12.5-hour exposure time, it took photos at different wavelengths, which were composited.
Marching Mizzou chosen to perform first at Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
Marching Mizzou has been chosen to lead the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thursday and will be the first of 12 marching bands to appear on the television broadcast. “It’s a huge honor for us to lead the parade and be the first marching band to perform on 34th Street,” said Amy M. Knopps, director of Marching Mizzou.
Marching Mizzou chosen to perform first at Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
Marching Mizzou has been chosen to lead the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thursday and will be the first of 12 marching bands to appear on the television broadcast. “It’s a huge honor for us to lead the parade and be the first marching band to perform on 34th Street,” said Amy M. Knopps, director of Marching Mizzou.
Marching Mizzou band ready for wild Thanksgiving week trip to New York
Marching Mizzou, MU’s student band, is gearing up to take on one of its most ambitious shows to date: a performance in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. But it’s the massive amount of traveling the band will be required to undertake before and after the parade — wedged between halftime performances at two Mizzou home football games just six days apart — that is sure to leave students and other attendees sleep-deprived.
Marching Mizzou band ready for wild Thanksgiving week trip to New York
Marching Mizzou, MU’s student band, is gearing up to take on one of its most ambitious shows to date: a performance in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. But it’s the massive amount of traveling the band will be required to undertake before and after the parade — wedged between halftime performances at two Mizzou home football games just six days apart — that is sure to leave students and other attendees sleep-deprived.
Moon, planets, stars and meteors: What to view in the night sky this winter
A rare, perhaps once-in-a-lifetime astronomical event will be visible from Columbia this winter with no binoculars or telescopes needed — just your eyes, a clear sky and a location where you can see the moon, said Haojing Yan, an MU associate professor of physics and astronomy. As the full moon moves across the sky Dec. 7, it will block Mars in what’s called a lunar occultation.
Families visit with dead astronomers at Haunted Observatory
Children and parents talked to famous dead astronomers Wednesday night at the annual Haunted Observatory event at Laws Observatory, located at the top floor of the MU Physics Building. Graduate students, dressed as well-known astronomers, shared fun facts and candy with children, who were invited to wear their Halloween costumes. When the sky is clear, the event also involves using the observatory’s 16-inch telescope. Wednesday night was cloudy, however, so guests could not use the telescope.
New businesses opening this fall, winter in Columbia
Columbia has a variety of new restaurants and businesses that aim to open in the next few months. MyHouse, Tacos 4 Life, Wendy's and Irene's BBQ are some of the businesses that plan to open soon. MyHouse MyHouse is officially reopening Friday at 2 p.m. at 119 S. Seventh St. after being shut down in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mizzou New Music Initiative takes student composing to new level
Santiago Beis traveled in August to a field in northern Italy, surrounded by green rolling hills, vineyards, mosquitoes and domed tents he and composers from seven countries slept in for a week. He was one of 12 composers, the only one coming from the U.S., selected to work with the internationally renowned Divertimento Ensemble and resident composers Francesco Filidei and Fabien Lévy for the 2022 International Workshop for Young Composers.
Marching Mizzou, theater students bring Broadway to Faurot Field
Singers and dancers wearing “The Phantom of the Opera” capes and masks, the classic inmates from “Chicago” and cast members from “The Prom” will join Marching Mizzou for the halftime show at Saturday's football game in the first collaboration between the band and MU's Department of Theatre. The Broadway-themed show celebrates Marching Mizzou's upcoming trip to New York City, where they will play in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Columbia Red Cross responders to deploy to Florida for Hurricane Ian relief
A pair of American Red Cross disaster responders from Columbia will depart in an emergency response vehicle Friday to join Hurricane Ian relief efforts in Florida. Additional volunteers from Jefferson City, St. Louis and Little Rock, Arkansas, are heading to Florida in three ERVs on Thursday, according to Sharon Watson, regional communications director for American Red Cross of Missouri and Arkansas.
"Twindemic": Flu and Covid-19 cases expected to rise this winter, spring
A spike in flu and COVID-19 cases higher than last year’s numbers is expected this flu season, with health officials citing a lax in pandemic prevention practices. Laura Morris, MU Health Care family medicine physician and vaccine committee co-chair, said social distancing, masking and frequent hand washing helped prevent both viruses, leading to a lower number of flu cases than in pre-pandemic years.
'Hands-on history': Heritage Festival celebrates culture, art
Four generations of Angela Combs’ family attended Columbia’s Heritage Festival and Craft Show on Saturday. The family represented a St. Louis rendezvous camp in the 1780s-1850s fur trade era. This was their sixth year at the festival, and she said it was a time for her family to celebrate their history, which includes ancestors from the Cheyenne and Cree nations, as well as Europe.
Band Day returns to Marching Mizzou's halftime show
Almost 900 band members performed together for Marching Mizzou's 75th Band Day at the halftime show Saturday. The event was a collaboration between Marching Mizzou and 11 high school bands, coming from as far away as St. Louis. The bands hadn’t played together since 2019 because of the pandemic. “It's a big band year for us,” said Amy Knopps, director of Marching Mizzou.
Helping Hands delivers free textbooks, school supplies to MU students
When Harjeev Singh, a junior at MU, took a public health class in 2021, he learned about trying to prevent health crises before they happen. Singh, who plans to become a physician, saw a connection between this mission of public health and his other passion: community service. Last year Singh founded an organization, Helping Hands, to help prevent students and community members’ financial situations from negatively affecting their health and education.
Helping Hands delivers books, school supplies to MU students with financial needs
When Harjeev Singh, a junior at the University of Missouri, took a public health class in 2021, he learned about trying to prevent health crises before they happen. Singh, who plans to become a physician, saw a connection between this mission of public health and his other passion: community service. Last year, Singh founded an organization, Helping Hands, to help prevent students and community members’ financial situations from negatively affecting their health and education.
New student garden at Columbia College grows food for the community
Zoe Davis always had a garden growing up. Now a junior at Columbia College, she is helping cultivate a garden with 18 tomato plants and 10 pepper plants. The garden started in July through the college’s Science Club and has grown over three bucketfuls of tomatoes and peppers and donated them to the Food Bank for Central and Northeast Missouri.
New sculptures to be celebrated at First Fridays Art Walk
A shiny, prehistoric presence greets passersby on Park Street outside Cafe Berlin. His name is Sparky, the 6-foot-6-inch steel velociraptor. “When the kids see him, they have to come over and touch, that’s the fun thing about it,” artist Vince Houston said.
A day in the life of Barred Owl Butcher & Table
hen you sit down to eat that meal at a restaurant, do you ever think about what it took to put your food on the table? At Columbia’s highly rated Barred Owl Butcher & Table, the ingredients include a staff of 35 employees and a 21-hour day. Long-time chef Ben Parks moved to make the dream of owning his own place a reality when he found the right partner. “Josh Smith fairly recently moved to town and had a lot of abilities and skills in charcuterie and sausage-making,” Parks said.
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Spot’s got moves! Marching Mizzou and the Golden Girls perform with robotic pal
A halftime show months in the works showed what MU students and faculty could achieve with a robot, music and dance routines. Featured Home News News On Campus Photo Visuals October 5th, 2021 By Elizabeth Derner and Teagan King Photo by Izzy Roberts At the football game against Tennessee on Saturday, MU pulled off something no school has done before — using the robotic dog Spot from Boston Dynamics to march and dance in its halftime show.
Ragtag Cinema launches first year of Science on Screen, a series that fuses movies with scientific questions
Photo Courtesy of Ted Rogers March through June, Ragtag Cinema is working to ignite conversations about science. Combining introduction videos from guest speakers with movies and documentaries, the cinema is hosting its first year of Science on Screen, a nationwide program that provides grants to independent theaters to make science more accessible to the public. Ted Rogers, Ragtag’s cinema programmer, said he’s always working to further the cinema’s outreach to engage with the community.
New music, old friendship - the story of MU’s senior composers
At age 13, Holden Franklin switched from editing their saxophone parts in middle-school band pieces to writing their own music — inspired by film scores. When Emily Shaw was 13, her piano teacher said she should write down the songs she made up and play them at recitals. Jack Snelling went to school early when he was 13 to use computers in the band practice rooms.
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