Missouri Western State University Associate Professor of Biology Dr. Csengele Barta was awarded the 2021 Primarily Undergraduate Institutions Award of the American Society of Plant Biologists.
“It is an exciting and at the same time a very humbling experience to be selected from among the many outstanding candidates for this award, by an international professional society,” Barta said. “I have been very fortunate and honored to receive several recognition awards from the American Society of Plant Biologists throughout my career, and several members of my MWSU undergraduate research team received funding to support their applied research work in my lab and their research presentations at the Society’s meetings.”
The prestigious Primarily Undergraduate Institutions Award provides funding to facilitate the research presentation of Dr. Barta and her undergraduate research team at the 2021 Plant Biology Worldwide Summit of the American Society of Plant Biologists, and at the Primarily Undergraduate Institutions Workshop.
“Receiving these awards, and the achievements these awards honor, would not have been possible without the outstanding undergraduate research and applied learning experience fostering environment and strong support for our work from Missouri Western State University and the Department of Biology,” Barta added. “I am very proud, especially of our students’ successes and their exposure to real-world experiences in the international science environment. These experiences are pivotal, unique milestones in their academic development, that prepare them for their future path and careers, in very unique ways, that Missouri Western champions, as a premier applied learning institution. And this strength is what is also recognized through the awards and achievements faculty and students receive, from the international science community.”
The prestigious award recognizes excellence in undergraduate student research mentorship, significant international contributions to plant science education, curriculum development, and applied learning, as well as sustained, high-quality plant science research of faculty at primarily undergraduate serving institutions.
Dr. Barta has been the recipient of this award for the past three consecutive years, a recognition that positions the high-quality research and applied learning education efforts of Missouri Western at the forefront of the international plant science community.