Story by Logan Jackson
Published on April 4, 2025
Three University of Missouri undergraduate students have received the Goldwater Scholarship, one of the most prestigious national scholarships in natural sciences, engineering and mathematics in the United States. Juniors Carissa Bersche (biochemistry), Miles Farmer (computer science and mathematics) and Rachel Weber (biochemistry) are among the 441 recipients, coming from a pool of more than 5,000 college sophomores and juniors.
All three students are pursuing the Honors Certificate at Mizzou.
“We had 15 excellent undergraduate researchers apply for the Goldwater Scholarship this year, which is a testament to the enthusiasm and quality of the undergraduate research community at Mizzou,” said Nina Wilson-Keenan, EdD, who coordinates the Goldwater Scholarship for the Office of Global and National Fellowships and advised all the applicants. “I’m inspired by the work our four nominees did over winter break to revise their applications and make them reflect their best visions for their research careers. Having Carissa, Miles and Rachel recognized as top undergraduate researchers nationwide is a terrific celebration of this accomplishment.
“I am excited for all our applicants moving forward because, beyond the scholarship, investing time in the Goldwater application process allows them to grow and create a foundation that will serve them well wherever they go next. For instance, it can open doors for research internships, the NSF GRFP or graduate school applications, as it equips students with the skills to effectively communicate their personal stories, motivation to advance science and research projects far beyond the scientific community.
A Dream Come True
- Carissa Bersche, junior biochemistry major
Carissa Bersche was able to begin research during her freshman year at Mizzou thanks to the Freshman Research in Plants (FRIPS) Program. Bersche was connected with Antje Heese, an associate professor of biochemistry, through the program. It’s a lab that Bersche has remained active in throughout her time as a Tiger.
Bersche is also an Undergraduate Research Ambassador at Mizzou and a tutor at the Writing Center.
“I always knew I wanted to be involved in research, and that was a big reason that I came to Mizzou,” Bersche said.
Bersche’s research studies the genetic interaction of vesicular trafficking proteins on growth and development – and immune response – in the model plant Arabidopsis, which is a small flowering plant often used as a model organism in plant biology. Along with working with Heese, Bersche spent last summer at Duke University as an undergraduate researcher.
The Goldwater Scholarship will allow her to continue to build her research portfolio.
“I am thrilled to be named a Goldwater Scholar,” Bersche said. “I have been eager to apply for this scholarship since I began research my freshman year, so it is very rewarding for my dream to come true. This scholarship required the most effort of any scholarship I have applied for and carried more prestige, so it was very exciting for my hard work to pay off in such a big way!”
Bersche received the Dudley Alexander Research Internship from the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) in 2023. She also received a MizzouForward Undergraduate Research Training Grant in 2024. Along with adding to her research experiences, the Goldwater Scholarship will open the door for Bersche to network with young researchers and mentors.
“In addition to the monetary award from this scholarship, I have joined the network of Goldwater Scholars,” Bersche said. “From this, I have access to specific Goldwater networking meetings and discussion channels. I have already utilized these resources to connect with other scholars across the country.”
An Invaluable Experience
- Miles Farmer, junior computer science and mathematics major
The Discovery Fellows Scholarship allowed Miles Farmer the opportunity to begin research during his freshman year. His passion for research has only grown since then.
“I believe research has been invaluable to my undergraduate experience,” Farmer said. “It is a truly unique hands-on opportunity that allows learning beyond typical coursework and provides skills that complement nearly any career. My time in undergraduate research has shaped my career goals, changed the way I approach problems, and improved my collaboration and presentation abilities.”
Farmer has worked on a variety of projects related to deep learning and software analysis throughout his time at Mizzou. His primary focus has been on software vulnerability detection using machine learning techniques and then analyzing the choices made during that process. Farmer works with Ekincan Ufuktepe, an assistant teaching professor of electrical engineering and computer science, and is part of the Computational Imaging and VisAnalysis Lab, which is led by Kannappan Palaniappan, a Curators’ Distinguished Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.
Farmer said the Goldwater Scholarship will allow him to add to his research experiences.
“I am very excited and deeply honored to be named a Goldwater Scholar,” Farmer said. “I hold sincere gratitude for this recognition and appreciation for my mentors, whose support over the last several years made this possible.
“With this award, I will continue my research in deep learning for software analysis – namely, graph deep learning for software vulnerability detection, analysis and mitigation.”
Farmer served as a software engineer intern for Garmin for nearly two years and worked in a similar role for nearly a year for the Cerner Corporation. He recently received a MizzouForward Undergraduate Research Training Grant to continue his research. Farmer has received a handful of awards during his time as a Tiger, including an Outstanding Undergraduate Research Award from the Honors College and the Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the department. He also earned the Outstanding Junior Award from the College of Engineering.
Connecting with Valuable Opportunities
- Rachel Weber, junior biochemistry major
An abundance of research opportunities is what brought Rachel Weber to Mizzou. She taken advantage of several of those opportunities. Weber started her research endeavors through the Freshman Research in Plants (FRIPS) Program. She was then named a Cherng Summer Scholar through the Honors College where she was able to continue her research journey.
“I’m extremely grateful for all of the opportunities Mizzou, and the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) specifically, has been able to provide in terms of hands-on learning with research,” Weber said. “One of the best parts about college is getting to try new things; learning what you do and don’t like. CAFNR has done a really good job of connecting students with faculty or opportunities that are important to them, and these experiences have really helped shape what I hope to do in the future.”
Through FRIPS, Weber was connected with Jaime Barros-Rios, an assistant professor of plant molecular biology, and continued to work with him as a Cherng Summer Scholar. Weber’s project was actually one of the first to be conducted in the Barros-Rios lab. The work focuses on lignin, a functional unit of the plant cell wall. Weber said lignin is very important for a plant’s growth and development – providing structure, helping respond to stress and facilitating water transport.
“As a Cherng Summer Scholar, I was able to establish a project working to understand the roles laccases and peroxidases in lignin biosynthesis,” Weber said.
That work is aided by a MizzouForward Undergraduate Research Training Grant. The Goldwater Scholarship will allow Weber to continue to explore her interests, which include plant metabolic research with applications in the renewable fuels industry. She received some experience in that field last summer as an IPREFER intern at CoverCress Inc., a company focused on commercializing a new oilseed crop.
“The Goldwater Scholarship is very exciting!” Weber said. “I’m so grateful for all my mentors that have helped me along the way, especially Dr. Barros-Rios, as well as the Mizzou Office of Global and National Fellowships, for guiding me through the application process.”