The 2026 Missouri Academy of Science Annual Meeting
The 63rd Annual Meeting of the Missouri Academy of Science will be held at the Missouri State University in Springfield, MO in April 2026
Exact dates To-Be-Determined.
Information for Presenters:
The abstract submission deadline: To Be Announced.
Abstracts were submitted as a link to a shared MS Word or Google Docs (no PDFs or images) to allow participants to update their abstracts until the submission deadline.
Information about presentation times and locations will be provided by section chairs to all presenters: To Be Announced.
Invitation to Admissions Representatives:
The Missouri Academy of Science invites college and university admissions representatives to attend the annual MAS meeting. Admission is free for representatives from MAS institutional member colleges or universities. This event is an excellent opportunity to engage with some of Missouri’s top students in natural sciences, physical sciences, social sciences, computer science, and mathematics. Interested admissions representatives should contact Tiger Gordon via email. (jgordon@centralmethodist.edu)
Please note: Each institution is limited to one table per day.
Bio Statement from Joshua J Smith PhD- Vice President Nominee:
I have been a faculty member at Missouri State since August of 2008 when I joined the Biomedical Sciences Department. I was later tenured in 2014 and in 2020 was promoted to Professor rank. I obtained my B.S. in Agriculture from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls majoring in Animal Science, Biotechnology, and Biology in 1998. I then went on to the University of Minnesota where I earned my PhD in Pharmacology in 2002.
My research area has always focused on DNA repair and cancer. My research currently focuses on UV light, the damage it causes in your DNA, how that damage is recognized and repaired in your cells, and if the repair process goes wrong how that leads to increases in mutation and possibly cancer. The mechanisms I work on for recognition of UV-induced DNA damage also repair damage caused by carcinogens such as Benzo[a]pyrene which is the main carcinogen in cigarette smoke.
I have been active in different initiatives to integrate research in the classroom and until this past year was on the Missouri CORE 42 Core Curriculum Advisory Committee that developed a transferable general education between all Missouri Institutions of Higher Education.
I started attending the Missouri Academy of Sciences (MAS) meetings back in 2010 and in 2014 took over as the Senior Division Chair for the Biomedicine and Biotechnology session. In 2017, we combined the Biochemistry session with Biomedicine and Biotechnology session where I still remain the chair of the now Biochemistry, Biomedicine, and Biotechnology (BBB) session. When I first started as the session chair, we had only a couple abstracts submitted and after the combination of the two sessions and some recruitment efforts, we have had full platform sessions and a great number of posters each year. I am continually involved with recruiting and trying to get people to bring their students to MAS each year. The MAS meeting is a great place for students to see what others are doing as well as present their research to fellow scientists.
Campus Map and Parking Information
- Click here to access the campus map
- Cars can park in Student Lot 32 and 68 near the Library
- Busses should park in Student Lot 32 near the Library
Connecting to WiFi: select UCM_Guest and follow the instructions
Lunch Options: See schedules below
Schedule for the Missouri Junior Academy of Science (MJAS) Annual Meeting
2026 Exact Date is to be announced
Time |
Event |
Location |
| 8:30 – 10:00 AM | General Registration | Elliot Student Union (Look for the Signs) |
| 10:00 – 10:30 AM | Welcome/Orientation |
Elliot Student Union 237A/B Drs. Teresa Boman and Mary Kilmer, State Co-Directors |
| 10:30 AM -12:30 PM |
High and Middle School Concurrent . . Paper Sessions |
W.C. Morris (see schedule book for specific rooms) |
| 12:30 – 1:45 PM | Lunch | Lunch can be purchased in advance or onsite at the UCM Dining Facility in Todd Hall or off campus |
| 2:00 – 2:45 PM | Early Awards and Announcement of Finalists | Elliot Student Union 237A/B |
| 3:00 – 5:00 PM | High and Middle School Concurrent Finalist Paper Sessions |
Elliot Student Union 237A/B Elliot Student Union 235 |
| 5:30 – 6:00 PM | Middle and High School Finalists Awards Ceremony | Elliot Student Union 237A/B |
Schedule for the Missouri Academy of Science (MAS)
SENIOR Division Annual Meeting
Friday, April (Exact date to be announced).
Saturday, April (Exact Date To Be Announced).
Lunch can be purchased at the UCM Todd Dining Center in Todd Hall for $10.50 or at any of the many establishments in Warrensburg.
Dennis Ridenour (he/him/his) is President and Chief Executive Officer of BioNexus KC, the coordinating body for the KC region’s life sciences research initiatives. In this role, Mr. Ridenour fosters regional collaboration while working to increase the concentration and capacity for life sciences and healthcare research in the region. His work makes the region more efficient at commercializing technologies being developed locally, improves the health of patients and animals across the region while reducing and eliminating health disparities, and positively impacts the regional economy by leveraging our strengths at the intersection of human and animal health. Mr. Ridenour is strongly committed to the vision of BioNexus KC, that Kansas City is a global leader at the nexus of human and animal health benefiting all our citizens and the economy.
Prior to joining BioNexus KC, Mr. Ridenour was President and Chief Executive Officer of BioKansas, a regional life science and healthcare trade association. There he managed all facets of the organization, including day-to-day operations, member development and engagement, strategic planning, and finance. Mr. Ridenour previously worked at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research in Kansas City, MO, Merck Research Labs in Boston, MA, and as a researcher in the Department of Neurobiology at Harvard Medical School. Dennis earned a B.S. in Biological Sciences and an M.S. in Veterinary & Biomedical Sciences from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, as well as an M.B.A. from the University of Kansas.
Mr. Ridenour serves as Chair of the Board of Directors for RareKC, a non-profit whose mission is to accelerate the diagnosis, care, and treatment of rare conditions, and as a member of the Board of Directors for the Alphapointe Foundation, a non-profit that works to empower people with vision loss to live, work and be independent. He also currently serves on several other advisory boards whose work is committed to workforce development and the fight to eliminate health inequities and the systemic barriers that cause them.