Thursday, March 12 and Friday, March 13, 2026
Missouri University of Science and Technology
Agenda
Thursday, March 12 |
650 Tim Bradley Way, Rolla, MO 65409
4:00 p.m. - 4:45 p.m.: Lab-To-Market Workshop
"Is The Problem Real? Aligning Research Innovation with a Real-World Need"
Sunjeev Phull, PhD | NextGen Precision Health Postdoctoral Fellow
5:00 p.m. - 5:05 p.m.: Welcoming Remarks
| Executive Director, NextGen Precision Health initiative
5:05 p.m. - 5:20 p.m.: Missouri S&T's Biomedical Innovation Ecosystem Vision
| Chancellor, Missouri S&T
5:20 p.m. - 5:35 p.m.: Missouri S&T’s Research Enterprise
| Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation, Missouri S&T
5:35 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.: Biomedical Research Synergies at S&T
| Dean, College of Engineering and Computing
| Dean, College of Arts, Sciences, and Education
| Dean, Kummer College of Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Economic Development
6:15 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.: Evening Reception
Poster presenters check in
Free professional headshots available
Light refreshments and networking
Friday, March 13 |
1346 N Bishop Ave, Rolla, MO 65409
7:30 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.: Registration, Coffee & Poster Set Up (Sessions A & B)
8:30 a.m. - 8:45 a.m.: Welcome and Housekeeping
8:45 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.: Keynote:
"Curiosity-Driven Innovation in a Complex World"
9:50 a.m. - 11:10 a.m.: Faculty Theme Talks - Session A
Sunjeev Phull, PhD | NextGen Fellow | Missouri S&T Chemical and Biochemical Engineering
"Glass-Based Cements for the Treatment of Metastatic Bone Cancer"
| Missouri S&T Materials Science and Engineering, Chemistry
"PISA Printing: A New Platform for Programmable Biomaterials and Precision Tissue Models"
| UMSL Philosophy
"Precision Health Ethics"
| Mizzou Nutrition & Exercise Physiology
"Bioenergetic Failure in Liver Disease: Rebooting the Mitochondrial Engine"
| UMKC Ophthalmology
"Using Tissue Engineering and 3D Bioprinting to Direct Retinal Growth"
| UMSL Optometry
"Scalable Emerging Eyecare Solutions (SEES)"
11:10 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.: Break / Poster Session A
12:15 p.m. - 1:15 p.m.: Lunch / Networking
1:15 p.m. - 2:35 p.m.: Faculty Theme Talks - Session B
Sandy Saunders, PhD | NextGen Fellow | Mizzou Pathobiology and Integrative Biomedical Sciences
"Stress Promotes Bezold Jarisch Reflex Plasticity in Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy"
| Missouri S&T Biological Sciences
"Spatial Molecular Imaging of the Human Pancreas: Implications for Understanding the Etiology of Diabetes"
| Mizzou Chemical and Biomedical Engineering
"Biomodulatory Materials"
| UMSL Computer Science
"Explainable AI Across Scales of Health: From Proteins to Patients"
| UMKC Biological and Biomedical Systems
"Zebrafish as a Model to Study Cellular Development and Regeneration"
| Missouri S&T Chemical and Biochemical Engineering
"Polymerized Curcumin for the Treatment of Neurological Injury"
2:35 p.m. - 3:45 p.m.: Break / Poster Session B
3:45 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.: Break / Tallying Poster Votes
4:00 p.m.: Poster Presentation Awards and Closing
Keynote Speaker
Former NASA Astronaut; former Executive Director of the AIAA.
Dr. Magnus retired from federal service as the Deputy Director of Engineering in the Office of the Secretary of Defense for the Undersecretary of Research and Engineering. In that role she served as the “Chief Engineer” for the DoD, establishing engineering policy, propagating best practices, and working to connect the engineering community across the department. Prior to joining the DoD, she served as the Executive Director of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), the world’s largest technical society dedicated to the global aerospace profession.
Selected to the NASA Astronaut Corps in April 1996, Dr. Magnus flew in space on the STS-112 shuttle mission in 2002, and on the final shuttle flight, STS-135, in 2011. In addition, she flew to the International Space Station on STS-126 in November 2008, served as flight engineer and science officer on Expedition 18, and returned home on STS-119 after four and a half months on board. Following her assignment on Station, she served at NASA Headquarters in the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate. Her last duty at NASA, after STS-135, was as the deputy chief of the Astronaut Office.
Before joining NASA, Dr. Magnus worked for McDonnell Douglas Aircraft Company from 1986 to 1991, as a stealth engineer. While at McDonnell Douglas, she worked on internal research and development and on the Navy’s A-12 Attack Aircraft program, studying the effectiveness of radar signature reduction techniques. She is a Fellow of AIAA, a member of the National Academy of Engineering and has been inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame.
Master of Ceremonies
Director of Philanthropic Giving
KCUR, Kansas City's NPR Affiliate
David has been a fundraising professional for more than 30 years with decade-plus stints at KCUR, Truman Medical Center (now University Health) Charitable Foundation and William Jewell College, where he received his undergraduate degree in history. David served as co-interim leader of the UMKC Charitable Foundation in 2022 and helped design and lead the $120m fundraising effort for UMKC’s Healthcare Delivery and Innovation Building.
He has been a longtime community volunteer in Liberty, Mo., where he resides, serving on the boards of the Liberty Symphony, Liberty Parks and Recreation, Liberty Parks Foundation, and Liberty Arts Foundation. Since 2009, David has been the concert host of the Liberty Summer Band and is the elected City Clerk of Liberty. In Kansas City, he’s served on the board of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFPKC) and currently serves as board secretary of Te Deum. He was recognized in 2024 by the Kansas City Royals as a Buck O’Neil Legacy Seat honoree.
Event Recordings
PATHWAYS 2025
Thursday, March 13 and Friday, March 14, 2025
5100 Cherry St., Ste. 320, Kansas City, MO 64100
PATHWAYS 2024
Friday, March 22, 2024
7:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.
605 Elm Street, Columbia, MO 65201