Robots, plastics and cows: Top 10 research stories of 2021

The top 10 stories of 2021 included robots, plastics and cows.

Leader of the pack

Mizzou is one of the only universities in the country to make Spot robots available even to undergraduates. Trevontae' Haughton is part of a team of students and faculty who are finding innovative ways to use Spot for everything from safely monitoring powerplants to performing in Marching Mizzou halftime shows.

Directors appointed to lead new IT program labs

Mizzou Engineering has created two new labs within the Information Technology Program designed to give students additional hands-on research opportunities.

Meet Brian Maurer

Meet Brian Maurer, who’s leading the Information Technology Program into a new era of innovation.

Spot in the spotlight

Information Technology students spent months programming Spot, an agile robot from Boston Dynamics, to perform alongside Marching Mizzou and the Golden Girls at the Oct. 2, 2021, home game.

Mizzou Engineering student helps develop mobile game

Junior IT student Mustafa Al-Mahroos helped develop Spades Masters, a mobile game for YallaPlay. Learn how much time he spent each day playing the game to find bugs.

Spot, meet President Choi

What do you get when the University of Missouri President, five undergraduate engineering students and three robot dogs meet in Jesse Hall? A little laughter, some robotic dance moves and an encounter junior Trevontae’ Haughton won’t soon forget.

Undergraduate Honors Research Fellowship Project ‘Fantastic Fit’ for IT Student

For Andrew Murphy, receiving an Undergraduate Honors Research Fellowship from Mizzou Engineering was an ideal way to finish out his senior year. The fellowship, which comes with a stipend, is designed to get undergraduates involved in engineering research. Murphy worked with Assistant Teaching Professor Fang Wang to develop a web portal and companion mobile app.

IT Students Create Virtual Gallery for Museum Collection

Mizzou Engineering students are putting the final touches on an interactive art exhibit that will allow visitors to view paintings without ever stepping inside a museum. The exhibit is being created digitally for a virtual reality (VR) experience.

Robotics Expert: Gen Z Will Usher in Era of Advanced Robots

Today’s robots are good at performing single tasks. You can buy an autonomous robot, for instance, to vacuum your house. A true single helper robot that can vacuum, cook and wash the dishes? That could be a while, but Dale Musser believes Generation Z will usher in the era of advanced robotics.