The Division of Biological Sciences congratulates Delanie Vinzant on being selected as a recipeint of the 2021 Mary Margaret McCarty Outstanding Junior in Biological Sciences Award. 

Vinzant, who hails from Maryville, MO, is double majoring in Biological Sciences and Economics. She has been conducting research on growth mechanisms of the bacterium Agrobacterium tumefaciens in the laboratory of Dr. Pamela Brown in the Division of Biological Sciences as a Stamps Scholar. She is also a Deaton Scholar and is active in the ambassador programs of the Office of Undergraduate Research and Honors College. Vinzant was selected by the Department of Defense for the Boren Award for Indonesian Flagship Language Initiative but had to decline acceptance due to COVID-19 restrictions.

“I would like to thank my mentors, Associate Dean Nicole Monnier and Dr. Pam Brown, for encouraging me and supporting me since my very first week on campus. I would also like to thank everyone from the Fellowships Office, the Office of Undergraduate Research, the Honors College, and Dr. Brown’s lab for helping me explore new opportunities and become a better a leader to the Mizzou community.”

The award is given annually to one or more outstanding seniors or juniors recognized for their academic achievements, the quality of their independent research projects, and their extracurricular contributions to the division and to the university. This award is made available by an endowment established in memory of Mary Margaret McCarty.