AGP Executive Report

Agriculture R&D: MU opened or upgraded four facilities for seed development, beef genetics, fermentation and meat science, expanding research and training for Missouri agriculture. Behavioral Health Research: Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis and MU found Oregon’s licensed psilocybin centers generally followed safety guidelines, though sessions averaged about $1,900 and weren’t covered by insurance. Nuclear Science: MU’s research reactor was selected for an international research project. Mining Technology: Missouri S&T plans to build proving grounds for mining technology.

Fusion Research: The University of Missouri Research Reactor has been selected to support ITER, an international effort to develop fusion energy. MURR will test how radiation affects graphite components being considered for the project. Alzheimer’s Research: A small University of Missouri study found improved brain blood flow in people with an Alzheimer’s risk gene after four weeks of low-dose rapamycin. Researchers say more study is needed; the results do not show the drug prevents the disease. Missouri AgTech: Boonville-based Agri Spray Drones says its next spray-drone platform is in production as it moves into U.S. manufacturing and technology development. Farm Research: Mizzou opened four agriculture research facilities as the state steps up support for farmers.

Alzheimer’s Research: A University of Missouri study found that four weeks of low-dose rapamycin improved brain blood flow in healthy adults carrying a gene variant linked to Alzheimer’s risk. The early result suggests a possible avenue for research, not a proven way to prevent the disease. Energy and Environment: Ameren’s plan to keep its Labadie coal units running until 2042 drew protests in St. Louis, with residents and advocates raising concerns about pollution, climate change and power costs. Agricultural Science: Mizzou opened four agriculture research facilities as Missouri aids farmers, adding to the university’s research infrastructure. Technology and Infrastructure: Columbia is weighing electric-grid needs as it considers data center rules, while a $42 million Ameresco contract will modernize the city’s electric and water metering systems. Mining Innovation: Missouri S&T plans to build mining technology proving grounds, creating a test site for new equipment and techniques.

Agriculture Research: Mizzou opened four research facilities as Missouri aids farmers, and a new meat science lab adds to the university’s research capacity. River Ecosystems: Researchers linked a major die-off of invasive carp along the Mississippi to unusually warm water and low oxygen levels. Health Innovation: Saint Louis Zoo elephant Jet completed a course of an experimental mRNA vaccine against a virus that can be deadly to young elephants. Technology & Infrastructure: Columbia is weighing electric-grid needs as it considers data-center rules, while a $42 million contract will modernize the city’s electric and water meters.

Agricultural Research: The University of Missouri opened four facilities focused on seed, livestock reproduction, wine fermentation and meat science, aiming to give farmers and food producers new tools and research support. Animal Health: A young Asian elephant at the Saint Louis Zoo received an experimental mRNA vaccine against EEHV, a deadly virus that poses a major threat to elephant calves. Energy and Infrastructure: Columbia is weighing electric-grid needs as it considers rules for data centers, while Ameresco secured a $42 million contract to modernize the city’s electric and water meters. Mining Technology: Missouri S&T plans to build proving grounds for mining technologies, extending the university’s applied research work.

Agriculture Research: The University of Missouri opened four new facilities focused on seed development, animal reproduction and genomics, grape and wine fermentation, and meat science. The work aims to help Missouri farmers and food producers tackle changing conditions and industry demands. Wildlife Medicine: Saint Louis Zoo elephant calf Jet became the first elephant at the zoo to receive a multi-dose mRNA vaccine against EEHV, a virus that can kill up to 80% of young elephants who develop the disease. Infrastructure: Joplin is nearing completion of nearly $100 million in federally supported projects, including citywide broadband, cybersecurity upgrades and improvements to emergency communications. Data Center Planning: Columbia officials discussed electric-grid needs as the city considers rules for data centers, amid wider concerns about rising power demand. Mining Technology: Missouri S&T plans to build proving grounds for mining technology, expanding the state’s role in research and development for the industry.

Alzheimer’s Burden: More than 122,000 Missourians age 65 and older are living with Alzheimer’s, according to state data. Digital Infrastructure: Joplin says nearly $58 million in federal grants helped fund $97.3 million in projects, including citywide broadband, cybersecurity upgrades and a health science innovation center. Agricultural Science: MU Extension is offering free workshops to help landowners interpret soil tests and make more informed planting and fertilizer decisions. Energy and Data Centers: Columbia planners are weighing electric-grid needs as they consider data center rules; a separate $42 million contract will modernize the city’s electric and water metering systems. Research and Engineering: Missouri S&T plans to build mining technology proving grounds, while SLU researchers and students are developing a community-based app to improve mosquito surveillance.

Campus Surveillance: SEMO students are questioning four Flock license-plate reader cameras on campus, citing privacy and transparency concerns; university police say they help investigate crimes and missing-person cases. Data Centers & Power: Columbia is drafting rules before its one-year pause on data-center development expires. Officials warn the grid is already strained, while a city survey found most respondents oppose a data center. Missouri Tech Growth: Columbia-based EquipmentShare has broken ground on a third headquarters building, with space for up to 300 corporate employees. Utility Modernization: Ameresco won a $42 million contract to upgrade Columbia’s electric and water metering systems. Mining Research: Missouri S&T plans to build proving grounds for mining technology. Health Research: A UMKC-led study estimates cosmetics and personal-care products caused 42,457 U.S. emergency-room visits for eye injuries from 2005 to 2024, including burns from heated devices.

Smart Utilities: Columbia has selected Ameresco for a $42 million upgrade replacing about 106,700 electric and water meters with a connected system designed to improve accuracy, service and infrastructure monitoring. Power and AI: Missouri’s energy plan warns that the state is importing more power as coal plants retire, while rising demand—including from data centers—puts pressure on the grid. A separate campaign debate is weighing AI’s promise against its costs to communities and the environment. STEM Workforce: State Technical College of Missouri received a $26,500 grant for surveying equipment in its new commercial construction program, which is launching with 25 students. Space Research: Missouri State’s Astro Brief examines how the Rubin Observatory and Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will use new technology to advance astronomical research.

Clean Energy: A University of Missouri study found rural counties with wind projects saw GDP rise about 7%, while solar projects were linked to higher employment and wages in several sectors, with no measured decline in agricultural activity. Public Health Technology: SLU researchers and students are advancing mosquito surveillance through a community-based app project. Engineering Research: UMKC has unveiled a new anechoic chamber, a specialized silent laboratory for testing sound and technology. Wildlife Science: Researchers identified five new freshwater mussel species in Southern rivers, findings that could help guide conservation efforts.

Public Health Technology: Saint Louis University researchers and students evaluated the Mosquito Alert St. Louis app, finding that educational outreach improved awareness but few residents kept using the tool—pointing to the need for stronger community engagement in mosquito surveillance. Energy Infrastructure: Rising demand from data centers and manufacturers is putting fresh focus on aging electric grids in Missouri and Kansas. Modernization could improve reliability, but advocates warn that higher investment costs could push up household bills. University Research: Lincoln University students and alumni sued Missouri over alleged funding disparities with the University of Missouri, arguing the shortfall undermines the historically Black land-grant institution’s research, teaching and extension mission. STEM Workforce: Ameren Missouri gave Lincoln University $100,000 for scholarships, internships and career preparation, including support for students pursuing engineering, energy, agriculture and other STEM fields.

Household Hazardous Waste: Northwest Missouri Solid Waste Management District is hosting a free drop-off for paint, pesticides, batteries, and other household hazardous waste Oct. 17 (8 a.m.-noon), with lithium-ion batteries highlighted as a major fire risk in regular trash. Privacy Tech in Missouri: St. Charles County Police Chief Kurt Frisz praised Gov. Mike Kehoe’s executive order tightening safeguards for license plate reader cameras, including faster deletion rules and limits on vendor sharing. Energy & AI Load: Missouri’s new state energy plan puts nuclear power front and center, aiming to boost grid reliability as electricity demand rises with AI data centers. Health Tech in VR: Healium expanded its platform by integrating Thought Technology’s eVu-TPS sensor, adding signals like heart rate variability and skin conductance and turning them into real-time immersive visuals. Education Access: MSW Interactive Designs founder Sandy Waggett will present an ADA website accessibility session at a Missouri school business conference. Surveillance Court Fight: An Oklahoma judge ruled Flock license plate tracking unconstitutional and tossed drug evidence, fueling national debate over mass surveillance. Local Tech/Industry: Emerson announced new RF test gear for multiport and MIMO workflows, and XPO opened new service centers including one in Cameron, Missouri.

Missouri Tech & Industry: A new Jackson County database is helping Black families trace enslaved ancestors, using decades of local records to reconnect people with missing names. Pharma Supply Chain: The API Innovation Center launched the U.S.’ first benchmark for pharmaceutical supply-chain fragility, flagging hundreds of medicines with high or severe shortage risk and calling out gaps in U.S. API supply. Biotech & Manufacturing: Missouri’s Kansas City BioSecure Manufacturing Tech Hub is set to be represented at Wisconsin’s Tech Hubs convening in Milwaukee, as the national network expands into biologics, quantum, and advanced manufacturing. Cyber & Privacy: A federal judge in Oklahoma ruled warrantless use of Flock license-plate reader tech is unconstitutional “mass surveillance,” a decision that could reshape how ALPR is used nationwide. Connectivity: Rooted Web in Cape Girardeau rolled out a redesigned site plus an AI-assisted RW iQ platform aimed at cheaper ongoing marketing for small businesses. Infrastructure & Mobility: MoDOT plans an 11-month I-70 closure near Blue Springs starting early 2027 to add a lane and repair bridges, affecting about 105,000 drivers daily. Policy Watch: Missouri’s AG order targeting prediction markets like Kalshi is drawing pushback as the debate over “event contracts” vs sports betting heats up. STEM Spotlight: Nobel physics went to Francis Halzen for work tied to the IceCube neutrino observatory in Antarctica.

Missouri Infrastructure: U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt says Missouri will receive $42.1M for I-70 corridor and interchange upgrades near Lambert Airport, aiming to improve traffic flow and safety. Highway Disruption: MoDOT plans an early-2027, 11-month full closure of I-70 in Blue Springs to add a lane and repair 23 bridges, with officials citing congestion and crash history. Public Health & Tech: KMOS PBS’s “Fentanyl and Families in the Midwest” earned a 2026 Emmy nomination, using home videos and 911/police footage to show how overdoses hit Midwestern households. Privacy & Surveillance Tech: A federal judge in Oklahoma ruled long-term automated license plate reader tracking is “indiscriminate mass surveillance,” violating the Fourth Amendment—an issue Missouri lawmakers and cities have been debating. Lifestyle Medicine: A national lifestyle medicine group backed a resolution highlighting nature—walking, hiking, wildlife viewing, and more—as a health tool. Community Tech/Planning: Northwest Missouri’s council of governments launched “Stroll-n-Score,” a walk-audit survey to map sidewalk and crossing problems from residents’ firsthand reports. Water Systems: Missouri DNR awarded Laurie a $37,500 grant to assess drinking-water improvements. STEM/Youth: Missouri-area 4-H groups are promoting National 4-H Week with STEM, civic engagement, and healthy living projects. Food & Agriculture Film: “World Without Cows” expands its theatrical tour with select screenings in Missouri starting Oct. 14, pairing film with local panel discussions.

ALPR Privacy Fight in Court: A federal judge in Oklahoma ruled warrantless searches of automated license plate reader data (including Flock) violate the Fourth Amendment, throwing out drug evidence and calling the practice “indiscriminate mass surveillance.” Missouri Tech Policy Push: Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley is set to introduce the Stop Flock Abuse Act, aiming to tighten ALPR rules on data retention, encryption, audit logs, and bans on facial recognition. Health Tech & Research: A Kansas City doctor’s sepsis breakthrough is highlighted in InvestigateTV+, while Mizzou researchers report new findings on how nerve-to-muscle signaling breaks down with age. STEM in Missouri: KU’s Department of Mathematics will host two October research conferences, and UMKC released a 54.5% six-year bachelor completion rate for its 2018 cohort. Food & Consumer Safety: PepsiCo recalled 122,021 cases of 28-ounce Gatorade in 37 states due to missing yellow dye labeling. Local Tech & Community: Kansas City’s Dream Alliance is helping voters navigate ballots in English and Spanish, and AWS CEO Matt Garman argues data centers face “myths” about water use.

Restaurant Compliance Tech: Bentonville startup PushKin pivoted from a chat app to restaurant regulatory compliance software, finding early traction with a California Chick-fil-A franchise and now growing its customer base. Traffic Safety Grants: The National Safety Council, funded by NHTSA, announced 2026 “Road to Zero” community traffic safety grant recipients aimed at reducing crashes and improving post-crash survivability. Telehealth & Mental Health Care: Elevate Holistics launched an at-home, clinician-guided low-dose ketamine telehealth platform with virtual evaluations, behavioral support, monitoring, and pharmacy fulfillment. Aging Science: University of Missouri researchers report a previously overlooked breakdown in nerve-to-muscle communication at the neuromuscular junction that may help explain age-related weakness. Public Health in Missouri: Missouri data show heat drove a sharp rise in emergency room visits for heat-related illness this summer, with spikes tied to severe daytime heat plus unusually warm nights. Privacy vs. Surveillance: A federal judge in Oklahoma dismissed a drug case after ruling warrantless use of automated license plate reader data can violate the Fourth Amendment—fueling Missouri privacy debates around Flock-style systems. Opioid Response: Cooper County expanded access to Narcan with multiple public grab-and-go sites after synthetic opioid concerns surfaced in local wastewater.