What is the Corps of Discovery?
Two hundred years ago the Lewis and Clark expedition explored America's uncharted western territories, including the mid-Missouri region. They discovered more than 300 new plant, animal and fish species and recorded detailed anthropological findings. The expedition's joint efforts, known as the “Corps of Discovery,” provided extensive maps and other valuable information for America.
As the first public university west of the Mississippi River, the University of Missouri also has made a difference. For example, MU scientists and scholars improved the treatment and prevention of diabetes and helped develop home dialysis for kidney patients; discovered previously unpublished works by such famous authors as Mark Twain, Charlotte Bronte, Tennessee Williams, William Faulkner and Jack Kerouac; performed the world's first pediatric angioplasty to correct heart defects in babies; and conducted landmark studies in crop rotation that are the basis for today's sustainable agriculture.
Now in the 21st Century, MU inventors and creators also are discoverers. Recent faculty contributions include the development of a process to repair damaged knees while minimizing the onset of painful osteoarthritis; the discovery that grapes can help reduce brain damage in stroke victims; the creation of gold and silver nanoparticles that can greatly improve the diagnosis of cancer; the development of a photo acoustic technique that can detect a single skin cancer cell in a blood sample; and the invention of a new drug to combat ulcers and heartburn.