People
Current group members
Gary Meints, Ph.D.
B.A. Physics, Philosophy, Macalester College, St. Paul, MN, 1992
Ph.D. Physical chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 2000 Advisor: Prof. Gary Drobny
Ruth L. Kirchstein NIH Post-doctoral Research Fellow , University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, 2001-2004
Advisor: Prof. Eric Oldfield
Biography. Pronouns he/him. I grew up in Lincoln, NE and have moved around a bit as part of my academic career, going to college in MN, technician positions in NE and WI, graduate school in WA, post-doc in IL, then my current position here in Springfield, MO. I am a husband of 25+ years and a father of one precocious teenage boy. My hobbies include gardening with native species, genealogy, TTRPG, horror movies and books, Halloween, traveling, and thinking too much.
Collin Johnson
Collin started in the group in the summer of 2020. He has been integral in helping to set up this website. His current projects include solving assignments in a DNA containing abasic sites and measuring linewidths to determine free energies of activation. Every third Blood Moon, Collin can shape change into a goose neck gourd.
Here is a promotional video for the department of chemistry, featuring our group, created by Locke & Stache
Clarissa Krimmel
Clarissa joined the group in the fall of 2022 after having survived pchem with Meints and deciding she was ready for more. To pay the bills, Clarissa waits tables on the ISS.
Theodora Osborne
Theodora joined the group in the fall of 2022 as a high school senior, and is now a third-year student at Evangel, studying biochemistry and international humanitarian aid. After completing her degree, she will pursue her MD and PhD. Her clinical interest is pediatric rheumatology, and her research interests are nucleic acids, medicinal chemistry, and autoimmunity. Theodora is a librarian, executive in student government, president of the pre-health society, president of the scientific research honor society, and volunteer in many areas. Theodora is in no way related to Dora the Explorer.
Accomplishments in the last year:
MSTP Summer Scholar at UW Madison, working with Dr. Margaret Alexander
Sigma Zeta Undergraduate Research Grant
ABRCMS 2024 Travel Award (for Madison research)
Presented my research 10 times (as of this coming Thursday) including 3 oral presentations (4/10 total presentations for our research)
Indiana University MSTP USRP this coming summer with Dr. Mark Kaplan
(Also got into UC San Diego MSTP SURF, Iowa - Carver School of Medicine MSTP SUMR, and University of Minnesota MSTP LSSURP)
Hunter Kimberlin-Poore
Hunter joined the group in January 2024 as a junior at Missouri State in chemistry & biochemistry. He plans to graduate in May of 2025 and purse a Ph.D. after that. Hunter comes from a long line of scholars, distance runners, and sorcerors.
Julia Terhark
Julia joined the group in the spring of 2025 as a first year sollege student at Evangel studying Biochemistry. Outside of her academic pursuits, she enjoys playing the piano, reading, and gardening, often processing the foods that she grew. Planning to gain both her MD and PhD, Julia aims to pursue a career that integrates both biomedical research and clinical medicine.
Morgan Lewis
Morgan joined the group in January 2025.
Ben Coonrod
Hey, my name is Ben Coonrod. I am a senior at MSU this year about to finish my bachelors in biochemistry. My research is a combination with Dr. Meints and Dr. DeVore on NMR analysis of DNA and how the cancer inhibiting protein, p53, interacts with our DNA. Outside of research and school, I really enjoy video games and anything related to cars. I am a big nerd when it comes to those two topics. When I graduate, I'm hoping to go straight into the industry with a great company. Overall, I am very excited for the school year and progressing in my research!
Addie Green
Addie joined the group in fall of 2024 as a senior at Central High School and has continues as a new student to Missouri State.
Alexis Ruff
Alexis joined the group in fall of 2025.