The MU International Engagement Awards recognize the outstanding work of faculty, staff and students to internationalize the University of Missouri. The following recipients were selected for 2024 by the Council on International Initiatives based on meaningful and sustained commitments to international work, whether directly on campus or brought back to the campus from an engagement abroad.

Outstanding student contribution

Seohyun (Jay) Kim

Seohyun (Jay) Kim is a junior majoring in computer science with a minor in mathematics. As president of the Korean Student Association, Kim has transformed the organization into a vibrant hub for promoting Korean culture and fostering community on campus. He has led initiatives such as the Korean Study Group and the K-pop Dance Group, providing unique opportunities for both Korean and non-Korean students to engage with Korean culture. Kim’s leadership extends to organizing major cultural events like the Global Bazaar and the International Welcome Party. As a teaching assistant for the Jinju Health College Program, he provided Korean-English translation services and cultural guidance, helping visiting students from South Korea navigate the academic and social environment at MU.

Outstanding faculty contribution

David Mendoza-Cozatl

Dr. David Mendoza-Cozatl, associate professor in the MU Division of Plant Science and Technology, is a world-leading researcher in understanding how plants acquire essential metal nutrients from the soil, transport the metals safely throughout the plant, detoxify non-biological metals and enhance food security and human health through biofortification. Dr. Mendoza-Cozatl’s research is internationally recognized and highly regarded. In 2019, he was named a Presidential Fellow of the Chinese Academy of Science and an Extraordinary Professor at the University of the Western Cape in South Africa.

Dr. Mendoza-Cozatl played an important role in expanding the University of Missouri’s longstanding strategic partnership with UWC to include the College of Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources and the Interdisciplinary Plant Group. He has developed successful collaborations, notably with Professor Marshall Keyster at UWC, supporting student and postdoc exchanges in both directions and publishing extensively with his collaborators. Dr. Mendoza-Cozatl’s research contributes to international food security and economic development, benefiting food-producers around the world, including avocado growers in the U.S., crop genome engineers in Cambodia and cacao growers in South and Central America. His work has attracted important external funding, including the first USDA Foreign Agricultural Service Emerging Markets Program grant awarded to a U.S. university.

Outstanding staff contribution

Jenifer Pilz

Jenifer Pilz recently retired from MU after 16 years, having served in many roles including supervising the ASC Video Media Lab, the Arts and Science Digital Storytelling Lab, and the Fine Arts Photo and Graphic Design Labs. She began her international work as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Mali in 1990. Since her return, Pilz has committed her life to the Peace Corp’s Third Goal of increasing Americans’ understanding of other peoples and cultures. She has served as a board member and former president of the Central Missouri Returned Peace Corps Volunteers, supporting local service initiatives and assisting MU students with the Peace Corps application process.

Pilz has volunteered tirelessly to support the MU international community, often in leadership and founder roles, in which she coordinated numerous events and supported international students and scholars and raised awareness about international issues. She has served as director of the MU African Interdisciplinary Studies Hub since 2015 and as executive director of the Partners of the Americas Missouri Chapter since 2016. She helped establish the MU African Graduate Professional Student Association in 2017, and she served as a program leader for the Deaton Scholars Program for four years, collaborating to promote global food security and poverty alleviation.