* Brandon Reinbold, graduate student in pharmacology in the College of Veterinary Medicine at K-State, has received the Society for Tropical Veterinary Medicine Award at the Conference of Research Workers in Animal Disease meeting December 2 in Chicago. The award was for Reinbold's presentation, "Diagnosis of bovine anaplasmosis following iatrogenic infection." Reinbold's research includes a first-of-its-kind study to evaluate blood concentrations of chlortetracycline following administration in feed concurrently with elimination of anaplasmosis infection in cattle. Chlortetracycline is a primary treatment for bovine anaplasmosis, which is the most prevalent tick-transmitted disease of cattle in the United States. Anaplasmosis is estimated to cost the U.S livestock industry more than $300 million per year. Cattle that recover from acute anaplasmosis, including those treated with antimicrobials, develop lifelong infections that preclude export to Canada. December 2007
* The president of K-State's Union Program Council and the executive director of the K-State Student Union have been honored at a recent meeting of the Association of College Unions International. Kyle Malone, senior in political science, Dodge City, and Union Program Council president, received the Outstanding Student Achievement Award. The honor recognizes a full-time student who demonstrated excellence in academics and gave exemplary performance for a college union or in student activities work. Bernard Pitts, executive director of the K-State Student Union, received the William H. Smith Distinguished Service Award. The award was created to honor union staff members that have made exceptional contributions and demonstrated a long-term commitment to a student union. Pitts also served as the past president of the Association of College Unions International. December 2007
* Several students in K-State's Army ROTC Wildcat Battalion have been recognized nationally for excellence through the recently released Army ROTC National Order of Merit List. Of the 23 K-State cadets commissioning this year, five were in the top 10 percent of the Order of Merit List and eight of the cadets were designated as distinguished military graduates. Distinguished military graduates rank in the top 20 percent of Army ROTC graduates nationwide. In addition, four K-State cadets were ranked among the top 100 in nation, including one K-State cadet ranked No. 7 nationally. K-State also had the top four rated cadets in Kansas. December 2007
* K-State's Mike Popelka, senior in agronomy, Munden, has been selected as a Gold Opportunity Scholar by the Crop Science Society of America. Popelka is among 15 undergraduates chosen for their academic achievements and interest in crop science. The scholars will begin a yearlong mentoring program and will receive support to attend Crop Science Society of America meetings. December 2007
* A design project has earned a K-State student the highest award given by Kansas architecture professionals. Adam Wagoner, a fourth-year student in architecture, McPherson, received an Honor Award for Student Architecture from the American Institute of Architects Kansas for his scheme of the "Seattle Martial Arts Center." Wagoner worked on the project in a spring 2007 studio class taught by Larry Bowne, assistant professor of architecture. The award was presented at the November meeting of the American Institute of Architects Kansas in Topeka. November 2007
* For the first time since the inception of the Big XII Conference, K-State’s Student Governing Association will host the Annual Big XII Student Government Conference. The 2008 conference will be Oct. 16-19 on the K-State campus and will include delegates from each of the Big XII student governments. Lydia Peele, Olathe senior in math education, and K-State student body vice president; and Amy Schultz, Manhattan junior in biology, and K-State Student Senate vice chair presented the winning bid at this year’s conference hosted by the University of Texas at Austin. Peele said the presentation included information "regarding the unmatched campus style that sets K-State apart from other universities and the strong relationship between the university's administration and student government." November 2007
* Allisha Weeden, a K-State doctoral student in human nutrition, St. Francis, is the recipient of the Jean Hankin Nutritional Epidemiology Research Grant from the American Dietetic Association. The award was presented at the association's recent 2007 Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo in Philadelphia. It provides financial support to a doctoral student working on a dissertation in nutritional epidemiology. Recipients must be registered dietitians who are in a doctoral program in nutrition or nutritional epidemiology. Weeden, who also is a program assistant in K-State's department of human nutrition, will use the award to support a research project investigating the use of dietary supplements and dietary intake of older adults. The project is being conducted with Valentina Remig, assistant professor of human nutrition at K-State. November 2007
* A team from the construction science and management program in the department of architectural engineering and construction science at K-State has advanced to the National Construction Management competition in Las Vegas in March 2008. At the Associated Schools of Construction Region IV annual Construction Management competition, Oct. 25-28, in Nebraska City, Neb., K-State competed in the heavy/highway, design/build and commercial building divisions, with the heavy/highway team taking first place and moving on to the national competition. K-State's design/build team placed third, while the commercial building team placed eighth. November 2007
* Three Kansas State University students and a student from the University of Delaware teamed up to win first place in the first student case study competition at the ninth annual International Leadership Association conference, Nov. 7-10, in Vancouver, British Columbia. Chance Lee, senior in sociology and political science with a minor in leadership studies; Lauren Luhrs, senior in human ecology and mass communications-public relations with minors in leadership studies and business; and Anthony Carter, senior in sociology with a minor in nonprofit leadership, won for the leadership plan they created for Goldman Sachs. The award included a $1,000 cash prize. November 2007
* Sarah Trabert, a Manhattan senior in anthropology won the undergraduate paper competition at the 65th annual meeting of the Plains Anthropological Society in Rapid City, S.D. Her topic was prehistoric pottery found at the Scott site in Leavenworth County, the only fully excavated Steed-Kisker site in Kansas. Her work will be eventually published in the society's journal, Plains Anthropologist. November 2007
* Two K-State students have been elected officers of the National FFA Organization, while two other K-Staters have been recognized by FFA for their business skills. Becky Sullivan, sophomore in agricultural communications and journalism, Paola, was elected National FFA secretary, and Morgan Parker, sophomore in agricultural economics, Limon, Colo., was elected FFA's central region vice president at the 80th National FFA Convention, Oct. 24-27, in Indianapolis. Sullivan and Parker were selected from a field of 40 candidates for the national positions. Also at the convention, Caleb Alexander, senior in agricultural economics, Garden City, was named National FFA's American Star in Agribusiness for starting his own hay-bailing operation, CA Hay. Alexander was among four finalists for the honor. He received a $4,000 award and a plaque. K-State's Morgan Gauby, junior in agribusiness, received a National Agricultural Proficiency Award from FFA for agricultural sales-placement. Gauby was recognized for developing her interest in floriculture into a career. November 2007
* Shane Blaes, K-State freshman in agronomy, Cherryvale, placed second in the chapter division of the 2007 Chevron Delco tractor restoration national competition. The annual contest takes place at the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis. Blaes worked with his cousin to restore a John Deere 720. It is the second time Blaes has earned honors in the event. In 2006, he won the individual category for the restoration of his grandfather's 1944 John Deere Model B. November 2007
* Aimee Klimek, a senior in secondary education at K-State, is this year's Outstanding Student Council for Exceptional Children Member of the Year for the state of Kansas. Klimek, Olathe, was honored at the annual conference of the Kansas Federation of the Council for Exceptional Children in Hutchinson. The award recognizes a current student member of the council who has contributed a great deal of time, energy and support to the council and to exceptional children. Klimek is a co-founder of K-State's Student Council for Exceptional Children chapter. She also served as its first president during the past year. October 2007
* Two recent graduates of K-State's landscape architecture program are the recipients of a top award in the annual American Society of Landscape Architects' National Student Design Competition for work they completed while at K-State. Celine Andersen and Mark Ruzicka, both May 2007 K-State bachelor of landscape architecture graduates, received the Residential Design Award of Excellence for "Prairie Roots: Site Design for Solar Decathlon Project Solar House." The award was given at the annual conference of the American Society of Landscape Architects in San Francisco. The project statement called for the students to design the site for K-State's entry in the 2007 Solar Decathlon using sustainable site elements to symbolically represent Kansas. The success of the design relied on a dichotomy of elements that satisfied the decathlon site on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., and the Kansas landscape. October 2007
* Heather Wise, Bucyrus, a fourth-year student in K-State's interior architecture and product design program, claimed first place in the 2007 Institute of Store Planners' annual student design competition. Wise's design was called "In Motion," a children's retail space that promoted activity and movement. Two cash prizes of $1,000 were given to Wise and to her academic program. Carolyn Thompson, associate professor of interior architecture and product design, was Wise's studio instructor. A total of 86 entries in the competition showcased the design talents of students enrolled in recognized college-level architecture, interior design or environmental design programs. Students were challenged to create a prototype design for a kids store targeting 5- to 13-year-old boys and girls. The goal was to provide a casual and cool environment that emphasized fun and creativity. October 2007
* A K-State graduate student's paper that examines how social threat may influence individual criminal court outcomes has been honored as the best in a competition sponsored by the Midwestern Criminal Justice Association. "Enemies at the Gate: Toward a Theory of Court-Level Racial Threat" by Travis Linnemann, doctoral student in sociology, Manhattan, was selected the top paper in the association's 2007 Student Paper Competition. Linnemann was recognized at the annual conference of the Midwestern Criminal Justice Association, Sept. 27-29, in Chicago. His paper also will be considered for publication in the Journal of Crime and Justice. October 2007
* Bryant Blank, a third-year student in veterinary medicine, has been elected an executive committee officer of the Student American Veterinary Medicine Association. Blank will serve his term as information technology officer upon being sworn in at the association's March 2008 meeting. The Student American Veterinary Medical Association includes 29 student chapters from colleges around the nation with a total membership of over 10,000 students. The organization coordinates student chapter functions, promotes the exchange of ideas and information among students, and represents its members in matters that concern them, both as students and as future veterinarians. October 2007
* The K-State Panhellenic Council is being recognized as one of the best in the nation with the National Panhellenic Conference's Biennial Award for Overall Excellence. The award, for schools with 10 or more sorority chapters, is based on excellence in several areas, including training, leadership, recruitment and adherence to national guidelines. The award will be presented at the biennial meeting of the National Panhellenic Conference, Oct. 27, in Chicago. K-State's Panhellenic Council is made up of the 11 National Panhellenic Conference sororities at the university. September 2007
* K-State's Alpha Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Psi received four chapter awards and three individual awards at the organization's biennial national convention, Aug. 1-5, in Washington, D.C. Alpha Kappa Psi is America's oldest professional business fraternity. The K-State chapter's honors included the Award of Achievement for Outstanding Chapter, Certificate of Improvement, the Circle of Achievement, and the Circle of Excellence. K-State also received three of the six individual honors awarded at the convention, including Darcy Osterhaus, senior in management information systems, National Member of the Year award; Lana Costello, junior in finance, National Psi Award for outstanding contribution in enhancing professional development; and Donita Whitney Bammerlin, instructor of management, National Friend of Alpha Kappa Psi award. September 2007
* Jamie Bauerle, a K-State student from Hiawatha, is serving a two-year term on the national board of directors of Kappa Omicron Nu. The national honor society recognizes excellence in family and consumer sciences. A junior in family and consumer science education, Bauerle was elected to the board in early August at the 2007 National Kappa Omicron Nu Conference in Dallas. As a member of the board, she will contribute to the national governance of the organization, which has more than 100 campus chapters throughout the U.S. and more than 135,000 members worldwide. September 2007
* Outstanding academic performance, demonstrated leadership and a commitment to careers in the nonprofit sector have earned five K-State students awards from American Humanics. The students are Kylie Zibell, senior in family life and community services, Holton, $1,000 American Humanics Academic Award; Danielle English, senior in public relations, Courtney Graham, senior in accounting, and Jessica Silfverberg, senior in public relations, all of Overland Park, and all $4,500 NextGen Leader awards; and Molly Hamm, junior in English and secondary education, Shawnee, $1,000 American Humanics Academic Award. American Humanics is a national alliance of colleges, universities and nonprofits dedicated to preparing the next generation of nonprofit sector leaders. American Humanics is affiliated with 67 colleges and universities, including K-State, and 58 national nonprofit organizations and their local affiliates. The awards to Zibell and Hamm are in recognition of their academic performance, leadership, involvement in K-State's American Humanics program and commitment to a career in the nonprofit sector. The NextGen Leader awards to English, Graham and Silfverberg are stipends to cover living and education expenses while completing internships with nonprofit organizations. August 2007
* The K-State cheerleading squad will compete at the 2008 College Cheerleading Nationals, the third straight year the squad has received a bid to the competition. The squad won the paid bid to nationals by taking top honors at a National Cheerleaders Association summer camp in August, winning both the game day and rally routine competitions. The squad also was voted the most spirited. In addition, four K-State cheerleaders were named to the All-America Cheerleading Team: Kelsey Fechter, freshman in premedicine, and Ashley Smith, junior in marketing, both of Overland Park; Kayla Chrisman, freshman in pre-journalism and mass communications, Wichita; and Jodie Mayes, sophomore in arts and sciences-open option, Fayetteville, Ark. August 2007
* K-State's sole recipient of a fall 2007 Gilman International Scholarship will use her $3,000 award to finance a three-country program of study. Jessica Ice, a junior in anthropology, Kansas City, Kan., will spend five weeks of the fall semester in Guanajuato, Mexico, studying Spanish. From there she'll proceed to Lima, Peru, and Buenos Aires, Argentina. The Gilman International Scholarship Program provides awards of up to $5,000 for undergraduates who are receiving federal Pell grant funding to participate in study abroad programs worldwide. The U.S. State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs sponsors the award. More than 400 were given out for study this fall. August 2007
* For the second consecutive year and the sixth time in the 10-year history of the event, the Kansas State University Powercat Tractors Design Team finished first at the annual American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers International Quarter-Scale Tractor Student Design Competition, May 31 through June 3, in Peoria, Ill. Competing against 28 teams from the United States and Canada, the K-State team also received the "Sound Quality Award" for having the quietest tractor and minimizing noise pollution. The team earned first-place points for the written design report and took second place in the four pulls of the "tractor pull" portion of the competition. The K-State Powercat Tractors Team, made up of undergraduates in biological and agricultural engineering, agricultural technology management and mechanical and nuclear engineering, is the only team to place in the top three, including six firsts, continuously since 1999. The competition began in 1998. All teams were required to use unmodified, 16-horsepower Briggs and Stratton engines and Bridgestone/Firestone tires. The rest of the design was up to each individual team. The K-State tractor used four engines with a four-wheel drive system. Finishing behind K-State were Purdue University, second place; Laval University, third place; University of Kentucky, fourth place; and University of Illinois, fifth place. July 2007
* Student groups from K-State's department of biological and agricultural engineering received honors at the annual international meeting of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, June 17-20, in Minneapolis, Minn. The student branch of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers and the Agricultural Technology Management student club each won first place in the 2007 Association of Equipment Manufacturers student club report and activities competition. K-State's Fountain Wars Design Team placed second in the Fountain Wars competition and was awarded "best use of electronics." The Biological and Agricultural Engineering Robotics Team won the meeting's first ever robotics competition. July 2007
* A team from K-State's student chapter of the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers took first place in a recent international design competition sponsored by the society. The first-place finish was in the system selection category of the competition. Teams had to select a heating, air-conditioning and ventilation system for a more than 127,000 square-foot facility in New York City. Julia Keen, assistant professor, and Fred Hasler, instructor, both of architectural engineering and construction science, were team coaches. It's the third time a K-State team has participated in the competition. The team also had top five finishes in 2004 and 2005. July 2007
* K-State's Konza Prairie Biological Station was the inspiration for the winning entry in the Student Design Competition at the annual meeting of the American Ecological Engineering Society, May 21-25, at K-State. The winning project was a rain garden microcosm. The goal of the five-member K-State team was to design an ecologically engineered structure that absorbs water into the soil very quickly, but that also holds as much water as possible. According to the competition organizers, the K-State team's exceptional infiltration dynamics and other design elements earned the team this year's competition award. Team members, all biological and agricultural engineering majors, included Patrick Bussen, Laura Christianson, Trisha Culbertson, Alicia Greene and Hale Sloan. June 2007
* A plan to get sixth-graders to use their five senses to develop better food habits and to lower their chances of obesity won a team of five K-State College of Human Ecology students first place in the recent third annual Elaine Skinner Memorial Sensory Design Competition. It's also the third win in the competition for K-State. Students on the team, all in K-State's sensory analysis graduate program and all from Manhattan, are Alisa Doan, Aussama Soontrunnarudrungsri, Kelly Thompson, Gaewalin Oupadissakoon and Jeehyun Lee. The team's winning project was "Sensory Knowledge: A Basis for Healthy Living." The team developed 12 lesson plans to teach the relationship between sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch and eating choices. June 2007
* Jeremy Dreiling, a master's student in architectural engineering, Hays, has received the 2007-08 Professional Engineers in Industry Scholarship from the National Society of Professional Engineers. Among the scholarship requirements included a minimum 2.5 grade point average, letters of recommendation from at least two of his professors and a 500-word essay, along with work experience, membership in professional and technical societies, activities and honors. Dreiling is president of K-State's chapter of the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning. He has been president and fundraising chair of the Architectural Engineering Institute, a student organization in the department of architectural engineering and construction science. He is a student member of the National Society of Professional Engineers. He also is a member of Phi Alpha Epsilon, an architectural engineering society; Tau Beta Pi, a national engineering honor society; Golden Key, an international honor society; the National Society of Collegiate Scholars; and Phi Eta Sigma honor society. June 2007
* K-State's Aero Design Team placed sixth out of 47 teams in the Aero Design East competition, May 4-6, in Fort Worth, Texas. K-State placed third amongst U.S. teams in the international competition. The competition requires engineering students to plan, design, construct and test a radio-controlled aircraft that can take off and land while carrying the maximum cargo. The team built an 8.5-pound radio-controlled plane, named "The Manhattan Project." The plane won the Society of Automotive Engineers Aero Design West competition in March. June 2007
* The opportunity to conduct supramolecular chemistry research in the lab of a Nobel Prize winner will take a new K-State doctoral graduate to France. Nathan Schultheiss, who earned his Ph.D. in chemistry from K-State in May, has received a Fulbright Scholar award from the Alsace Regional Council in France. Schultheiss is going to the Universite Louis Pasteur in Strasbourg, France, where he will conduct postdoctoral research at the university's Institute de Science et d'Ingenierie Supramoleculaires. Founded in 2000, the institute is co-directed by Jean-Marie Lehn, who won a Nobel Prize in 1987 for his work in supramolecular chemistry. While at K-State, Schultheiss conducted supramolecular chemistry research in the lab of Christer Aakeroy, professor of chemistry. His work has produced about 10 articles for publication in international peer-reviewed journals. June 2007
* An electronic thesis by international photojournalist, former White House photographer and recent K-State graduate Pete Souza is an award winner. Souza, a December 2006 master's graduate in journalism and mass communications, has received one of six 2007 Electronic Theses and Dissertations awards from the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations. Souza is being honored for his thesis, "A Photojournalist on Assignment." The thesis, in a PDF document, includes 37 photographs and captions from Souza's career as a photojournalist. The photos cover such diverse subjects as two young boys at a K-State child care center, Princess Diana dancing with John Travolta at the White House, the War in Afghanistan and the death of former President Ronald Reagan. It's the third time in the last two years that a K-State graduate student has been honored in the Electronic Theses and Dissertations competition, which is sponsored by Adobe Systems Inc. K-State received two awards, for a thesis and a dissertation, in 2006.
The competition recognizes students whose electronic theses and dissertations make innovative use of software and serve to transform the genre of print dissertations and theses. According to the awards committee of the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations, Souza's "exemplary work has created a unique model of digital media research that will encourage further endeavors in this area. Souza's efforts have improved graduate education and raised the standard of scholarship on a global scale." The award will be presented at the organization's 2007 symposium, June 13-16, in Uppsala, Sweden. June 2007
* Four interior architecture and product design students from K-State were among the top winners in the student project category of the 2007 Hospitality Design Awards for Creative Achievement, sponsored by Hospitality Design magazine. From more than 40 entries, the judges chose the project submitted by Colleen Wittman, Olathe, and Carly Hillman, Overland Park, to receive the first-place award. The project submitted by Rebecca Bayouth, Lawrence, and Renee Girard, Olathe, was named one of three finalists. All four students are entering their fifth year of studies in K-State's College of Architecture, Planning and Design. Both of K-State's winning projects were designs for restaurants. Neal Hubbell, associate professor of interior architecture and product design, was studio instructor for the projects. The projects will be featured in the May/June 2007 issue of Hospitality Design. May 2007
* A K-State graduate student in landscape architecture received an award at the 2007 American Society of Landscape Architects Central States Conference in Kansas City, Mo. Brett Tagtmeyer, Emporia, received an Honor Award in the student unbuilt design category for "Confluence," a study of Sullivan's Cove in southern Tasmania's River Derwent Estuary. His design solution centered on returning a water drainage channel to its original path and creating wetlands that filter urban runoff. Melanie Klein, K-State assistant professor of landscape architecture and regional and community planning, was studio instructor for the project. May 2007
* A new Kansas State University graduate is among the first class of First Tee scholars to graduate from college, according to the Florida organization that sponsors the golf-based scholarship program. Angelika Huguley, Junction City, received a bachelor's degree political science. She plans to go to law school and become a prosecutor. The First Tee, founded in 1997, is part of the World Golf Foundation in St. Augustine, Fla. It provides learning facilities and educational programs to promote character and life-enhancing values through the game of golf. First Tee's scholars program was founded in 2001. At K-State, Huguley volunteered as a leadership counselor during the First Tee Life Skills and Leadership Academy in summer 2006. In 2004 she interned with the Wal-Mart First Tee Open at Pebble Beach, Calif. As an academy participant in 2001, she received the Renee Powell outstanding female leader award. May 2007
* Two interior architecture and product design students were among the top five winners at the 2007 Exhibit Designers and Producers Association International Student Design Competition. Judges chose the entry by Heather Wise, a third-year student from Bucyrus, as the second-place winner. She received a $2,500 tuition scholarship. Kathryn Steib, a third-year student from St. Louis, Mo., placed fourth in the competition. Both students received a complete design software package from Autodesk and opportunities for paid internships with sponsoring companies. This year's competition challenged the student competitors to design a 60-foot-by 80-foot booth for launching a fictional company and five of its video games at the 2007 Gaming and Electronic Expo. May 2007
* Janeal Schmidt, Minneapolis, Kan., a K-State senior in secondary education is one of up to 50 winners of a 2007 James Madison Memorial Fellowship. The Fellowship funds up to $24,000 of each Fellow's course of study towards a master's degree in American history, political science or education. The Fellows are selected in competition with applicants from each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the nation's island and trust territories. Schmidt graduates in May 2007 with a degree in secondary education with a concentration in social studies and English as a second language. She has been awarded an assistantship in history and plans to pursue a master's in American history at K-State. May 2007
* K-State students in management information systems now have won first place in three of four categories in a consulting and software development competition sponsored by Cerner Corp., Kansas City, Mo. This semester's competition offered three categories. K-State students took first in the mobile device and dashboard system categories. For the competitions, students worked on marketing, software, user manuals and other elements that go into developing new medical products for Cerner. May 2007
* The K-State National Agri-Marketing Association student team placed first at the 2007 National Agri-Marketing Competition, the second year in a row the team has won the competition. For the competition, students chose a product and developed a plan to successfully bring their product to the marketplace. Teams from 31 universities participated, including three teams from Canada. In addition to winning the marketing competition, the K-State team won the "Best Product" award and two K-State students were selected to receive scholarships awarded at the conference. May 2007
* K-State architectural engineering students Jennifer Lybarger and Susan Nagel have been awarded scholarships by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers for the 2007-2008 school year. Lybarger, senior, Overland Park, is the recipient of the inaugural Past Presidents' Scholarship for $2,000. Nagel, senior, St. Peters, Mo., is the recipient of the Kansas City American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers Scholarship for $1,000. May 2007
* K-State cheerleaders competed at the National Cheerleaders Association Collegiate Nationals April 3-7 in Daytona Beach, Fla., finishing in eighth place in the finals. Head coach of the K-State cheer squad is Al Enlow. April 2007
* K-State's Lizette Vargas Strader, senior in psychology, Dodge City, and Theresa Doyle, senior in family life and community services, Overland Park, will present "Coming Home: The Impact of Deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan on Relationship Satisfaction" at Posters on the Hill, a display sponsored by the Council on Undergraduate Research. Strader and Doyle are members of Trauma Research, Education and Consultation at K-State, also known as TRECK. Their display is among fewer than 80 chosen out of 400 applicants who participated in original research projects. Undergraduate research assistants work extensively with TRECK team projects. Team members interviewed male soldiers and their female partners about how the soldier's war deployment affected the soldier, his spouse/partner and their relationship. They found that partners who had strong communication were less likely to have their relationship affected by war-related trauma and other problems related to the deployment. Briana Nelson Goff, faculty coordinator for the TRECK program, worked with the students. April 2007
* David Olds, doctoral student in hotel, restaurant, institution management and dietetics at K-State, has been awarded the Hettie Margaret Anthony Doctoral Fellowship from Kappa Omicron Nu, the national honor society for students in the human sciences. The fellowship recognizes quality scholarship and potential for leadership. Olds, Manhattan, is president of the K-State Graduate Student Council. In 2006, he receive the Gold Key Graduate Teaching Assistant Award for his commitment to education. April 2007
* K-State's Financial Planning Team earned second place at the national collegiate financial planning competition championship, the Ameriprise Planning Invitational, April 18-21, in Minneapolis, Minn. Team members, all seniors and all personal financial planning majors, are Emma Goff, Emporia; Theresa Kasper, Wilson; and Samantha Oliver, Upland, Calif. The team, mentored by John Grable, associate professor of family studies and human services, has a long track record of success. K-State won national titles in 2006, 2005, 2003 and 2000. At this year's competition, K-State finished behind Virginia Tech. April 2007
* Nicole Wayant , Topeka, a junior in mathematics and geography, has been selected for a summer internship with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, headquartered in Washington, D.C. Wayant will work at the agency's facility in St. Louis, Mo., this summer. According to Max Lu, associate professor of geography at K-State, the agency's primary function is to collect, analyze and distribute geospatial intelligence for combat support. The agency's internship program is highly selective, Lu said, with only a few interns selected each year to work at the agency's facilities in St. Louis and in Virginia. Wayant wants to pursue a career in intelligence as an analyst. April 2007
* The K-State Beta Alpha Psi chapter received first place for its Best Practices presentation at the Beta Alpha Psi Missouri Valley Regional Meeting March 31 in Kansas City. Six members of K-State's chapter of Beta Alpha Psi, a financial information honorary, showed a presentation about Boys and Girls Club activities as they competed in the "sustained and recognized service to the university, community and/or civic community" category. With the win, the chapter is now eligible to compete at the annual meeting in Chicago in August. April 2007
* The K-State Crops Team took first place in the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture Crops Contest April 21 in Hutchinson. K-State has won the contest seven times in the last nine years. The 2007 team placed first in all four parts of the contest. K-State's total team score of 2,105.1 of 2,400 possible points was the highest score ever achieved in a North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture Crops Contest. In addition, one of K-State's team members, Zach Unrau, Goessel, earned the highest individual score ever recorded in the contest, getting 556 of 600 possible points overall. Unrau, senior in agricultural technology management, placed first overall. He was first in identification, first in agronomic calculations, first in laboratory practical and tied for second in the agronomic quiz. April 2007
* K-State students have claimed three of the 50 Phi Kappa Phi Study/Internship Abroad Grants awarded nationally this year. The $1,000 awards recognize and assist undergraduates seeking knowledge abroad. The recipients are Cierra Elder, Bennington; Megan Dirks, Hutchinson; and Rebecca Tokach, St. Anthony, N.D. Elder, a junior in biology and premedicine, will participate in a service learning project this summer with other K-State students in Jacunda, Brazil. Dirks, a freshman in international business marketing and French, plans to study in either Marseille, Caen or Lille through the International Student Exchange Program in 2008. Tokach, a sophomore in animal sciences and agricultural economics, will spend two weeks this summer in Costa Rica, where she will visit cattle ranches, swine and dairy operations, and a banana plantation. April 2007
* Several students recently received awards for their performance in regional Chinese and Japanese language speech contests. Five K-State students participated and won awards at the third Midwest Chinese Speech Contest at Northwestern University in Chicago. The contest was sponsored by Northwestern University and the People's Republic of China Consulate General in Chicago and included about 60 students from 21 universities in the Midwest. In addition, one K-State student competed and placed in the 21st annual Japanese Language Speech Contest hosted by the Consulate General of Japan in Chicago. April 2007
* Anatoliy Zeltser, senior in architectural engineering, Overland Park, has been chosen as one of 11 summer 2007 interns for the Washington Internships for Students of Engineering program. The program brings together college students from across the country to spend nine weeks, June 4 to Aug. 3, in Washington, D.C. They will learn how government officials make decisions on technological issues and also see how engineers can contribute to legislative and regulatory public policy decisions. April 2007
* Army ROTC cadets from Kansas State University took first place in one category of the Bataan Memorial Death March, a marathon challenge at the White Sands Missile Range near Las Cruces, N.M. K-State cadets on the male military light team placed first in their category. K-State also had teams competing in the military heavy -- military uniform with a 30-pound backpack -- category, and co-ed military light category. April 2007
* K-State's forensics team went to the National Individual Events Tournament, hosted by Minnesota State University, Mankato, and came home with a national championship in extemporaneous speaking and a seventh place finish overall. K-State's individual events forensics speech team competed against 83 schools, with 1,442 entries from nearly 500 competitors. Jessy Ohl, Denison, Iowa, a junior in political science, is the nation's top college extemporaneous speaker. He also finished fourth in Informative Speaking and 10th in the Individual Sweepstakes. April 2007
* Monica Palomo, a graduate student in civil engineering, has received a 2007 Environmental Chemistry Graduate Student Award. She was nominated by her adviser, Alok Bhandari, associate professor of civil engineering at K-State. Palomo, Manhattan, is just one of 19 national recipients of the award, which is given by the American Chemical Society's Division of Environmental Chemistry. She is currently working toward her doctorate in civil engineering with an emphasis on environmental engineering. April 2007
* The Professional Landcare Network recognized K-State's Landscape Contracting Team as a top 10 program at the 31st annual Student Career Days at Michigan State University. From March 28-April 1, the 27 K-State students from the department of horticulture, forestry and recreation services showcased their knowledge, talent and effort in 24 competitive events. They finished fourth out of 54 competing colleges and universities, K-State's highest finish ever in the competition. Many of K-State's team members claimed top 10 finishes in individual events. This marked K-State's seventh year in the national event known as the "landscape olympics." April 2007
* Two K-State students were among 80 nationwide to receive Morris K. Udall Scholarships, a congressional scholarship honoring the former Arizona congressman for his legacy of public service. The scholars were selected from 434 candidates nominated by 221 colleges and universities. Brad Lutz, senior in electrical engineering and computer engineering, Andover, and Ella Todd, junior in marketing, Manhattan, will each receive a $5,000 Udall Scholarship. Sally Maddock, fifth-year senior in architecture and natural resources and environmental sciences, Lakewood, Colo., was one of 50 students recognized with an honorable mention. James Hohenbary, assistant dean for nationally competitive scholarships, said the Udall Foundation seeks future leaders across a wide spectrum of environmental fields, including policy, engineering, science, education, urban planning and renewal, business, health, justice and economics. K-State students have amassed one of the top records in the nation in Udall scholarships and are tied for third among state universities with 18 winners since the scholarship began in 1996. April 2007
* A team of five Kansas State University engineering students recently won first place in the American Concrete Institute's Concrete Construction Competition. The international competition is a weeklong activity for engineering students where each team's project manager is sent a real-life, high-profile job problem for their team to solve. Each team had to come up with a short toolbox talk that a company's superintendents could give on a day when their field crews are placing concrete in a tall column and wall forms. The talk is to remind the field crews how to properly place and consolidate concrete when they can't see the concrete surface during placements. The students then have seven days to turn in their answer. It couldn't be more than 600 words, and they were allowed a maximum of four pictures. The team received a $300 cash award as part of its first-place finish. April 2007
* The K-State Aero Design Team placed first out of 27 teams in the Society of Automotive Engineers Aero West competition, March 24-25, in Van Nuys, Calif. The contest involves three parts that groups are scored on: a written designer's report, an oral presentation and the actual flight of the plane. The team, which is organized and lead by students, made an 8.5-pound remote-controlled plane, named "The Manhattan Project," that won by carrying its maximum predicted payload weight of 20.73 pounds. In addition, the team was recognized at the event for submitting the best design report. April 2007
* Jonathan King, Manhattan, was named a Phi Kappa Phi Graduate Fellowship winner for 2007. This year fellowships of $5,000 were awarded to 60 of the nation's top college seniors to support their graduate study. King plans to use his fellowship to attend the University of California, Berkeley. A K-State senior in chemical engineering, King plans to earn a Ph.D. studying nanotechnology and to conduct research at the university level. A 2006 Goldwater scholar, King has done extensive undergraduate research at K-State in chemical engineering. Since 1986, K-State has had 20 winners, a total matched only by Brigham Young University. Other top-ranking schools are the University of Maryland, University of Southern California, Montana State University, the University of Illinois and Purdue. April 2007
* Jenna Kennedy, Hoxie, is K-State's 30th Harry S. Truman Scholarship winner. A senior in microbiology, natural resources and environmental science, and premedicine, Kennedy has been selected to receive the national scholarship, which provides up to $30,000 for college students preparing for a career in public service. With 30 winners and one alternate since the first scholarships were awarded in 1977, K-State remains first in the nation among public universities in producing Truman scholars. Kennedy is a K-State honors list student. She has been conducting undergraduate research in the immunology lab of Stephen Chapes, professor of biology, since November 2005. She is the advisory board co-chair to K-State PROUD: Students Changing Lives campaign; president of Chimes junior honorary; and recruitment information manager for Alpha Delta Pi sorority, where she also has served as finance vice president. She is a member of the University Committee on Religion and Rotaract. She was a member of Quest, the freshman honorary, and has served as vice president of Silver Key, the sophomore honorary. She also has been a Student Governing Association intern. March 2007
* Kansas State University students have earned two Graduate Research Fellowship Awards and three honorable mentions from the National Science Foundation. Earning fellowship awards are Matthew Basel, senior in biology, chemistry and biochemistry, Manhattan, and Meg Fasulo, senior in chemistry, biochemistry and microbiology, Olathe. Receiving honorable mention honors are Meredith Schlabach, senior in mechanical engineering, Manhattan; Jeffrey Amos, senior in mathematics, Olathe; and Alyson Deines, senior in mathematics, Woodbine.
Basel and Fasulo receive a $30,000 stipend per year plus a $10,500 payment per year that graduate institutions accept in lieu of tuition and fees, even when tuition and fees exceed that amount. The awards are renewable for up to three years of funding. The Graduate Research Fellowship Program's purpose is to ensure the vitality of scientists and engineers in the United States and to reinforce their diversity. The program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines who are pursuing research-based master's and doctoral degrees. The fellows are expected to become experts who can contribute significantly to research, teaching and innovations in science and engineering. March 2007
* Two members of K-State at Salina's new chapter of Business Professionals of America have qualified for the national competition by earning honors at a recent regional competition. Robert Graham, freshman in electronic and computer engineering technology, Salina, placed first in the VB.Net programming category and finished in the top 10 in the Financial Math and Analysis and Management/Marketing/Human Resources Concepts categories. Nathan Maresch, senior in electronic and computer engineering technology, Nekoma, earned second place in PC troubleshooting and finishing in the top 10 in the Computer Security, Information Technology Concepts, Management/Marketing/Human Resources, Financial Math and Analysis, and Parliamentary Procedure Concepts categories. The national competition will be in May in New York. March 2007
* Steve Kern, a K-State senior in construction science and management, Wamego, captured first place at the 2007 National Collegiate Wrestling Championships, March 8-10, at the Garland Special Events Center in Dallas. As a team, the K-State Wrestling Club finished in the top 15 at the championships. Nearly 70 collegiate teams competed. Kern's championship was in the 184 pound weight class. He pinned four wrestlers to get to the final match, which he won 2-0. In addition to his championship, Kern, a team captain, is only the 14th person in National Collegiate Wrestling Association history to be named a four-time All-American. March 2007
* Michael Verschelden, junior in English, Fairway, has been awarded a fellowship to attend the Bucknell Seminar for Younger Poets, May 31-June 21 at Bucknell University's Stadler Center for Poetry in Lewisburg, Pa. Students are invited to attend based on their submitted manuscript, personal statement and letters of recommendation. Verschelden was nominated by Jonathan Holden, university distinguished professor of English, and Elizabeth Dodd, professor of English. March 2007
* K-State's Panhellenic and Interfraternity councils earned honors at the Mid-America Greek Council Association's annual conference and awards banquet, Feb. 22-25, in Chicago. The Panhellenic Council received the Sutherland Award, which recognizes outstanding actions and policies of an ideal sorority community. The council was rated outstanding in the categories of academic achievement, council management, philanthropy and community service, leadership and educational development, membership recruitment, public relations, risk reduction and management, and self governance and judicial affairs. The Interfraternity Council received second place in the Jellison Award competition. The award recognizes outstanding actions and policies of an ideal fraternity community. K-State was rated outstanding in academic achievement, philanthropy and community service, public relations, risk reduction and management, and self-governance and judicial affairs. According to Scott Jones, director of Greek affairs at K-State, the recognitions were significant as K-State's Greek governing councils have won the Sutherland or Jellison awards 21 times in the last 28 years. March 2007
*A K-State student earned the honor of being selected as one of the four finalists in the discussion meet of the American Farm Bureau Federation's Young Farmers and Ranchers Leadership Conference. Sarah Sexton, senior in agricultural economics, Abilene, competed against 26 other students from around the country before winning a seat on stage as a finalist at the conference in Jacksonville, Fla. For her selection, Sexton received a $1,250 scholarship from American Farm Bureau. March 2007
* Two K-State students served as delegates at the recent 49th annual Air Force Academy Assembly, Feb. 6-9, in Colorado Springs, Colo. The assembly is a conference for highly qualified undergraduates that provides an opportunity to discuss a topic of contemporary significance. Greg Corbin, senior in philosophy and political science, Shawnee, and Chad McKown, senior in political science, Wichita, were among the more than 200 student delegates attending the assembly, which had a theme this year of "Continent at a Crossroads: Prosperity, Justice and Security in South America." February 2007
* K-State's chapter of Blue Key, the senior leadership honorary, was named the outstanding national chapter at Blue Key's 2007 annual conference, which took place at K-State Jan. 19 and 20. Two K-State Blue Key members also received honors at the conference. Tyson Moore, senior in information systems, El Dorado, received one of two President's Awards, and Kristen Daniels, senior in food and nutrition/exercise science, Minneola, received the Most Exemplary Member Award. The K-State Blue Key chapter organized the conference, which attracted 88 participants from 16 Blue Key chapters across the country. February 2007
* Two student interns and an associate engineer at K-State's Advanced Manufacturing Institute are now Certified SolidWorks Professionals. Earning the designation at the recent SolidWorks World Conference in New Orleans, La., were K-State students Josh Updyke, senior in mechanical engineering, Manhattan, and Rein Herrman, senior in mechanical engineering, Russell, both interns at the Advanced Manufacturing Institute, as well as Stephen Corkill, an associate engineer at the institute. SolidWorks is a 3-D computer-aided design program. There are approximately 4,000 Certified SolidWorks Professionals worldwide, with eight individuals in Kansas. Only the most qualified and advanced professionals receive the certification. February 2007
* Jeremy Dreiling, a fifth-year senior in architectural engineering, has been awarded an American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers Graduate Student Grant-in-Aid for the 2007-2008 academic year. Dreiling will receive $8,000 as a full-time graduate student at K-State for studying technologies related to the society. His research will be related to air quality in health care systems, and he'll specifically analyze air cleaning methods. Grants are given based on the relevance of the research proposed by the student and the participation of the student and his or her advisor in the society. Recipients of the grant are to use the money to help prepare for service in the heating, ventilation, air-conditioning and refrigeration industry. Typically 10 to 25 grants are given out each year. The money is normally used for tuition and living expenses, as well as experimental equipment, supplies and travel to American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers meetings. February 2007
* Students from K-State's chapter of the Society for Human Resource Managers recently won the 2007 Kansas HR Games, defeating both the University of Kansas and Wichita State University. K-State defeated both schools in the first rounds of the competition and won the final round of the "Jeopardy" style competition against Wichita State. As winners of the competition, the K-State team received $1,500 from the Kansas Society for Human Resource Mangers State Council. The money will be used for transportation to the regional HR Games and student conference March 23-24 in Tempe, Ariz. February 2007
* The university's forensics team, K-State Speech Unlimited, has started off the new year with several successful tournaments. On Jan. 14 the team won the Northwest Missouri State University/Doane College Swing in Maryville, Mo. The same weekend, Speech Unlimited sent four students to the largest tournament in the country, at the University of Texas at Austin. The team took fourth place out of more than 40 teams at the tournament, the Hell Froze Over Swing, University of Texas at Austin and Bradley University. The team earned first place overall Jan. 21 at the Concordia College/Wheaton College Swing in Seward, Neb., which was the 10th tournament the team has won this season. February 2007
* For the third year in a row, a student from K-State's department of hotel, restaurant, institution management and dietetics has received a Best Paper Award at the Graduate Education and Graduate Student Research Conference in Hospitality and Tourism. Amelia Estepa Asperin, a doctoral candidate in human ecology-institution management, won one of two best paper distinctions at the 12th annual conference, Jan. 4-6, at the University of Houston. Deb Canter, head of K-State's department of hotel, restaurant, institution management and dietetics, said the schools represented at the conference are major players in hospitality and tourism education and research. Canter said the review process is very rigorous. Of the 207 papers under consideration this year, only five were nominated for a Best Paper Award. Asperin's paper, "Exploring the Measurement of Brand Personality Congruence in the Casual Dining Industry," was co-authored by Carol Shanklin, associate dean of the Graduate School, and Ki-Joon Back, a former K-State faculty member. January 2007
* Not many college students appear in an opera one month and present a paper at an International Conference on Nuclear Engineering the next. But that's what K-State student Sam Brinton is doing. Brinton, who graduated from high school less than a year ago, is already accomplishing amazing things. He has accumulated enough hours so far that he is officially a sophomore student, with a double major in nuclear engineering and vocal performance. In April, he travels to Nagoya, Japan, to the 15th International Conference on Nuclear Engineering April 22-26. There, he will present a paper he co-authored with nuclear engineering professor Akira Tokuhiro. Before that, on March 1, 2 and 3, Brinton sings in the chorus of the Mozart opera, "Cosi fan Tutte" presented by K-State's department of music. Both are very unusual experiences for a first year college student. And Brinton said that is why he chose K-State: he was impressed with the university's nuclear engineering and vocal music opportunities. Undergraduate research is a priority at K-State and Brinton wasted no time getting involved in a research project. He met nuclear engineering professor Akira Tokuhiro in the fall and began working with him in his lab. The professor mentored the student and together they developed the research paper Brinton will present at the international meeting. January 2007