2010 All-University Acievements
* K-State was selected as one of 115 institutions to receive the 2010 Community Engagement Classification from the Carnegie Foundation. The classification honors higher education institutions that collaborate with their larger communities and understand the benefits of a reciprocal exchange of knowledge and resources. K-State already is ranked by the Carnegie Foundation as a "very high research activity" university. Jan. 2011
* Jacque Gibbons has been named the social worker of the year in Kansas. The associate professor of social work was selected for the honor by the Kansas Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. The chapter cited his commitment to the values and ethics of the profession; his volunteer service, particularly with the American Red Cross as a certified mental health responder; and his work to train future social workers. Dec. 2010
* K-State's newest Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship recipients are Sophia Ford, Nathen Lippert and Juan Carlos Mendoza. The Gilman scholarship provides up to $5,000 for undergraduate students to study abroad. Ford will study at the University of Iceland in Reykjavik, Iceland; Lippert will study in Prague, Czech Republic; and Mendoza will study at the University of Hertfordshire in England. Dec. 2010
* AccessUS, a 2+2 program created for nontraditional Latino and Latina students wanting to teach in southwest Kansas, received the 2010 Outstanding Service to Underserved Populations Award from the Association for Continuing Higher Education. The program has helped 16 students earn their bachelor's degrees in elementary education with an English as a second language endorsement from K-State. Dec. 2010
* K-State's Brigade Command Team Spouse Development Program, which is housed at Fort Leavenworth, received the Malcolm Knowles Award for Outstanding Adult Education Program of the Year. The national award is given each year by the American Association of Adult and Continuing Education to an outstanding program that demonstrates leadership and effectiveness in the art and science of teaching adults. Dec. 2010
* For the third consecutive year students in K-State’s food science research and development class took home first place at the American Association of Cereal Chemists International Food Product Development Competition. No other university has achieved this benchmark in the history of the competition. The team's winning entry was a fat-free grain tea made with cracked red sorghum roasted and combined with a dried pineapple and orange fruit mix. Nov. 2010
* Summer Lewis, a K-State alumna and project coordinator with housing and dining services, was named a Rotary World Peace Fellow by Rotary International. She is one of 50 fellows from 24 countries chosen for the 2010-2012 program. Lewis will spend 18 months studying at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia, and will earn a master's degree in international studies, peace and conflict resolution. Nov. 2010
* K-State is a Military Advanced Education magazine Top Military-Friendly Colleges and Universities honoree for the fourth year in a row. The magazine has been honoring military-friendly colleges and universities since 2007, and K-State has been on its list each year. K-State and the other institutions receiving the honor were featured in the magazine's December issue. Nov. 2010
* Four K-State researchers received a patent for their invention, "Compositions and Methods for Controlling Plant Parasitic Nematodes," which aims to control the soybean cyst nematode, a devastating parasite that causes million of dollars in crop damage each year. The researchers included: Harold Trick, professor of plant pathology; Timothy Todd, instructor of plant pathology; Michael Herman, associate professor of biology; and Judith Roe, former assistant professor of biology. Nov. 2010
* Jon Mahoney, associate professor of philosophy, has been named a Fulbright Scholar to Kyrgyzstan. He will work at the American University of Central Asia in Bishkek. His research work will focus on democratic equality, with an emphasis on religion and politics. Nov. 2010
* Scott Morey, who earned a doctor of veterinary medicine degree in May 2010, is one of five recent veterinary medicine graduates chosen to have $100,000 in federal loans waived. Morey was chosen through the American Veterinary Medical Association and the American Veterinary Medical Foundation's Food Animal Veterinarian Recruitment and Retention Program, designed to combat a growing shortage of food animal veterinarians. Nov. 2010.
* Frank Blecha, university distinguished professor of immunophysiology, interim associate dean for research in the College of Veterinary Medicine, and head of the department of anatomy and physiology, has been recognized by the American Association of Veterinary Immunologists as the 2010 Distinguished Veterinary Immunologist of the Year. The title is one of the highest honors in Blecha's field, and is used to recognize those who have advanced the study of the immunology. Oct 2010
* The College of Veterinary Medicine has earned accreditation from the American Veterinary Medical Association Council on Education. Accreditation for the college occurs once every seven years by the American Veterinary Medical Association. This association is designated by the U.S. Department of Education as the accrediting body for the nation's 28 schools of veterinary medicine, and is recognized worldwide as the gold standard in veterinary education. Oct. 2010.
* Two projects that brought together the Division of Continuing Education and the College of Education won Celebration of Excellence awards from the University Professional and Continuing Education Association. The Extended College Education for Lifelong Learning program, or Project EXCELL, won the association's Central Region Innovative Program Award, while the academic advising certificate program won the association's Central Region Mature Credit Program Award. Project EXCELL offers five-week, on-campus classes to young adults age 18 and older who have mild developmental disabilities or other cognitive disabilities and might not otherwise be able to experience a college environment. The program was offered for the first time at K-State in spring 2010. The 15-credit academic advising certificate program is a collaborative effort from the department of special education, counseling and student affairs; the College of Education; the Division of Continuing Education; and the National Academic Advising Association. The program was created in 2003. Oct. 2010
* University distinguished professors T.G. Nagarja, diagnostic medicine and pathobiology, and Chii-Dong Lin, physics, received prestigious Higuchi-KU Endowment Research Achievement Awards for 2010. Each award includes a plaque and a $10,000 grant for ongoing research materials. Nagaraja is the recipient of the Irvin Youngblood Award for Applied Science for his research on the microbiology of the gastrointestinal tract in cattle. Lin received the Olin Petefish Award in Basic Science. He is recognized internationally in several fields of atomic, molecular and optical physics, including the study of ultrafast, intense-field, short-pulse, laser-based physics. Oct. 2010
* Jason Strachman Miller, senior in mass communications, Poughkeepsie, N.Y., and current editor-in-chief of the Kansas State Collegian, won the 2010 Rolling Stone Collegiate Journalism Competition for his profile of a student who underwent a heterosexual conversion therapy program. The story appeared in the Collegian as part of a five-part series in December 2009. The package examined the relationship between the gay community, a local gay-friendly church and a local church offering therapy programs to live a heterosexual lifestyle. Two parts of the series were devoted to the student's story. Miller's award includes $2,500, and it was included in a mid-October edition of the magazine. Oct. 2010
* Guihua Bai and Daniel Devlin have been named fellows of the American Society of Agronomy. Members of the society nominate worthy colleagues based on their professional achievements and meritorious service. Only 0.3 percent of the society’s active and emeritus members may be elected a fellow. Bai is a U.S. Department of Agriculture Research plant geneticist and adjunct professor in agronomy; Devlin is a professor and extension specialist in agronomy. Bai is one of the directors of USDA's Central Small Grain Genotyping Lab and K-State Sequence Facility. His research focuses mainly on hard winter wheat molecular breeding and wheat resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. Devlin's extension and research programs focus on developing and implementing water quality extension programs, particularly related to nutrient and pesticide management and on watershed planning. Oct. 2010
* James Shroyer, professor and extension crops specialist and Extension agronomy state leader, has been named a fellow of the Crop Science Society of America. Members of the society nominate worthy colleagues based on their professional achievements and meritorious service. Only 0.3 percent of the society’s active and emeritus members may be elected fellow. Shroyer's research focuses on wheat and alfalfa production and management. He has served as associate editor for the Journal of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Education, and has been active in the Crop Science Society of America and the American Society of Agronomy. Oct. 2010
* Gerard Kluitenberg, professor of soil and environmental physics at K-State, has received the Don and Betty Kirkham Soil Physics Award from the Soil Science Society of America. The award recognizes mid-career soil scientists who have made outstanding contributions in the area of soil physics. Kluitenberg's primary research focus is the development of thermal sensors for measuring soil physical properties and quantifying water flow in soils. He has been chair of Division S-1 of the society, and has been associate editor for the Soil Science Society of America Journal. He is a Fellow of the Soil Science Society of America and the American Society of Agronomy. Oct. 2010
* K-State was among only nine schools from the U.S. selected to participate in an exclusive graduate student recruitment event in China. Carol Shanklin, dean of the Graduate School, and Jishu Shi, associate professor of anatomy and physiology and director of the U.S.-China Center for Animal Health, represented K-State at the China Scholarship Council's 2010 International Graduate Scholarship Fair, Oct. 15-23. The fair gives select schools the chance to recruit top Chinese students who want to attend a graduate program overseas. Other U.S. schools invited to attend included Johns Hopkins University, Washington University, Emory University, University of Florida and Indiana University. October 2010
* John Hatcliff, professor of computer and information science, and Robby, associate professor of computing and information science, were part of a seven-member research team that received the Most Influential Paper Award from the International Conference on Software Engineering. The award honors the publication that has the biggest influence on the theory and practice of software engineering in the 10 years since it was published. The team published "Bandera: Extracting Finite-State Models from Java Source code" in 2000. The publication is the most-cited paper published in the 30-year conference history and the second most-cited of more than 10,000 papers published by the Association of Computing Machinery's SIGSOFT -- the leading professional software engineering association. Sept. 2010
* K-State dining services served up the first-place entry in the 2010 Most Innovative Nutrition Program contest, sponsored by the National Association of College and University Food Services. K-State also took second place in the Best Vegan Recipe contest. K-State's winning entry in the nutrition program contest was "Dinner with the Dietitian," which was designed by dining services' Mission Nutrition Committee. As the 2010 winner, K-State will judge the contest in 2011. Fern Mayfield's recipe for vegetable and tofu jambalaya took second place in the Best Vegan Recipe contest. Mayfield is the recipe system/test kitchen manager for K-State dining services. Sept. 2010
* Sunanda Dissanayake, associate professor of civil engineering, is spending seven months in Sri Lanka as a Fulbright Scholar. She will teach and assist with curriculum enhancement at the University of Peradeniya. She also will conduct research on reducing highway fatalities and injuries in Sri Lanka. She has conducted similar research on United States roadways for a number of years. Sept. 2010
*Ben Champion, director of sustainability, and a 10-member team of K-State and University of Nebraska-Lincoln experts in climate science, learning science and education practice received a two-year, $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation. The grant will support the Central Great Plains Climate Change Education Partnership, which will help rural communities identify ways to adjust to future climate scenarios. Sept. 2010
* K-State's Center for Child Development has earned accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children, or NAEYC -- the nation's leading organization of early childhood professionals. Only 8 percent of all programs in the nation achieve the association's accreditation. To earn accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children, the Center for Child Development went through an extensive two-year self-study process, measuring the program and its services against the association's early childhood program standards and more than 400 related accreditation criteria. Only one other child care center in Manhattan has earned the association's accreditation: Hoeflin Stone House Early Education Center, which also is on the K-State campus. Sept. 2010
* K-State was issued a patent for a plentiful and noncontroversial source of stem cells from a substance in the umbilical cord. The patent addresses procedures to isolate, culture and bank stem cells found in Wharton's jelly -- the substance that cushions blood vessels in the umbilical cord. These cells are called cord matrix stems cells and are different than those obtained from the blood cells in umbilical cords. The patent is for work by K-State's Mark Weiss and Deryl Troyer, professors of anatomy and physiology; Duane Davis, professor of animal sciences and industry; and former K-State professor Kathy Mitchell. Troyer and Davis were the first to find this previously unidentified source of stem cells. The patent for Cultures, Products and Methods Using Umbilical Cord Matrix Cells was issued earlier this year. Sept. 2010
* For the 2009-2010 fiscal year, K-State was awarded more than $147 million from 953 research awards -- topping the record of $133 million set in 2008-2009. K-State also was issued eight patents during the 2009-2010 fiscal year -- the highest number received since the 2003-2004 fiscal year. Aug. 2010
* G.I. Jobs magazine included K-State on its 2011 list of schools that cater to the military. It's the second year in a row K-State received the honor, which is given to only 15 percent of all colleges, universities and trade schools in the nation. According to the magazine, military-friendly schools are ones with a strong interest in recruiting and retaining military students. K-State had more than 1,100 military-related students in the spring 2010 semester. Aug. 2010
* Michael Wesch, associate professor of cultural anthropology, was among the three individuals specially invited to be the first Fellows of the National Institute for Technology in Liberal Education. The new fellowship program connects the institute and its members to selected thought leaders in higher education like Wesch. As a Fellow he will spend the next year helping his peers explore the big picture of the learning experience. He will discuss his views on how learning happens and why creative approaches to learning matter. He and the other Fellows will participate in two videoconference sessions during the year and attend the 2011 National Institute of Technology in Liberal Education summit. Aug. 2010
* A new guide rates K-State as among the best undergraduate schools in the nation. The university is in the 2011 edition of "The Best 373 Colleges," released by The Princeton Review and Random House. Only about 15 percent of the nation's 2,500 four-year colleges and two Canadian colleges are profiled in the book. The primary criteria for selecting schools is outstanding academics. Schools also are selected based on evaluations of institutional data, campus visits, surveys of students, and the opinions of The Princeton Review staff and the company's National College Counselor Advisory Board. It's the second book in 2010 by The Princeton Review to rank K-State as among the best schools in the nation. The university also was selected for "Princeton Review's Guide to 286 Green Colleges." The free comprehensive guidebook profiles the nation's most environmentally responsible campuses, with K-State the only school in Kansas to be included in the green guide. Aug. 2010
* Johnathan Bostrom, junior in anthropology and history, received a Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship to study in China. The scholarship provides up to $5,000 for undergraduate study abroad. Bostrom is K-State's 25th Gilman recipient since the scholarship program was created in 2002. July 2010
* K-State's Center for Engagement and Community Development was honored for its Rural Grocery Initiative with the Outstanding Community Development Program award from the International Community Development Society. The award recognizes outstanding community development programs that use principles of good practice as adopted by the society. The Rural Grocery Initiative began in 2007 with a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development. Significant outcomes from the initiative include six white papers detailing grocery best practices, two rural grocery summits, a virtual grocery store owner forum and the website, http://www.ruralgrocery.org. The rural grocery initiative also has involved K-State faculty research from the departments of horticulture, forestry and recreation resources, agricultural economics, human nutrition, communications and history, as well as the A.Q. Miller School of Journalism and Mass Communications, the College of Human Ecology, and county-based K-State Research and Extension professionals. July 2010
* Harald E.L. Prins, a university distinguished professor of anthropology who has been recognized both at the university and national levels for his teaching, has been honored by his peers as the 2010 recipient of the American Anthropological Association/Oxford University Press Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching of Anthropology. The honor is the top teaching award in Prins' profession and recognizes teachers who have contributed to and encouraged the study of anthropology. July 2010
* K-State's Xinming "Simon" Ou, assistant professor of computing and information sciences, is among a select group of professors chosen worldwide to participate in Hewlett-Packard Co. Labs Innovation Research Program. Ou received $73,000 to help fund his project, "A New Approach to Rigorous Risk Analytics using Attack Graphs," which will pair him with researchers at HP labs. The project involves developing quantitative security metrics for enterprise networks. K-State is one of only 52 universities in the world to receive a 2010 Innovation Research Award. The annual program provides colleges, universities and research institutes around the world with opportunities to conduct breakthrough collaborative research with HP. July 2010
* Six K-State faculty members have received a CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation. It's the most to be received by K-State in one year. The competitive awards help support early career-development activities of junior teacher-scholars. The recipients, all assistant professors, include Christine Aikens, chemistry; Jianhan Chen, biochemistry; Kendra McLauchlan, geography; Simon Ou, computing and information sciences; Anna Whitfield, plant pathology; and Wenqiao "Wayne" Yuan, biological and agricultural engineering. The awards range from $400,000 to $1 million. July 2010
* A master's thesis project by K-State's Brian Bookwalter, Topeka, was adopted by the Kansas Department of Transportation for a statewide campaign to discourage drivers from texting while driving. Bookwalter designed five anti-texting-while-driving posters that used familiar texting acronyms. His posters display various images, such as a pair of feet with a toe tag that says "NT BSY JUST DRVN" and a tagline along the bottom that reads "What will your last text message say?" The posters are credited with helping the passage of a state law banning texting while driving. June 2010
* K-State's Center for Information and Systems Assurance has been named a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Research. The designation is made by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and National Security Agency and is effective through 2015. Research at K-State's Center for Information and Systems Assurance falls into two categories: cybersecurity and secure software system construction. K-State researchers have procured millions in funding for research at the center. June 2010
* K-State chemical engineer Peter Pfromm has developed and patented a new structure that can be used to make all-natural personal care products and purer pharmaceuticals in the laboratory. The mechanism – scientifically referred to as a lyophilizate of an enzyme and fumed silica– is essentially an enzyme-covered nanoparticle of fumed silica. June 2010
* K-State's UniversityLifeCafe.org -- a Web 2.0 site -- was recently named by the American College Personnel Association as one of the Top 10 Innovations in College Counseling for the 2009-2010 academic year. The website was selected from counseling centers from across the country. Since its soft launch in January 2009, University Life Cafe has garnered national attention for being the first of its kind: an interactive online space that promotes the mental wellness and academic success of college students at K-State. The site is designed by students to connect students, their families and the K-State community with the resources needed to manage the psychological demands of college life. June 2010
* K-State's Jamie Weiser, junior in life sciences and pre-optometry, Champaign, Ill., was selected to attend the five-week Fulbright Commission Roehampton University London Summer Institute, June 27-July 29. Weiser and other select undergraduates from across the nation explored the concepts of citizenship and identity as they visited the Houses of Parliament and Brussels, the capital of Belgium and the administrative center of the European Union. During the course, the participants produced a short film on human rights and citizenship, volunteer within the community and become ambassadors for studying in the United Kingdom. May 2010
* A K-State graduate student and three recent K-State graduates were named 2010 Fulbright Scholars. The scholars and their destinations are Amanda Stueve, May 2010 bachelor's graduate in anthropology, Morocco; Kelsey Moran, May 2010 bachelor's graduate in political science and pre-law, Argentina; Molly Yochim, December 2009 bachelor's graduate in history, Germany; and Hyatt Frobose, master's student in swine nutrition and animal welfare, Australia. K-State has had 53 Fulbright scholars since 1975. Recipients are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement as well as leadership potential. June 2010
* Chuck Rice, university distinguished professor of agronomy, has been selected again to join other leading international scientists as part of the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Rice has been chosen to become one of just two lead authors from the U.S. for the chapter on agriculture in the panel's upcoming Fifth Assessment Report on Climate Change. The assessment report is expected to be released in 2014. Altogether, there will be 201 lead authors involved in writing the upcoming report; of which only 29 are from the U.S., including Rice. In 2007 the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change was honored as co-winner of the Nobel Peace Prize for its Fourth Assessment Report, on which Rice served as an author. June 2010
* John Leslie, department head and professor of plant pathology at Kansas State University, is a new honorary member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. Leslie was inducted into the academy based on his career achievements, according to the academy's nomination committee. To be considered for membership, candidates must be active scientists in a foreign country whose research is recognized on an international level is and especially pertinent to Hungarian scientists. Honorary members must also neither live in Hungary nor have a connection to Hungary via their parentage. Leslie is one of 35 members elected in 2010. Leslie's contributions to the field of plant pathology include 133 scientific papers, six books and 24 book chapters. Several of his papers are highly regarded in the field, including one that gave a new synthesis of the evolutionary consequences of molecular recombination events, and another paper which shed new light on the role of vegetative incompatibility in preserving pathogenic traits. He also created the first well-received map of G. moniliformis. May 2010
* Gary Pierzynski, interim dean of the College of Agriculture and professor of agronomy at K-State, will serve as president-elect of the Soil Science Society of America beginning Jan. 1, 2011; he assumes the role of president Jan. 1, 2012. He will be the third K-State agronomy faculty member to serve as president of the Soil Science Society of America, succeeding K-State's Chuck Rice, university distinguished professor of agronomy, who will serve as society president in 2011. An international scientific society with more than 6,000 members, the Soil Science Society of America is dedicated to advancing the field of soil science. May 2010
* Lisa Beck, master's student in civil engineering, Leavenworth, received a $10,000 Selected Professions Fellowship from the American Association of University Women for the 2010-2011 school year. Beck was one of 21 students in the nation to receive the fellowship, which provides women with opportunities to pursue graduate degrees in fields where they are typically underrepresented, including law, medicine, science, technology, architecture, mathematics and engineering. Beck will use the fellowship to conduct research at K-State investigating how the incorporation of industrial by-products affects concrete's durability and resistance to freezing and thawing. May 2010
* When it comes to what's for dinner -- and breakfast and lunch, too -- students at Kansas State University's residence halls are being served the best, according to the National Association of College and University Food Services, which has presented K-State's housing and dining services with its Gold Award in the category of residence hall dining -- single stand-alone concept/outlet for large schools. The award is part of the association's 37th annual Loyal E. Horton Dining Awards. For the category, schools are judged on special portfolios that must include sample menus, examples of recipes used, how nutritional awareness was promoted to diners, and more. To earn a Gold Award, a school had to earn at least 90 percent of available points for that category. K-State also received honorable mention in the residence hall dining-theme dinner category. May 2010
* David Wetzel, K-State professor of grain science and industry, has been named one of two Fellows of the American Association of Cereal Chemistry International for 2010. This is one of the top international honors in cereal chemistry. Wetzel is internationally known for the localized chemical analysis of biological material at the cellular and subcellular levels using infrared microscopy. He has pioneered the use of infrared microscopy to study various biological materials. May 2010
* K-State's Elizabeth Ploetz, fifth-year senior in biochemistry, received a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, while Katerina Voigt, senior in chemical engineering, and Emily Mangus, Manhattan, a 2008 K-State summa cum laude graduate in biological and agricultural engineering, were both named honorable mentions. The fellowship award provides a $30,000 stipend and $10,500 cost-of-education allowance annually for three years of education. The National Science Foundation awards students funding for research-based master's or doctoral degrees in programs relevant to the foundation's mission. Ploetz will attend K-State through the fellowship and will continue working with Paul E. Smith, K-State professor of chemistry. They are studying the mechanism by which proteins are denatured by their environment, and the resulting process of protein aggregation. April 2010
* Kelsey Moran, K-State senior in political science and pre-law, Hays, has received a Phi Kappa Phi Graduate Fellowship. She has been named the 2010 Kathleen Greey Fellow through Phi Kappa Phi national honor society, for which she will receive $5,000 for graduate study. She is among 60 students nationally to receive the Phi Kappa Phi fellowship this year. She will use the fellowship to go to law school. April 2010
* K-State is the only school in Kansas to be included in the newly released "Princeton Review's Guide to 286 Green Colleges," a free comprehensive guidebook that profiles the nation's most environmentally responsible campuses. The book was developed by The Princeton Review in partnership with the U.S. Green Building Council. Based on a survey of hundreds of colleges nationwide, the guidebook profiles the country's most environmentally responsible campuses. The guide notes that the university's colleges have all introduced courses pertaining to sustainability, and that faculty research projects cover topics such as energy-efficient lighting, sustainable building and green design, textile recycling and supply chain sustainability. April 2010
* K-State's Women in Engineering and Science Program received the Women in Engineering Program Award as the nation's outstanding Women in Engineering program from the Women in Engineering Pro-Active Network. The K-State program cultivates the science and technology interests of women from grade school through postgraduate levels and is a collaborative effort between K-State's colleges of Engineering and Arts and Sciences. "WESP designs and implements programs that make K-State a better place for women to pursue their interests in science and engineering," said Kimberly Douglas-Mankin, program director. April 2010
* K-State's Sustainability Conference was recognized nationally for providing the people of Kansas with information about how the higher education community can support statewide sustainability efforts. The University Continuing Education Association presented its Distance Learning Community of Practice Exemplary Program Award to the 2010 K-State Sustainability Conference. The 2010 conference -- the second annual -- was Jan. 29-30 at the K-State Union. Ben Champion, K-State's director of sustainability, said the conference has established the university as a state leader in sustainability education and research. The first K-State Sustainability Conference in 2009 also earned honors. The Great Plains Region of the Association of Continuing Higher Education recognized the conference's 2009 session with its Exceptional Conference Program Award, and in September 2009 the University Continuing Education Great Plains Region awarded the conference an outstanding program award. April 2010
* The Konza Prairie Biological Station was named one of the eight wonders of Kansas geography by the Kansas Sampler Foundation. The prairie, jointly owned by K-State and The Nature Conservancy, and managed by K-State's Division of Biology, encompasses more than 8,600 acres of native tallgrass prairie with a three-fold mission dedicated to long-term ecological research, education and prairie conservation. Public voting for the award took place during a period of six weeks, with more than 12,400 votes cast. The competition started with 24 possible sites in the state for the honor. Along with being an internationally recognized research site, the Konza also features six miles of hiking trails that offer the public a way to experience the Kansas prairie. March 2010
* The professional education programs offered by Kansas State University's College of Education have earned continuing accreditation from the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education and the Kansas State Department of Education. The U.S. Department of Education recognizes the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education as a specialized accrediting body for schools, colleges and departments of education. The council currently accredits 661 institutions that produce two-thirds of the nation's new teacher graduates each year. K-State's professional education programs have been continually accredited by the council since the organization was founded in 1954. The College of Education's accreditation is good through 2016 and covers both initial and advanced teacher education levels. March 2010
* K-State's Black Student Union was named the most outstanding council at the 33rd annual Big 12 Conference on Black Student Government, Feb. 25-28, at the University of Texas-Austin. It's the third year in a row and fourth time in the last five years the K-State black student leadership group earned the honor. The group also was named best council in 2006, 2008 and 2009. In addition two K-State Black Student Union members received honors for their service to the organization. Marcus Bragg, freshman in industrial engineering, Kansas City, Kan., was named the most outstanding freshman, and Deborah Muhwezi, senior in mass communications, Wichita, the most outstanding senior. Also at the conference, Brandon Hall, junior in marketing, Overland Park, and president of the K-State Black Student Union, was elected chair of Big 12 Council on Black Student Government. March 2010
* Erin Gettler, senior in biology and gerontology, Louisburg, was named the outstanding member of Blue Key, the national senior leadership honorary. Gettler, who served as 2008-2009 president of K-State's Blue Key chapter, received the President's Award, which is presented to a Blue Key chapter president or student member who has demonstrated an exemplary record of leadership, scholarship and service to Blue Key and the chapter institution. Feb. 2010
* Yoshiro Ikeda, university distinguished professor of art, is the recipient of the Excellence in Teaching Award from the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts. The conference will be March 31-April 3 in Philadelphia, Pa. The award is given to one professor in the nation who has dedicated many years to being an extraordinary teacher. The recipient also must demonstrate excellence in his or her own work, as well as through the continuing accomplishments of students. Ikeda has taught at K-State for 32 years. He has received more than 50 awards for his work, which has been included in more than 350 exhibitions in North America and 37 international exhibitions in Japan, France, Spain Korea, Taiwan, England, Brazil and New Zealand. Since 1983 he has presented more than 40 workshops and lectures across the United States and in Scotland, Japan, Korea and Brazil. He earned the title of university distinguished professor, K-State's highest faculty honor, in 2004. Feb. 2010
* K-State's Elliott Pujol, professor of art, is a recipient of the 2010 Governor's Arts Award for his work as a master metalsmith and Kansas artist. The Governor's Arts Awards are given annually to recognize distinguished Kansas artists, patrons and arts educators. Pujol's work is comprised primarily of vessels, including a copper covered 1960 Dodge truck. Among Pujol's many honors include being selected by the National Endowment for the Arts and Penland School of Crafts in 1971 as one of the 50 outstanding craftsmen in the United States. Pujol also was chosen by the National Ornamental Metal Museum in Memphis in 2005 as a master metalsmith. Jan. 2010
* K-State's Advanced Manufacturing Institute is the Great Lakes WIND Network's first-in-the-nation Center of Excellence to expand the network's supply chain development efforts across the state of Kansas. The Great Lakes WIND Network has established a worldwide reputation in working with wind industry original equipment manufacturers to assess readiness and capabilities of prospective component suppliers who wish to enter the wind industry's manufacturing supply chain. The organization also serves as a valuable resource to industry original equipment manufacturers by connecting them with competitive component suppliers across the United States. The Advanced Manufacturing Institute's engineering staff will work directly with Great Lakes WIND Network staff to provide site assessments for manufacturers wishing to enter the wind industry supply chain; make recommendations on possible components to be supplied; and assess the organizations overall production system. Jan. 2010
* Brent Maner, associate professor of history, will spend most of the spring semester at a prestigious research center in Vienna as a Fulbright scholar. Maner will be a senior visiting fellow at the International Research Center for the Cultural Sciences in Vienna from March through June. The U.S. and Austrian governments are jointly funding his Fulbright grant. Maner, who is on sabbatical leave from K-State for the 2009-2010 school year, spent much of fall 2009 working in Berlin and Frankfurt, Germany, on his research project, "Cities of Speculation: Cultural Representations of the Vienna, Berlin and Frankfurt Stock Exchanges from 1866 to 1933." He also will work on the project while in Vienna. Jan. 2010
