2010 K-State Salina Achievements
* K-State at Salina’s Flight Team is headed to the national SAFECON competition in May 2011 after taking second place at the Region VI competition. The team won several awards, including the Safety Award, which is given to one team that demonstrates safety in all aspects of the competition. The team also placed first overall in flying events and fifth overall in ground events. SAFECON competitions feature flight events and ground events that test the teams' abilities in all aspects of flight. Contestants placing in the top 20 in each event earn points for their team. The results of each event contribute to the teams' overall scores. Region VI includes teams from Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas. Oct. 2010
* K-State at Salina's Students In Free Enterprise team remains the Walgreen's Wrangle grand champions for the second year running. The team won the 2010 business case competition Sept. 16-18 at Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia, Ark. K-State Salina also was the 2009 champion at the event. Sept. 2010
* K-State's avionics program has been accredited by the National Center for Aerospace and Transportation Technologies. The accreditation means the avionics program, offered at K-State Salina, meets or exceeds the center's high educational standards. In order to be awarded Accredited Training Provider status, K-State Salina had to demonstrate a commitment to quality following an intensive curriculum, facilities, and faculty evaluation. Avionics courses on the Salina campus are built around advanced technologies such as the Garmin G-1000 and Garmin GNS 430s and 530s. Sept. 2010
* K-State Salina student Allan Richardson, Adams, Neb., earned sixth place in the aviation maintenance event at the SkillsUSA national competition in Kansas City, Mo. Richardson earned 766.5 points out of the 1,000 available points. Richardson, a senior in aviation maintenance, had to complete 12 tasks in the competition. Aug. 2010
* K-State at Salina student Samantha Scharff, senior in aviation, Halstead, was one of five students selected for a summer internship with the International Civil Aviation Organization in Montreal, Canada. The other four interns are from Colorado, Canada, Saudi Arabia and Nigeria. The five-week internship included shadowing the aviation organization's director of flight operations and the director of air traffic management. The internship is offered through a partnership between the aviation organization and Women in Aviation International. April 2010
* Raju Dandu, professor of engineering technology at Kansas State University at Salina, has been selected to serve on the American Society of Mechanical Engineers' Committee on Technology Accreditation. His term will be at least five years. The technology accreditation committee has frontline responsibility for the American Society of Mechanical Engineers' role in the accreditation of engineering technology degree programs through the Technology Accreditation Commission of ABET, the Accreditation Board for Technology and Engineering. March 2010
* K-State at Salina's Raylene Alexander, assistant professor of aviation has earned Master Aviation Educator accreditation. She is one of only 22 Kansas teachers of aviation and one of seven K-State at Salina faculty members to earn the accreditation. Offered through Master Instructors LLC, the accreditation recognizes individuals who work as professional teachers of aviation in industry but who do not hold Federal Aviation Administration instructor certification. Candidates must demonstrate an ongoing commitment to excellence, professional growth and service to the aviation community. They also must pass a rigorous evaluation by a peer review board. Designees are recognized as outstanding aviation educators for not only their excellence in teaching, but for their engagement in the continuous process of learning. March 2010
* K-State at Salina's Eric Shappee, associate professor of aviation at Kansas State University at Salina, has renewed his Master Certificated Flight Instructor accreditation for a fifth time. Shappee, who has held the professional accreditation continuously since 2001, is one of only 19 flight instructors worldwide to earn the credential five times. He also is one of only 21 master certified flight instructors in Kansas. The national accreditation is recognized by the Federal Aviation Administration. Fewer than 700 of the approximately 93,000 certified flight instructors in the nation have achieved the master distinction. K-State at Salina has six faculty members who have earned the designation. Feb. 2010
