Graduate School Viewbook
Resources for Graduate Study and Research

Kansas State University's extensive resources for graduate study and research are supported by a combination of state, federal, corporate, and private funding. In addition to the library and computing resources, other specialized facilities are available to support research and scholarly work in the humanities, natural sciences, applied sciences, social sciences, and professional areas. The following list provides a representative selection of the various resources. A more complete listing can be found at the Research and Sponsored Programs website http://www.ksu.edu/research/.

HALE LIBRARY
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The Hale Library provides support for the educational, research, and public service objectives of the university.

Beautiful new additions to Hale Library, completed in 1997, have more than doubled the size of the current facility and provide more access to available electronic libraries. In addition to the volumes, journal and serial subscriptions, the library contains a government document depository collection that numbers nearly 600,000 pieces; about 100,000 maps; a complete archival collection of ERIC (Educational Resources Information Center) documents; a curriculum material collection of around 10,000 items; and more than two million pieces of microforms. Audiovisual materials number approximately 17,000 items and include sound recordings, tapes, slides, and printed music scores. A collection of more than 200 newspapers is maintained from Kansas communities, major U.S. cities, and other countries.

The libraries are at the forefront of applying computer technology, with such services available as Online Search Service (OSS), accessing DIALOG and GRS; and various databases on compact disc, such as Sponsored Programs Information Network (SPIN), ERIC, DISCLOSURE, Social Sciences Index, General Science Index, AGRICOLA, PSYC-LIT, Humanities Index, Impact (government publications), and the Business Periodicals Index; and Internet access to collections such as CRL in Chicago and INK (Information Network of Kansas); and LEXIS/NEXIS.

Notable holdings include the library's Post-Harvest Documentation Service, one of only two in the nation; a 3,000-volume cookery collection; the historic costume and textile collection; the Charles Stratton Music Collection, with special strengths in early English opera and hymnody; the Norman Nadel Performing Arts Collection, which features theatrical history; the objectivist poetry collection; the Frank Harris Oriental Art Collection; the Leonora Hering Memorial Poultry Collection, the Equine Collection; and two collections of fine books from private presses.

The library also has a minorities resource/research center featuring books, audiovisuals, serials, posters, prints, photos, games, and art collections related to African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans.

COMPUTER AND NETWORK SERVICES
In recognition of the importance of the computing environment and computerized library resources to graduate education today, Kansas State University makes a variety of resources available to graduate students. A campus network links most of the computing systems on campus and allows connection with national and international networks. The campus network consists of a fiber-optic backbone providing access to the IBM mainframe, numerous UNIX-based computers, and the many Local Area Networks (LANs) on campus. These LANs provide faculty and student access not only to the computers but also to services such as electronic mail, campus bulletin boards, and computerized library/information facilities locally, nationally, and internationally. Faculty members have network access through microcomputers in their offices. There are many departmental computing laboratory facilities open to graduate students, and the university provides a number of laboratories available on a 24-hour basis to all students.

All students may have accounts on the university-wide system that allow them use of the local mainframe, UNIX-base processing elements like SUN and SPARC stations, a variety of workstations, and several types of microcomputers. Laboratories provide CMS, IBM batch, DOS, UNIX, and Apple computing environments with a variety of application programs and user interface environments.

As a graduate student you will have virtually unrestricted access to university computing resources. Noncredit courses are offered periodically to familiarize you with available computing environments. Reference documents and professional consultants are provided as a service to assist students in the use of all computing and computerized information services.

ADVANCED MANUFACTURING INSTITUTE
The Advanced Manufacturing Institute at Kansas State University assists in economic development in Kansas by helping manufacturers become familiar with and adopt advanced technologies. Through research, technology transfer and technical assistance AMI helps small and medium sized manufacturing companies become more competitive nationally and internationally. AMI's interdisciplinary research teams consisting of faculty from various university departments work at developing advanced technology that is vital to manufacturing enterprises.

AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION
The Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station sponsors research to enhance our capability to provide adequate food and fiber and improve rural living and human nutrition for present and future generations. Research is conducted on the K-State campus as well as off-campus at four branch experiment stations and 11 experimental fields in various parts of the state. The research is organized into more than 600 projects covering nearly all phases of agriculture and related industries, and involves faculty in over 30 departments. KAES has established linkages with a number of industries throughout the nation.

BIOSERVE SPACE TECHNOLOGIES
The Division of Biology, in cooperation with Aerospace Engineering Sciences at the University of Colorado, has been selected by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to lead BioServe Space Technologies, a NASA Center for the Commercial Development of Space. The Division activities are focused on the life science application of the Center which adds a vast new dimension to the scientific education of future generations of students. This space training and research program gives biologists, students training in the animal and plant sciences, engineers and others an awareness of opportunities in space sciences that will intellectually involve them in space missions of the future. Initial research projects are directed towards an understanding of many biological processes in microgravity. Projects also are focused on the application of the space environment in areas of significant market value, such as biotechnology and bioengineered pharmaceuticals, synthetic organ products and high efficiency agriproducts and agrigenetic materials. Faculty scientists and students participating in BioServe Space Technologies have an opportunity to conduct important research in the microgravity environment provided by NASA's reduced gravity program on the KC-135 aircraft, as well as on sounding rockets and space shuttles.

BIOTECHNOLOGY CORE FACILITY
The Biotechnology Core Facility at Kansas State University was established in 1993 to provide a number of centralized services to researchers at KSU and elsewhere. The laboratory is administratively located in the Department of Biochemistry and overseen by a campus-wide committee. Significant university support from the Deans of the College of Agriculture, and the Graduate School has enabled us to offer a number of services at competitive rates. The facility is equipped with more than $1,000,000 worth of the latest automated scientific instruments, including two peptide synthesizers, one DNA/RNA synthesizer, one preparation HPLC, four standard-bore HPLCs, one micro-bore HPLC, one capillary zone electrophoresis, two peptide sequencers, one amino acid analyzer, and one MALDI-TOF mass spectrometer. This instrumentation greatly enhances the biotechnology capabilities of the university. As new biotechnologies emerge we attempt to define the need for these techniques on campus. The Core Facility's staff is experienced and can provide knowledgeable advice and training to those who seek a better understanding of the protocols and techniques provided by the Core Facility. The Core Facility lends its services primarily to KSU faculty and students as well as to a number of private and public universities throughout the country, and a number of biotech companies. All samples are processed using established standard protocols and all results are reported confidentially. For more information about, please contact (785) 532-5956.

CENTER FOR BASIC CANCER RESEARCH
The Division of Biology has been designated as a Center for Basic Cancer Research, and numerous educational and research programs related to cancer studies have evolved in the past few years. In addition to providing opportunities through its Virology and Cancer Biology Training Grant funded by the National Cancer Institute, the Division offers a cancer research award program designed specifically for undergraduate students. Funded entirely by private and corporate gifts, these research awards are given to deserving undergraduate students on a competitive basis. An integral part of the Cancer Center is the Anti-Cancer Drug Laboratory where studies are conducted on the cellular and molecular events associated with tumor promoters which, unfortunately, enhance cancer growth. These programs are interdisciplinary in nature and include faculty scientists in the Division of Biology, The Departments of Biochemistry, Chemistry and Psychology in the College of Arts and Sciences, Laboratory Medicine in the College of Veterinary Medicine, Foods and Nutrition in the College of Human Ecology, and the Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station, College of Agriculture. The unique administrative structure and the quality of the faculty scientists have made this multidisciplinary program both powerful and successful.

CENTER FOR GRAVITATIONAL STUDIES IN CELLULAR AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOBY
Created in 1990, the Center for Gravitational Studies in Cellular and Developmental Biology is a major programmatic area within the Division of Biology at Kansas State University. The Center, with core funding from NASA as a National Specialized Center of Research and Training (NSCORT), has made a major impact in the field, with over 100 publications in peer-reviewed journals and about 200 presentations at national/international meetings over the past five years. Research and training activities in this Center focus on understanding the impact, role, and mechanism(s) of action of gravity at the molecular, cellular, and developmental levels, using both plant and animal systems. Ten faculty members are Center Scientists, and they all hold extramurally funded research grants, currently totaling approximately $12 million.

The training success of the Center results from a combination of quality faculty, a focus on gravitational research, and an aggressive transition to flight approach that has resulted in 17 shuttle flights carrying experiments of at least one (and usually more) Center investigator during the past 5 years. The training and research components are intimately associated and offer graduate students unique training in space life sciences. Center trainees benefit from collaborative opportunities with the University of Colorado, the Alberta (Canada) Research Council, the Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory, and residency programs at NASA Research Field Centers.

CENTER FOR LEADERSHIP
The Kansas State University Center for Leadership is an interdisciplinary entity located in the College of Business Administration. The Center has a dual mission: (1) to assist Kansas businesses by providing information on leadership and management related topics, and (2) to sponsor research that explores new issues in the areas of leadership and management of organizations. The Center includes faculty from across the campus -- management, engineering, psychology, hotel & restaurant management, communication, community development, and extension services, to name a few. The Center utilizes panel discussions, workshops, seminars, and conferences as means for disseminating information to the business community to help improve the organization's effectiveness and/or efficiency through changes to management systems, styles, and cultures.

CENTER FOR SCIENCE EDUCATION
The Kansas Board of Regents established the Center for Science Education to improve the quality of science, mathematics, environmental, and technology education throughout the state and beyond. Administratively housed in the College of Education, the center is a university wide unit of faculty affiliates who share a common commitment to the center's mission. Faculty affiliates are members of basic and applied sciences, mathematics, and technology departments in the Colleges of Arts and Sciences, Agriculture, Education, Engineering, Human Ecology, and Veterinary Medicine. Center staff and faculty affiliates carry out the center's mission through programs of research, development, teacher education, and service.

CENTER FOR SCIENTIFIC SUPERCOMPUTING
The Center for Scientific Supercomputing (CSS) at Kansas State University is an integral part of this national high performance computing initiative. Within this center are being developed the computational algorithms that scientists and engineers can apply to the pressing problems in their fields.

With competitive grants funding from the National Science Foundation, KSU has purchased a Convex Exemplar computer with 32 parallel processors that are linked via the university's fiber optic network to high-speed graphics terminals at the major research sites across campus. The Convex array is the computer engine for the large-scale simulations and parallel algorithm development going on at K-State.

In addition to the computational research, K-State students will benefit from their exposure to the most advanced computational technologies. The K-State investigators also have received individual grants from the Department of Energy, National Science Foundation, American Chemical Society, and Dow Chemical for research in two of the president's grand challenge areas: 1) computer modeling of new materials and macroscopic molecules, and 2) computational fluid dynamics.

COMPLEX FLUID FLOWS PROGRAM
The program for Complex Fluid Flows coordinates an interdisciplinary graduate program to conduct research and train graduate students in the general area of modern fluid dynamics. Given the highly complex and difficult problems encountered in this area, this cross-college program strives to blend three important branches of research: fundamental physics, experimental verification, and computational fluid dynamics.

Participating faculty members represent a combination of theoretical, experimental, and modeling strengths from three major disciplines: chemical engineering, mechanical engineering and physics. They bring to the group established expertise in advanced laser diagnostics technology for fluid flow measurements and in-situ particle morphology analysis, turbulence modeling, heat and mass transfer, mixing and chemical reactions, human-environment thermal interaction, room-air quality, and polymer and liquid crystal physics.

Research areas of focus are: multi-component polymer systems, coupled heat and mass transfer in complex geometries, non-equilibrium turbulent reacting and multi-phase flows, and scalar-viscosity coupled turbulent mixing. These research topics meet critical needs in materials processing, environmental air quality, and the chemical process industry.

DOLE EDUCATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS CENTER
Housed in Bob Dole Hall, the Kansas Regents' Education Communications Center is a state-of-the-art multimedia production and distribution facility. Utilizing a wide range of technologies, including satellite uplinking, fiber optics, compressed video, low power TV, and audio and videotape production and distribution, the ECC conducts research on the use of telecommunications and other instructional technologies. The center was made possible by a major grant from the U. S. Department of Education and is operated by Kansas State University for the Kansas Board of Regents as a statewide resource. It currently provides live interactive educational programming to public schools nationwide, to all Regents institutions, and to businesses and industries throughout Kansas and the nation. The television production facilities of A. Q. Miller School of Journalism and Mass Communication are located in the center, as is the television section of the Cooperative Extension Service, and TELENET, a statewide multi-site, interactive system operated for the Kansas Board of Regents for the delivery of undergraduate and graduate courses via a telephone network.

ELECTRONICS DESIGN LABORATORY
The Electronics Design Laboratory is a newly formed department under the office of the Vice Provost for Research. The EDL was created to support the research programs at the University by providing expertise in the development of high-end electronics and computer-based data acquisition systems. The goals of the EDL are to 1) give the faculty easier access to advanced electronics technologies, 2) assist with integrating new electronics technologies into the research programs, and 3) transfer those technologies to the users.

The EDL has the capability to develop custom electronics, design and build sensors, develop or improve instrumentation and other computer-based data acquisition systems. Capabilities include: electronics design , analog and digital system modeling and analysis, schematic capture, printed circuit board design, in-house prototype printed circuit board design and fabrication, multi-layer printed circuit board design, and circuit debugging and testing.

ENGINEERING EXPERIMENT STATION
Established to perform research of engineering and manufacturing value to Kansas, and to collect and present technical information for use by industry and the people of the state, the Engineering Experiment Station represents all research faculty members in all departments of the College of Engineering. Funding obtained from state appropriations, the federal government, and private sources supports basic and applied research, including a large number of graduate research assistantships. The EES coordinates college planning for research performed in the Center of Excellence in Computer-Controlled Automation, the Hazardous Substance Research Center, the Center for Energy Studies, the Institute for Environmental Research, the Institute for Computation Research in Engineering, the Institute for Systems Design and Optimization, and the Office of Radiation Protection Research and Information.

FISH AND WILDLIFE RESEARCH UNIT
The Kansas Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, initiated in 1991, was established by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the U.S. Department of the Interior, the National Biological Survey (NBS), Kansas State University, the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, and the Wildlife Management Institute. This unit is associated with the Division of Biology, and is housed in the Division's facilities in Leasure Hall. The three faculty scientists associated with the COOP Unit also hold appointments in the Division of Biology and participate in graduate education activities and programs in the area of fisheries and wildlife.

Unit research contributes to understanding of ecological systems within the Great Plains. Unit staff collaborators and graduate students conduct research with both natural and altered systems particularly those impacted by agriculture.Unit projects investigate ways to maintain a rich diversity of wild animals and habitats while meeting the needs of people.

The Unit focuses on projects that involve graduate students, and the research needs of cooperators are given priority. Unit professionals work with state and federal agencies, private industries, and interest groups to develop projects. Partnership projects are common where graduate and undergraduate students, and Unit staff work with multidisciplinary teams.

FOOD AND FEED GRAINS INSTITUTE
The Food and Feed Grains Institute was designed to identify, guide, and promote programs which educate and train personnel for the grain and feed processing and marketing industries; develop methods of milling and processing grain as food for humans and feeds for livestock; study nutritional properties of grains and grain products for humans and for livestock; investigate new food and industrial uses of grain with particular emphasis on wheat and sorghum; develop basic methods of evaluating quality in grains and grain products; study domestic and international grain marketing structures; and improve the handling, transporting, storing, and marketing of grain and grain products.

GALICHIA INSTITUTE FOR GERONTOLOGY
The Galichia Institute for Gerontology and Family Studies is designed to provide: increased understanding and response by students to the needs of seniors, greater awareness by society of the needs of an ever-expanding elderly population, better-prepared students to serve society, with understanding of programs for children and the elderly, support for families raising children and coping with elderly relatives, continued growth of research and information concerning aging issues, national attention for professional activities, improvedcare for rural and urban elderly, expanded understanding of intergenerational relations, and educational programs to families that will enrich the lives of aging family members.

Recent programs in the Galichia Institute include evaluation of the implementation of the Senior Care Act, funded by the Kansas Department of Aging, and Personal Actions to Health (PATH), a demonstration program on senior health issues, funded by the Kansas Health Foundation.
HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCE RESEARCH CENTER
Kansas State University (KSU) leads the eleven-institution consortium for the Great Plains/Rocky Mountain Hazardous Substance Research Center. The other member institutions are Lincoln, Haskell Indian Nations, Montana State, South Dakota State, and Utah State Universities, along with the universities of Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, and Utah, and Wyoming. The center was established in 1989 to conduct research pertaining to hazardous substances produced through agriculture, forestry, mining, mineral processing, and other activities of local interest. It serves Federal Regions 7 and 8.

Specific research projects focus on: soil and water contaminated by heavy metals from mining wastes and other industrial activities; soil and groundwater contaminated by organic chemicals; wood preservatives that contaminate groundwater; pesticides identified as hazardous substances; improved technologies and methods for characterizing and analyzing contaminated soil; and waste-minimization and pollution-prevention methods and technologies.

The region's diversity and large geographic area are reflected in the center's training and technology transfer program. Many of the HSRC's efforts can reach large audiences with minimum resources. For instance, the center collects audio and video training materials relating to hazardous substances and makes these materials available for loan. Additional technology-transfer vehicles include the newsletter, HazTech Transfer and an information clearinghouse.

HIGH ENERGY PHYSICS LABORATORY
An experienced experimental high energy physics group at K-State is composed of 15 members which include faculty, postdoctoral research associates, graduate and undergraduate students, computer programmers, technicians, and administrators. It has a strong program specializing in the study of both heavy quarks and neutrinos.

The group is participating in or leading Fermilab neutrino experiments that are searching for physics beyond the standard model. The first of these is a precision measurement of the Weinberg angle via deep-inelastic scattering of neutrinos. Small deviations of this angle from measurements made in other ways would indicate physics beyond the standard model. K-State is also leading a project that is being set up to study whether any of the three types of neutrinos can oscillate (spontaneously change) into one of the other types of neutrinos. A positive signal would indicate that neutrinos have a tiny mass. Since neutrinos in the universe are almost as copious as photons, massive neutrinos could be the agent which re-collapses the universe via gravitational attraction.

HIGH FIELD PROTEIN NMR FACILITY
The high-field NMR facility is available to analyze samples on site by researchers and to support grant applications of life scientists. The facility uses a state-of-the-art 500 MHz Varian Unity Plus NMR spectrometer containing pulsed field gradient accessory, three channel detection system with high-stability temperature controller for multinuclear/multidimensional magnetic resonance techniques, along with molecular modeling software XPLOR, CHARMm/QUANTA to solve structural and dynamics problems in molecular pharmacology, rational drug designing, protein folding, and solution phase biostructure. These biophysical techniques can lead the direction of synthesis of bioactive molecules in the laboratory and can aid in the determination of three-dimensional solution structures of biological macromolecules. Biophysical studies are also conducted with magnetic or nonmagnetic circular dichroism, analytical, Model E ultracentrifuges (UV Scanning, Schlieren, Yphantis methods), fluorescence spectroscopy with fluorescence polarization capability, UV-Visible differential scanning spectroscopy, and Iris molecular graphics computer with stereo viewing.

HUCK BOYD NATIONAL CENTER FOR COMMUNITY MEDIA
The Huck Boyd National Center for Community Media was founded in 1990 in order to serve and strengthen the local newspapers, radio stations, cable systems and other media that have a key role to play in the survival and revitalization of America's small towns.

The Center's mission is to assist in sustaining and enhancing the positive qualities of life characteristic of small communities in America through nurturing and strengthening community media.

INSTITUTE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH This institute is one of the few centers in the world with the controlled environmental chambers and supporting instrumentation necessary to study aspects of human comfort. Research is conducted on the insulating properties of clothing, on protective garments worn by workers under hazardous or extreme conditions, and on the relation of temperature, humidity, and air movement to human comfort in buildings. The institute also conducts cross-cultural studies of clothing and human comfort.

INSTITUTE FOR SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL RESEARCH
The Institute for Social and Behavioral Research (ISBR) promotes, encourages, and facilitates research and advanced studies in the social, behavioral, and statistical sciences. This interdisciplinary institute enhances research by faculty and students, aids faculty in securing research funding, attracts and trains top-quality graduate and undergraduate students through fellowship programs, and provides outreach services to public agencies and institutions in Kansas. ISBR also sponsors workshops and offers research fellowships to faculty and students.

Programs coordinated by ISBR include the Survey Research Unit, the Population Research Laboratory, the Labor Studies Program, the Statistical Design and Analysis Unit, the Population Research Laboratory, the Rural Health Research Program, and the Advanced Research Development Program. These programs both conduct their own research and facilitate research by faculty and students.

INTERNATIONAL GRAINS PROGRAM
The mission of the International Grains Program (IGP) is to promote and assist market development efforts for cereal grains and oilseeds. IGP currently works with the Kansas Corn, Grain Sorghum, Soybean and Wheat Commissions, marketing organizations such as the American Soybean Association, U.S. FeedGrains Council, U.S. Wheat Associates and the office of International Cooperation and Development in the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA/FAS/ICD) in educational, technical, and market development efforts. This is accomplished through technical training and assistance programs in milling, grain marketing, storage & handling, and processing targeted at international flour and feed millers, international grain buyers, overseas government officials, and other public and private sector parties involved in grain procurement and/or use. Technical assistance activities include information on crop quality, processing and utilization as well as in-country consultation.

KANSAS CENTER FOR RURAL INITIATIVES
This center focuses the resources of the university on the problems faced by rural areas of the state. It conducts research as well as out-reach programs and makes use of the expertise of faculty members and graduate students in all relevant departments throughout the university. Projects currently under way stress community and economic development.

KANSAS WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH INSTITUTE
The institute is dedicated to finding effective ways of conserving, using, and distributing water. Water resources research and educational programs are supported in appropriate departments at Kansas State University and at the University of Kansas. Research priorities focus on state, regional, and national water resources research needs. Institute priorities build on strengths at both universities and encourage research in a variety of disciplines including the broad areas of agriculture, engineering, chemistry, economics, geology, biology, geography, climatology, and law. Reports of completed research are published in technical reports, professional journal and one-page research summaries, and articulated at conferences, workshops, and professional meetings.

KONZA PRAIRIE
The Konza Prairie Research Natural Area is an 8,616-acre tall-grass prairie area dedicated to ecological research in a partnership between the Nature Conservancy and the university, the Division of Biology, and the Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station. Located a few miles from the main campus, this nationally important research facility provides an opportunity for basic research on the prairie and for baseline information needed to assess the nature and magnitude of ecological changes resulting from human activity. There are approximately 185 projects active at this site.

MANUFACTURING LEARNING CENTER
An answer to more complex problems faced by the Kansas manufacturer AMI has established the Manufacturing Learning Center (MLC). The Advanced Manufacturing Institute's Manufacturing Learning Center is a product and manufacturing systems design and protoyping center established to assist manufacturers in developing products and production systems for new or existing products. The purpose of this unique center is to provide small and medium sized companies with an opportunity to utilize the latest machinery and technologies in their manufacturing operations. Manufacturers can investigate new and improved methods without sacrificing valuable production time by using the expertise of faculty, students and technicians.

The MLC program is an extension of a manufacturer's research and development department, providing a bridge between industry and university experts for exploring new and emerging technologies. This real-life setting emphasizes total systems integration and environmentally conscious manufacturing technologies for the fabrication and assembly of products. Engineers and technicians using a team approach and modern manufacturing hardware and software, provide a total solution for making new and existing products more efficiently. After the product and/or system is developed and the first units have been manufactured at the Learning Center the entire operation is transferred to the manufacturer's plant.

MARIANNA KISTLER BEACH MUSEUM OF ART
The permanent art collection provides opportunities for education, scholarship, research, community outreach, and general enjoyment. Its purpose is to acquire, maintain, improve, interpret, and exhibit works of art, and to enhance the understanding of, and appreciation for, artworks as they reflect the cultural traditions of Middle America. The substantial strength of the collection is 20th-century American art with a special emphasis on Midwest Regionalism. The diverse collection of approximately 1,500 items is comprised largely of works of art on paper, including a collection of photographs by Gordon Parks. Paintings, sculpture, and ceramic artwork created by renowned European and American artists make up a smaller proportion of the holdings.

A selection of unpublished materials, artists files, catalogs, and brochures complement the scope of the art collection and are available to scholars, researchers, faculty, and students upon request.

MATERIALS SCIENCE RESEARCH LABORATORY
Materials science provides enabling technologies that are important in many areas of the American economy. Advanced alloys, composites, and polymers result in high-performance applications in such diverse areas as the aerospace and surface transportation industries. In turn, these developments impact both civilian and military applications. Functional materials, particularly thin films, provide enhanced physical and electronic characteristics for a wide range of applications in manufacturing and electronics.

Research in materials science and engineering has a long and distinguished history at Kansas State University. In 1981, a group of chemists, physicists, and engineers initiated cooperative activities that have resulted in collaborative research projects and interdisciplinary graduate training.

Funding, including the NSF-EPSCoR project on materials synthesis and processing, as well as other federal, state, and corporate support, provides a measure of the extensive strength of the materials science and engineering community at K-State.

MINORITIES RESOURCE AND RESEARCH CENTER
The Minorities Resource and Research Center, located in Hale Library, is a central access point for specialized information relating to designated ethnic groups, specialized services that put the person in touch with needed materials, and programs that promote ethnic awareness. The MRRC is a special collection of materials by Hispanic, African, and Native Americans. The scope of the collection includes books, periodicals, and reference and audiovisual materials that support the needs of the students. The center continues to support the needs of the American Ethnic Studies Program.

WHEAT GENETICS RESEARCH CENTER
The internationally-recognized Wheat Genetics Resource Center is located at Kansas State University, in the heart of the Great Plains of the United States, one of the greatest wheat growing regions in the world. Germ plasm and the scientific method of breeding provide the foundation for bountiful wheat harvests.

The WGRC has three main missions to assure future advances in wheat breeding: collect, conserve, and utilize germ plasm in crop improvement for sustainable production by broadening the crop genetic base, create and promote the free exchange of materials, technology, and new knowledge in genetics and biotechnology among the world's public and private organizations, and sponsor graduate and postgraduate students and visiting scientists for academic training and advanced research work in WGRC laboratories.

The WGRC maintains a gene bank, along with evaluation and passport data, on 2,500 wheat species accessions. In addition, the WGRC houses 2,200 cytogenetic stocks, the genetic treasures produced by a lifetime of work by wheat scientists.

The WGRC has established a national and international network to conduct and coordinate genetic studies in wheat. Genes for host plant resistance to viral, bacterial, fungal, and insect pests and abiotic stresses are identified, transferred to agronomically useful breeding lines, and deployed. The genetic bases of physiological, quality, and yield traits are studied. Chromosome and genetic maps of wheat and other Triticeae genera are developed. Biotechnological research emphasizes diagnostic assays, gene cloning, and plant transformation.

State-of-the-art laboratories, greenhouses, and field plot facilities are available for teaching and research.

NUCLEAR REACTOR
The university operates a TRIGA Mark II nuclear reactor and related equipment. In addition to basic research involving neutron spectroscopy and neutron cross-section studies, the reactor laboratory provides the entire university with neutron activation analysis capabilities for sensitive, non-destructive analysis.

PARTICLE ACCELERATORS: J.R. MACDONALD LABORATORY
Kansas State University operates a major facility for the production and the acceleration of atomic ions in cooperation with the U. S. Department of Energy. There are several accelerators in this facility, including a 6-million-volt tandem Van De Graaff. The laboratory has just completed construction of a new super-conducting LINAC booster accelerator that gives energies of greater than 100 MeV. A liquid helium production plant provides up to 500 watts of cryogenic cooling for the LINAC. A new type of cryogenic ion source, called CRYEBIS, is being developed for producing highly-charged, low-energy ions. A network of four MICROVAX work stations is available for the accumulation and analysis of data.

PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY CENTER
The Plant Biotechnology Center (PBC) is an affiliation of KSU personnel working in some aspect of plant biotechnology, defined here as the use of molecular biology and cell and tissue culture for plant genome manipulation. The PBC has linkages with other institutions, foundations, and international research centers, and additional linkages are anticipated.

The PBC builds on faculty strengths and on the importance of plants in Kansas. PBC projects include activities that are immediately important to Kansas agriculture and that have a high probability of success in a relatively short period of time. They also include a component of basic research that will reach application at a later time. An important consideration is work on plants and plant products that could be designed to better meet the demands of national and international markets.

TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH CENTER
Faculty members with the Transportation Research Center perform interdisciplinary mission-oriented research and training concerning national, regional, state, and local transportation problems. The K-TRAN program, is an ongoing, cooperative, and comprehensive research program addressing transportation needs of the state utilizing academic and research resources from the Kansas Department of Transportation, Kansas State University, and the University of Kansas.