K-State achievements--2003 Faculty

Kansas State University achievements

2003 Faculty

* K-State university distinguished professor Michael Suleiman was awarded the prestigious Fulbright-Hayes Fellowship to conduct research in Tunisia. This is the fifth time Suleiman has been awarded a Fulbright-Hayes Fellowship. In Tunisia, Suleiman will be studying the attitudes concerning tolerance, openness and diversity and attitudes towards people who are "different" as represented in elementary and junior high school Arabic readers and social studies textbooks in Tunisia. December 2003

* Christopher Sorensen, university distinguished professor of physics at K-State, is the 2003 recipient of the David Sinclair Award presented by the American Association for Aerosol Research. According to the association, the award recognizes sustained excellence in aerosol research and technology by an established scientist still active in his or her career. The individual's research must have a lasting impact in aerosol science. Sorensen has researched aerosols for more than 10 years, focusing on the physical characterization of aerosol particles and their aggregation. Aerosols are solid or liquid particles in a gas such as clouds or smoke. When in a gas, they naturally bond to one another in chainlike networks, forming what is called an aggregate. In his research, Sorensen studies how aerosol particles are formed, how they grow together, how the aggregates scatter light and how this affects the environment. The application of this research is particularly important in the areas of global warming and visibility problems due to smog in large cities. There are also various industrial applications including the production of carbon black, a substance made from soot that increases the durability of tires, and in the production of titania, the product that replaced lead in lead-based paint. Sorensen's research has been used in the design of various instruments to measure the size of aerosol particles. December 2003

* L.T. Fan, university distinguished professor of chemical engineering at K-State, was awarded the 2003 Computing in Chemical Engineering Award at the Computing and Systems Technology meeting of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers at its annual meeting Nov. 16-21, in San Francisco. The award recognizes outstanding contributions in the application of computing and systems technology to chemical engineering. Fan has traveled throughout the world for sabbaticals, conferences, collaborative research and as a consultant to governmental agencies and private corporations. He is the recipient of various awards and honors including the Iionoya Award of the Society of Powder Technology, Japan; an honorary doctorate from the University of Veszprem, Hungary; and the Taiwanese-American Foundation Achievement Award in Science and Engineering. Fan's research is diverse and extensive, and has focused on process system engineering, reaction engineering, biochemical engineering, transport phenomena, particle technology and environmental engineering. He has authored or coauthored seven books, several hundred refereed journal articles, and many non-refereed articles. He is also credited with 14 patents. November 2003

* Two K-State professors in the College of Human Ecology were recognized at the International Textile and Apparel Association meeting Nov. 8-11, in Savannah, Ga. Gwendolyn O'Neal, professor and head of the department of apparel, textiles and interior design, was recognized as an International Textile and Apparel Association Fellow, an honor given to only one or two professors in the organization each year. O'Neal was nominated based on her contributions to the field of textiles and apparel, contributions to the knowledge base in the field, and leadership in the profession. O'Neal has been serving as president-elect of the organization since September and will take over as president in September 2004. She will then serve as counselor the following year. In addition, O'Neal was also recently appointed to the Board of Trustees for the Center of Kitchen and Bath Education Research Foundation. Elizabeth McCullough, professor of textiles in the department of apparel, textiles and interior design, and co-director of the Institute for Environmental Research in the College of Engineering, was recognized as a Distinguished Scholar, an honor given to only one member of the organization each year. Criteria for the award include an excellent record of research accomplishments, scientific achievements, contributions to textile education, professional service related to scholarship and work that has made an impact on the field. McCullough presented the Distinguished Scholar lecture, "Comfort vs. Safety: The Protective Clothing Dilemma," focusing on the need for development and evaluation of protective clothing systems. November 2003

* Michael R. Kanost, professor and head of K-Statey's department of biochemistry, has been designated a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The distinction is awarded to outstanding scientists. Kanost's research includes investigating proteins present in the blood of insects, with special interest in the proteins' functions in the insect immune system. His research has been supported with nearly $6 million in grants from agencies such as the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Science Foundation and others. He is the author of about 90 journal articles and book chapters. October 2003

* Dennis Kuhlman, dean of Kansas State University's College of Technology and Aviation on the Salina campus, has been named a Paul Harris Fellow by the Salina Noon Rotary Club. The honor is the highest recognition Rotary awards to its members who have distinguished themselves both in their careers and through their support of the ideals of the organization. September 2003

* In recognition of his research achievement and leadership in the field of developmental genetics, Robin Denell, distinguished professor of biology and director of the Terry C. Johnson Center for Basic Cancer Research at K-State, has been presented with the Dolph Simons Award in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Kansas. The Simons Research Award is given in recognition of research achievement in the biomedical sciences that has had a major and substantial impact and is of national and/or international interest. Denell conducts genetic, developmental and molecular research on insects, focusing on the genetic control of early embryonic organization. The genes he studies are shared with humans and are especially important because they have been implicated in the origins of some cancers. September 2003

* Mahbub Alam, associate professor in K-State's department of biological and agricultural engineering, received a Fulbright Scholar award for the academic year 2003-2004 from the U.S. State Department and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. As a Fulbright Scholar, Alam joins approximately 800 U.S. faculty and professionals who will travel abroad to some 140 countries. He will work with the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council, which coordinates agricultural research conducted by all agricultural institutes and organizations within Bangladesh. While there, he will also teach an irrigation engineering course at the International University of Business Agriculture and Technology. He received his Ph.D. from Colorado State University and worked there before joining Kansas State University Research and Extension in 1996 where he is now an extension irrigation engineer in Garden City. July 2003

* John Fairman was selected by the International Collegiate Licensing Association as their 2003 Hall of Fame Award recipient. He was recognized June 15 at the association's workshop in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. The Hall of Fame Award goes to those who have demonstrated a history of significant contributions to the licensing field as a pioneer/innovator in the collegiate licensing industry. Fairman was nominated by the Collegiate Licensing Company. He was then selected by the International Collegiate Licensing Association awards committee as the recipient. At K-State, Fairman is assistant vice president of university relations, liaison to Fort Riley, and directs licensing and marketing of the university's name and marks on commercial products. Under his direction, K-State's licensing program has grown from royalty income of $7,000 in 1986-87 to more than $700,000 in 2001-02. He worked with local merchants, licensees and the campus community to eliminate exemptions to licensing during his first two years. Fairman developed a formula for dividing royalty income between general student scholarships and student-athlete scholarships, while providing scholarship support for the band and cheerleaders. June 2003

* A K-State professor received a Fulbright award from the J. William Fulbright Scholarships Board to help develop guidelines to maintain Malaysia's continually growing highway infrastructure. As a U.S. Fulbright Visiting Scholar, Mustaque Hossain, professor of civil engineering, will instruct a graduate level class in highway infrastructure asset management and conduct research on "Development of a Framework for Federal Transportation Asset Management in Malaysia," at the Universiti Putra Malaysia from August to December 2003. Asset management includes maintaining and upgrading transportation infrastructure to provide efficient, economical and safe transportation for economic progress, social welfare, national defense, domestic security and emergency preparedness. April 2003

* In honor of his educational contributions to the field of toxicology, Fred Oehme was recently awarded the Society of Toxicology's 2003 Education Award. Oehme is a professor of toxicology and pathobiology and director of K-State's comparative toxicology laboratories in the department of diagnostic medicine and pathobiology. The Society of Toxicology, a professional and scholarly organization committed to the application of knowledge in toxicology to improve and protect public health and the environment, presents the award annually to an individual who has made significant contributions in the field of toxicology through the teaching and training of toxicologists. In 1980, Oehme proposed, organized and presented the first Society of Toxicology continuing education course. Since then, his education courses have remained a valuable source of information for toxicologists. At K-State, Oehme was instrumental in developing clinical toxicology courses in professional curriculum and graduate biochemical and environmental toxicology and building K-State's College of Veterinary Medicine's graduate teaching program in toxicology. He has mentored more than 60 graduate and post-doctorate students, many whom have successfully completed the examinations for the American Board of Toxicology and the American Board of Veterinary Toxicology. April 2003

* Ruth Dyer, assistant provost at K-State, was awarded a national fellowship that identifies and prepares promising faculty and administrators for senior positions in college and university administration. Dyer was named an American Council on Education Fellow for the 2003-2004 academic year. She is among 38 individuals selected for the fellowship this year in a national competition. This prestigious fellowship program recognizes only those who have demonstrated strong leadership abilities in higher education. The fellowship program is designed to strengthen institutions and leadership in American higher education. Of the 1,400 participants in the first 38 years of the program, more than 250 have become chief executive officers and nearly 1,000 have become provosts, vice presidents or deans. April 2003

* K-State's Dean Zollman, university distinguished professor of physics, was chosen as the U.S. representative to the International Commission on Physics Education. This commission is concerned with making sure that physics is taught at the highest possible standards around the world, even in the most isolated areas. Zollman is one of only 10 members of the commission. The International Commission on Physics Education is a division of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics, and draws its members from a range of different countries and cultures. February 2003