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Media Relations
Kansas State University
9 Anderson Hall
Manhattan, KS 66506
785-532-6415
media@k-state.edu

Information provided by K-State Media Relations, K-State's news service, may be reproduced without permission. The marks and names of Kansas State University are protected trademarks and may not be used in any commercial or private endeavor without the approval of the university.

Kansas State University achievements

2005 Students

 

* A mechanical engineering student at K-State has been selected to participate in the annual Society of Automotive Engineers Leadership Development Program. Senior Adam Ewing, Manhattan, is one of only 25 students nationwide selected for this program. The Society of Automotive Engineers Leadership Development Program is a new offering for younger members of the society and is a part of the society's Power Track, a pathway designed to help accelerate participants' careers. Ewing was nominated by David Pacey, professor of mechanical and nuclear engineering and adviser to the K-State chapter of the Society of Automotive Engineers. Pacey said he recommended Ewing due to his leadership skills exhibited through involvement in K-State's chapter. Ewing serves as both chapter vice president and as the team leader for K-State's Formula SAE race team. The focus of the leadership program is to further develop important skills as a leader in the society and the mobility industries, and foster relationships between professional and student chapters of the society. December 2005

* Six students from the College of Architecture, Planning and Design had a special role in an episode of ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" program. The six designed an outbuilding -- a chicken house with a chicken run -- for the Rose Hill family receiving the home makeover on the show. Around 200 of the college's students and faculty also served as volunteers for the makeover project, helping with construction of the new home. The episode is scheduled to air Jan. 8, 2006, on ABC. December 2005

* Patricia Dozier, K-State doctoral student in special education, Junction City, has received an award and $4,200 scholarship from the Donald D. Hammill Foundation, which specializes in special education. She received the scholarship for her dissertation, "How do secondary students feel about the co-teaching strategy?" Co-teaching is an approach where two teachers, one general education and one special education, teach a group or class of students together. The results of Dozier's study showed students valued the fairness of the classes, no one was called on more than others and having a second teacher offered more help plus another way to learn. December 2005

* Patrice Holderbach, senior in print journalism and international studies, is K-State's 10th Marshall Scholarship recipient. The scholarship has an estimated value of around $70,000 and provides full funding to support two years of study at any university in the United Kingdom. Holderbach is considering attending Oxford University or the University of Sussex with her Marshall Scholarship. Her ambition is to be a journalist who specializes in covering international events dealing with ethnic conflicts. K-State ranks third in Marshall Scholarship winners among the nation's 500 public universities. November 2005

* The Sexual Health Awareness Peer Educators, a student organization sponsored by Lafene Health Center, received the Outstanding Network Affiliate Award at the recent general assembly of The BACCHUS Network in Orlando, Fla. The award recognizes outstanding work dealing with health and safety issues on college and university campuses. The K-State program provides sexual health peer education to student living groups, organizations and formal classes associated with K-State. November 2005

* The K-State Collegiate Crops Team won the Kansas City Board of Trade Collegiate Crops Contest and placed second at the Chicago Collegiate Crops Contest Nov. 15 and 18, respectively. K-State placed first in grain grading and second in seed analysis and plant and seed identification at Kansas City. The team placed first in plant and seed identification and second in grain grading and seed analysis at Chicago. The team is coached by Gerry Posler, K-State professor of agronomy. November 2005.

*A K-State student has won first place for a paper presentation at the recent Applied Geography Conference in Washington, D.C. Darci Paull, graduate student in geography, Kanopolis, presented the paper, "The Effectiveness of Rural Communities' Strategies to Reverse Depopulation." November 2005

*A team of K-State Army ROTC cadets placed fourth in the Cadet Command 11th Brigade Ranger Challenge, a military skills and leadership competition, Saturday, Oct. 29, at Camp Dodge, Iowa. Fifteen teams from nine colleges competed in the challenge. K-State's Team A placed fourth in the competition. November 2005

*Three K-State Army ROTC students have been selected by the Department of the Army for education delays. The students will be able to complete a two-year graduate program before being commissioned to the Army. This is a highly competitive selection process. Among 272 schools that host Army ROTC pre-professional programs, K-State ranks first with Boston University, Cornell University and John Hopkins University for the most graduating officers selected for advanced education and service this year. November 2005

*A recent K-State graduate has received the Wildlife Disease Association's Graduate Student Research Recognition Award. Tammi Johnson, a May 2005 graduate with a master's in biology, Thermopolis, Wyo., received the award at the 54th annual meeting of the Wildlife Disease Association in Cairns, Queensland, Australia. Johnson was recognized by the association for her presentation "Landscape Predictors for the Spread of Disease in a Colonial Mammal: Sylvatic Plague in Black-tailed Prairie Dogs." The award was given to the student who had the best research project in the field of wildlife disease based on written communication and scientific achievement. November 2005.

* Corey Schneider, a fourth-year student in architecture, Salina, received the Merit Award for Student Architecture from the Kansas chapter of the American Institute of Architects for his "American Museum of the Piano." Schneider worked on the project in the spring for a studio class taught by Larry Bowne, K-State assistant professor of architecture. The award was presented at the American Institute of Architects Kansas/American Institute of Architects Central States Regional Conference in September in Overland Park. October 2005

* Jennifer West, fifth-year senior in interior architecture and product design, Topeka, was selected to share a $5,000 scholarship from the Kansas City chapter of the International Facilities Management Association with four other recipients. At K-State, West has been recognized for delineation, home design, graphic design and speech. October 2005

* April Hammond Bilbrey, a May 2005 bachelor's graduate in textiles, Larned, has won the 2005 Outstanding Textile Graduate award from the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists. The award is based on academic performance and involvement in student activities. Elizabeth McCullough, professor of apparel, textiles and interior design, nominated Bilbrey, who was chosen out of 21 chapter winners from across the country. Bilbrey was eligible for this award after winning the Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Textiles Award from the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists. October 2005

* Eric Castle, Cedar Hills, Utah, a graduate student in landscape architecture, was one of three winners in the first Dangermond Fellowship, which recognizes the innovative use of geographic information systems in landscape assessment and intervention. Castle's project studies using GIS and hydrologic technologies to design and plan better watersheds. The fellowship includes $10,000 and a computer. October 2005

* John Anderson, junior in biology from Valley Center, has received a $7,500 STAR Trainee Award from the Kansas IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence. The scholarship is for research in his senior year and provides support during his first year of graduate school. The STAR Trainee Award program identifies outstanding prospective biomedical researchers in their senior year at a Kansas university. September 2005

*Two members of K-State's chapter of Beta Theta Pi fraternity have received John J. and Elizabeth Rhodes scholarships. The two received their awards at the Beta Theta Pi general convention in Scottsdale, Ariz., in August. Both Andrew Maher, junior in accounting, and Daniel Nesbitt, senior in accounting and pre-law, received $800 scholarships. September 2005

* Xin Zhao, graduate student in horticulture, received an American Society for Horticultural Science travel award to attend the society's recent 2005 annual conference in Las Vegas, Nev. Zhao's poster, "Influences of fertilizer source and insecticide application on phenolic compounds in pac choi (Brasic rapa L.)," received second place in the graduate student poster competition. Posters were judged on display appearance, poster organization, substantive merit, novelty and the student's enthusiasm for their study and competence in the subject area. September 2005

* Thomas Pollock, senior in mechanical engineering, was awarded a Society of Automotive Engineering Long Term Member Sponsored Scholarship. Pollock, from De Soto, was one of six worldwide recipients of the scholarship. He will receive a $1,000 nonrenewable scholarship from the international society. The scholarship recognizes outstanding student members who actively support the society and its activities. September 2005

* K-State's chapter of Alpha Tau Omega fraternity has received the Top Chapter Award from the fraternity for the sixth time in the last eight years. The honor was presented at the fraternity's 2005 awards banquet in Indianapolis. Other honors the chapter received included the Joseph R. Anderson Gold Award for most outstanding communications; the True Merit Award, presented to the 21 most outstanding Alpha Tau Omega chapters; the Alpha Tau Omega Roadshow National Award; the Ross Impact Special Mention Award for outstanding social service; and the Excellence in Scholarship Award for a chapter grade point average above 3.0 for the school year. September 2005

*Tony Grace, graduate student in entomology, was awarded the Lillian and Alex Feir Graduate Student Travel Award in Insect Physiology, Biochemistry or Molecular Biology from the Entomological Society of America section B. The award includes a $1,000 cash prize and a certificate. It was the third national award Grace has received this year. September 2005

*Two Kansas State University graduate students were honored at the Society for Invertebrate Pathology annual meeting in Anchorage, Alaska. Chanitchote Detvisitsakun, graduate student in genetics and biology, placed second for her oral presentation. Detvisitsakun also was awarded the Mauro Martignoni Student Travel Award in support of her research on viral pathogenesis. Jayne Christen, graduate student in entomology, received an honorable mention for her oral presentation. This marks the second year in a row for K-State students to be honored for their presentations and receive the Martingnoni award. August 2005.

* Students from K-State's biological and agricultural engineering department earned five top-three awards in student competitions at the International American Society of Agricultural Engineers meeting July 17-20 in Tampa, Fla. K-State students received both the first- and second-place awards in the K.K. Barnes Student Paper Competition. Twelve papers were submitted nationally for the competition, which encourages undergraduate students in the preparation of better technical papers on subjects in the agricultural, food or biological engineering field. The K-State Fountain Wars team placed second in a field of five teams in its competition. Fountain Wars is a hands-on, real-time design competition where students design and model their entry beforehand but build and test the actual entry during the competition. Once completed, each fountain was tested for its ability to efficiently launch a tennis ball the greatest horizontal distance and complete an obstacle course that required three different uses of a jet of water to extinguish a torch, move a full 2-liter soda bottle, and knock over an empty soda can. K-State also had one of three finalists for the Gunlogson Student Environment Design Competition, which encourages undergraduate students to participate in the design of a relevant engineering project and to provide an arena of professional competition for environmentally and biologically related design projects. One K-State graduate student received second place in the Graduate Student Research Award, which recognizes excellence in the conduct and presentation of research to build the knowledge base needed by engineers who design equipment. The K-State Agricultural Technology Management Club received third-pace honors in the Outstanding Agricultural Mechanization Club Competition. The clubs were judged based upon the most outstanding record of activities and accomplishments in the previous year in areas including membership, committees, meetings, attendance, programs, special member activities, inspection trips and publications. July 2005

* Randy Regier, a summa cum laude graduate of K-State in May 2003 with a bachelor's in fine arts, is among the 10 recipients of a 2005 Jack Kent Gooke Foundation Graduate Scholarship for the fine or performing arts. Regier will use the scholarship, worth up to $50,000 ayear for up to six years, for his graduate studies at the Maine College of Art. Regier staged a popular exhibition at the Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art in fall 2003, "Everything Must Go: The Toys of Randy Regier." July 2005

* The Federal Communication Commission has renewed the broadcast license of K-State's student radio station, KSDB-FM. The current license period lasts through 2012. KSDB was first licensed in November 1948 and is one of the longest-operating educational FM radio stations in the country. KSDB-FM, the Wildcat 91.9, is K-State's student-run radio station. Since 1999, the station's staff has been recognized with more than 120 awards by the Kansas Association of Broadcasters for news, sports, creativity and performance. The station is operated by the A. Q. Miller School of Journalism and Mass Communications and partially funded by K-State Student Privilege Fees. July 2005

* Meredith Martin, Hanover, a K-State senior in mechanical engineering, won a Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship, worth up to $5,000 for study abroad in fall 2005. The Gilman International Scholarship Program offers a competition for awards for undergraduate study abroad and was established by the International Academic Opportunity Act of 2000. June 2005

* Two K-State students specializing in greenhouse management have been awarded Joseph Shinoda Memorial Scholarships for the 2005-06 academic year. Matt Novak, senior in horticulture, Modoc, will receive a $2,000 scholarship; Natalie Thomas, senior in horticulture, Riley, will receive a $3,000 scholarship. The scholarship foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring the continued success of the commercial floriculture industry through encouraging creative young students to pursue careers in floriculture. June 2005

* Two K-State industrial engineering graduate students were selected to participate in the NASA Graduate Student Research Program at the Kennedy Space Center in summer 2005. Nyla Polli, Leavenworth, and Brandon Evans, Rose Hill, will each receive $24,000 as part of the one-year program, with an opportunity for renewal. The students were chosen based on their project proposals, which dealt with expendable launch vehicles operations -- rockets, for example. David Ben-Arieh, K-State professor of industrial and manufacturing systems engineering, helped with the project proposals. Polli and Evans worked at the Kennedy Space Center last summer on a project with Ben-Arieh. The program supports approximately 300 graduate students nationwide annually; this year only eight were chosen to work at Kennedy Space Center. NASA's discipline scientists and technologists evaluate applications based on academic transcripts, research proposal, faculty research adviser's recommendation and the proposed utilization of the NASA Center or university research facilities. June 2005

* The K-State Powercat Tractors Team continued its outstanding record by finishing second in the eighth annual American Society of Agricultural Engineers International Quarter-Scale Tractor Student Design Competition, June 2-5 in Moline, Ill. The K-State team, made up of undergraduates in biological and agricultural engineering and agricultural technology management, is the only team to place in the top three, including four firsts, continuously since 1999. The competition began in 1998. Entries were judged in four areas -- overall quality of design, oral report presentation, written report, and maneuverability and pulling performance. Up against 26 teams from around the country and world, the 14-member K-State team took first in two of the four pulling competitions, second in the written report, third in design ergonomics and sixth in the oral presentation. June 2005

* Laura Beth Bienhoff, a May 2005 graduate in chemical engineering, Kensington, has been named the Society of Women Engineers Board of Directors Collegiate Representative. This is the inaugural year of the two-year pilot position. Bienhoff will participate in all board of director activities as a non-voting member. The collegiate member must be a student member or a first-year graduate member when their term starts. June 2005

* Julie (Quackenbush) Heaser, Salina, a K-State graduate, received a national Homeland Security Scholars and Fellows Program scholarship intended to develop future scientists in fields vital to homeland security. Heaser graduated from K-State with honors in December 2004 with a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering with an economics minor. The scholarship will cover Heaser's 2005-2006tuition and fees in graduate school and provide a $27,600 stipend. She also will spend an eight-week to 10-week internship with a federally affiliated agency that deals with homeland security. The scholarship is coordinated by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education. June 2005

* K-State's Sensory Analysis team won an international award for a test they designed to see what sensory attributes are important to people over 50 years of age. The team received first place in the Elaine Skinner Sensory Design competition, sponsored by Sensory Spectrum. The competition challenged teams to put themselves in the place of sensory experts with an innovation team employed by a company looking to develop a snack for adults 50 years of age and older. Sensory analysis includes understanding products in terms of their appearance, aroma/fragrance, flavor, texture, feeling and sound.The K-State team shared $5,000 in scholarships for winning the competition. May 2005

* Chris Weber, Claflin, May 2005 graduate in electrical and computer engineering at K-State, was named one of five finalists for the Alton B. Zerby and Carl T. Koerner Outstanding Electrical or Computer Engineering Student Award issued by Eta Kappa Nu, a national honor society for electrical and computer engineering students. Weber's selection identifies him as one of the five most outstanding electrical engineering students in the nation. Each year, K-State's chapter of Eta Kappa Nu nominates one senior for the award. This marks the second straight year a nominee from K-State has been selected as a national finalist. Weber, president of K-State's Eta Kappa Nu chapter, plans to attend the formal banquet ceremony that will recognize the winner of the award in Los Angeles in fall 2005. Started in 1965, the award recognizes outstanding scholastic excellence and high moral character, coupled with demonstrated exemplary service to classmates, university, community and country. The program is administered by the Los Angeles Area Alumni Chapter. May 2005

* A first-year graduate student in K-State's Master of Business Administration program has been selected by the Association for Canadian Studies in the United States to participate in a week-long seminar at the University of Ottawa in Ontario, Canada. Jordan Zimbelman is one of 25 students from MBA programs across the United States invited to participate in this all expenses paid experience. The program will take place the week of June 5 and will involve briefings by Canadian political and business leaders and company visits in both Ottawa and Montreal. May 2005

* Two seniors in K-State's biological and agricultural engineering program have received national awards from the American Society of Agricultural Engineers. Trisha Culbertson, senior in biological and agricultural engineering, New Strawn, has been awarded the American Society of Agricultural Engineers Student of the Year Award for 2005. This $1,000 honor is given to the outstanding engineering undergraduate student in the United States and Canada. Criteria for the award includes scholarship excellence, outstanding character, personal development, student membership in the American Society of Agricultural Engineers and leadership qualities. She is the fourth K-State winner of the honor in the past seven years. Amy Good, senior in biological and agricultural engineering, Oakley, has been awarded the American Society of Agricultural Engineers Merriam scholarship. This $1,000 award is presented to a student in biological or agricultural engineering with an emphasis in soil and water. She is the third K-State winner in the award's five-year history. Over the past seven years, K-State students have won more than one-third of the national American Society of Agricultural Engineers scholarships. May 2005

* A team of mechanical engineering students from K-State placed third in the 2005 Society of Automotive Engineers' Aero Design West competition. Armed with their new airplane, LoadStar, the team competed against an international field of more than 30 engineering, aviation and technology schools April 22-24 in Fort Worth, Texas. The radio-controlled airplane made of foam, carbon fiber and balsa was required to weigh in at less than 10 pounds. During the flight portion of the competition, LoadStar lifted 21.7 pounds of payload off the ground, made a 360-degree flight pattern and landed. Two other parts of the contest involved a design report book, and an oral presentation. Participating in the event for the fifth time, this year's finish matched a previous best third-place finish in 2003 at Aero Design East. This was the first time the team had competed in Open Class. May 2005

* The K-State Horse Judging Team took first place at the Middle Tennessee State University contest April 1. Eight K-State students competed in two teams. One student competed individually. Team A placed third in Halter, first in Performance, first in Reasons and first overall. Team B placed first in Halter, second in Performance, second in Reasons and third overall. Members of the K-State Horse Judging Team also placed individually. May 2005

* Clarisse Sjoquist, K-State graduate student in apparel and textiles, received first place for her original purse design in the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists Concept to Consumer 2005 Design Competition. The theme of the competition was "Carry-All" and the contest was divided into three categories: technical, aesthetic and textile design. Sjoquist received the award for her aesthetic design "Fusion -- the purse with no limitations." The purse is designed specifically for women who use wheelchairs. Sjoquist will receive a $1,000 award and a complimentary student registration for the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists International Conference and Exhibition in October where her design will be featured. May 2005

* Armed with a laptop computer and their knowledge of financial planning, K-State's financial planning team beat out all other teams in the nation at the American Express Collegiate Financial Planning Competition, April 13-16, in Minneapolis. This marks the third time K-State has won the national championship -- which brings $10,000 in scholarship money to the university. This is the sixth year in a row K-State has made it to the finals.

More than 40 teams entered the competition, but only eight were chosen to compete in the finals. K-State's financial planning team includes Ramona Arnold and Chris Gasken, both of Junction City, and Marc Shaffer, Topeka. The students are all seniors in family studies and human services and have been working together since November to prepare for the competition. At the finals, the team gave a 20-minute client presentation to a panel of industry experts based on a 100-page, comprehensive financial plan they had previously submitted for a fictitious family. Although the team members each get an individual prize of $750, the team spent an estimated 120 hours preparing for the competition. April 2005

* K-State students swept the Kansas Association of Broadcasters student awards competition, with 19 television production awards and 28 awards in radio for student radio station KSDB-FM. On the radio side, KSDB-FM won first place in all divisions but two. April 2005

* Student editors of K-State's student newspaper and yearbook, the Collegian and Royal Purple, accepted Gold Crown awards for both publications during the 27th annual College Media Advisers Convention, sponsored by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association March 19 in New York City. The 2004 Royal Purple was one of only four college yearbooks to take home a Gold Crown Award, an honor that followed its first-place Best in Show award at College Media Advisers' November convention in Nashville, Tenn. Both the fall 2003 and spring 2004 Collegians received Gold Crown awards. K-State was the only school in the nation to receive three Gold Crowns. This was K-State's second year in a row to receive all three. April 2005

* K-State graduate students in entomology earned awards at the 60th Annual Entomological Society of America-North Central Branch Meeting March 20-23. Five graduate students won awards for their research presentations at the meeting, the highest number of any institution represented at the meeting. April 2005

* April Hammond Bilbrey, K-State senior in textiles, Larned, received the Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Textiles Award from the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists. Bilbrey was selected for the national award based on university involvement, leadership roles and outstanding work in textile science or textile chemistry throughout her time at K-State. With the award, Bilbrey received a one-year membership to the association and two books. She also was recognized in both the association's national publication and the Web site. Bilbrey has been an active member of K-State's chapter of the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists and has been secretary of the organization for two years. Each collegiate chapter of the association nominates one student for this national award. Bilbrey was nominated for the award by Elizabeth McCullough, professor of apparel, textiles and interior design. The award also places Bilbrey in the running for the Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists Outstanding College Graduate of the Year award, which will be announced at the international conference and exhibition in fall 2005. April 2005

* One current and one recently graduated engineering student from Kansas State University have received National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships. The fellowship awards a $30,000 stipend and a $10,500 cost-of-education allowance per year for three years of education, totaling about $120,000 over three years for students pursuing research-based master's or doctoral degrees in an engineering or science discipline. April 2005

* The K-State Crops Team won the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture Crops Contest April 15 in Norfolk, Neb. The team has won this title six times in the last seven years. This year, the team placed first in plant and seed identification and agronomic calculations and second in laboratory practical and agronomic quiz. April 2005

* Two K-State interior design students received top awards for their designs in the 2005 Brass Ring Awards, a national exhibition of student design sponsored annually by Oklahoma Christian University. Jessica Richardson, Andover, junior in interior design, placed second in the corporate design division. She also received a Silver Best of Show Award. Richardson's design consisted of an alternative corporate office space for a London-based exporter of Argentinean wines. Amy Gowens, Wichita, senior in interior design, placed first in the corporate and health care divisions for her interior designs of a wine exporter's headquarters and a pediatric center. She also received a Gold Best of Show award. The competition included more than 800 entries from students at 30 schools and universities. Both Gowens and Richardson entered their designs under the direction of Migette Kaup, K-State assistant professor of apparel, textiles and interior design. April 2005

* Jessica Heier, Quinter, was named a Phi Kappa Phi Graduate Fellowship winner for 2005. The fellowship provides three years of support for graduate study leading to research-based master's or doctoral degrees in engineering or science disciplines. She will receive a $30,000 stipend and a $10,500 cost-of-education allowance (tuition and fees) per year during three of the next five years. Heier, a December 2004 K-State graduate in industrial engineering with a music minor, plans to earn a Ph.D. in industrial engineering and to pursue a career in teaching, research and service at a university. The K-State Phi Kappa Phi honor society has an impressive record in this competition. Since 1986, K-State has had 18 winners, a total matched only by Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah. April 2005

* K-State students Jenna Tajchman, Danielle Richardsonand Adrienne Stolwyk have claimed three of the 38 Phi Kappa Phi Study/Internship Abroad Grants awarded nationally this year. The $1,000 awards recognize and assist undergraduates seeking knowledge abroad. K-State students have won 11 Phi Kappa Phi study abroad grants since they were created four years ago. April 2005

* The K-State Forensics Team beat out 90 other teams to place seventh in the 28th Annual American Forensics Association National Individual Events Tournament April 1-4 at K-State. Twelve students from K-State competed with more than 700 students from 97 colleges and universities throughout the country. Of those 12 students, seven made it past the initial rounds in their events. Four reached the quarter finals, one reached the semi-finals, and two made it to the final rounds and placed in their events. April 2005

* K-State's Steel Bridge Team placed second out of 11 teams at the Mid-Continent Regional Conference of the American Society of Civil Engineers March 31-April 2, in Edwardsville, Ill. By placing second, the team also earned a spot in the national competition for the first time since 2000. Between 40 and 50 steel bridge teams from across the country will compete in the national competition May 27-28, in Orlando, Fla. The K-State Steel Bridge Team's bridge was judged in three categories: weight, construction time and deflection. Deflection measures how much the bridge moves when it is supporting weight. April 2005

* A K-State graduate student has been awarded a $9,850 grant from the National Science Foundation. Mary Dobbs, graduate student in geography and native of Great Bend, received the grant to assist with her doctoral dissertation research. Dobbs will look at the economic impact of the Conservation Reserve Program on farm households. March 2005

* A K-State graduate student was selected to present his research at the 2005 International Association for Food Protection Annual Meeting, Aug. 17, in Baltimore, Md. David Olds, a doctoral student in hotel, restaurant, institution management and dietetics, Manhattan, presented "Influence of Four Retail Foodservice Cooling Methods on the Behavior of Clostridium Perfringens ATCC 10388 in Turkey Roasts Following Heating to an Internal Temperature of 74 degrees C." Olds' research focused on microbiological growth in cooked turkeys. To examine the effect on turkeys, he used four different cooling methods. March 2005

* Victoria Luhrs, a senior in secondary education and history,is Kansas State University's 28th winner of the Harry S. Truman Scholarship. With her win of the $30,000 scholarship, K-State remains first in the nation among public universities and seventh in the nation among all universities -- public and private -- in producing Truman scholars since the scholarship competition began in 1977. March 2005

* Four Kansas State University students -- David Thompson, Mike Higgins, Meg Fasulo and Matt Basel -- have been awarded $7,500 Barry M. Goldwater Scholarships. K-State students have now won 53 Goldwater Scholarships since the program began in 1989. K-State is ranked first in the nation among all 500 four-year state universities in the number of Goldwater winners. Including both the 500 public schools and 1,500 private colleges and universities in the nation, only Princeton, Harvard and Duke have produced more Goldwater scholars. March 2005

* Trisha Culbertson has become K-State's 13th Udall scholar. Culbertson, senior in biological and agricultural engineering, is also a member of K-State's cross country and track teams. The $5,000 scholarship honors Morris K. Udall, a former congressman from Arizona, for his legacy of public service. Mark Ruzicka, junior in landscape architecture, has received a $500 honorable mention in the Udall competition. March 2005

* K-State students finished first and second in the Big 12 in the Putnam Mathematical Competition. The Mathematical Association of America released the results of the prestigious William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition and K-State's Matthew Burkemper, a senior mathematics major from Derby, ranked 44th among the 3,733 students in the competition. Jeffrey Amos, a junior in mathematics and computer science from Olathe, ranked 69th in the competition. These were the first and second best performances by students in the Big 12 Conference and among the best performances ever by a K-Stater. Other K-State students who did well in the competition include Manhattan residents Jonathan Whitmer, a senior in mathematics and physics, ranked in the top 22 percent; Michael Higgins, a senior in mathematics and statistics, ranked in the top 30 percent; and Adam Gelroth, a junior in mathematics, ranked in the top 37 percent; Kevin McBeth, Topeka, a junior in mathematics, economics and statistics, ranked in the top 20 percent; Julia Galstad, Wichita, a senior mathematics major, ranked in the top 16 percent. K-State's Putnam team finished 30th and ranked in the top 7 percent of the 411 teams and 515 colleges in the Competition. K-State's Putnam team finished 12th overall and first among all public universities in 1996. In the last decade, K-State's Putnam team has finished first in the Big 12 four times. The Putnam is the highest level mathematical competition for undergraduates in the United States and Canada. March 2005

* Mark Smith, a K-State doctoral student in high-energy physics, was selected to attend the 55th Lindau Meeting of Nobel Laureates and Students June 26-July 1 in Lindau, Germany. Smith, Topeka, was one of 60 outstanding graduate students in the United States selected by the Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation and the Oak Ridge Associated Universities to attend. His sponsor was the Department of Energy's Office of Science, which will cover all costs of his attending the meeting. The structure of the meeting is such that the Nobel Laureates present lectures on a topic of their choice related to chemistry, physics and medicine during morning sessions, and laureates and students mix in the less formal small-group discussions during afternoon and evening sessions. Smith is in his third year of high-energy physics graduate education. The winners of the Nobel Prize have met each year since 1951 in Lindau, and in recent years, the three U.S. agencies have sponsored a group of top young U.S. scientists to join the laureates for weeklong discussions of sciences and medicine. March 2005

* Three K-State agriculture students won $1,500 scholarships from the National Cattlemen's Foundation and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Twenty students nationwide won the Beef Industry Scholarship, sponsored by the two organizations. No other school had three or more winners and only two institutions had more than one. K-State recipients are: Audrey Young, senior in agricultural communications and journalism, Erie; Kelsey Frasier, sophomore in agribusiness, Limon, Colo.; and Emilie Miller, junior in animal sciences and industry, Womelsdorf, Pa. To win the scholarships, students wrote 750-word essays describing an issue facing the beef industry and the solution to this problem. Applicants also submitted resumes and two letters of recommendation. The scholarship committee looked for students who were active at their school, in their community and in the beef industry. March 2005

* AbdulRasak Toyin Yahaya, a K-State sophomore in civil engineering, Kansas City, Mo., was elected chair of the Big XII Council on Black Student Government at the Council's 28th annual conference, Feb. 17-19, on the campus of the University of Colorado at Boulder. In this position he will represent all the Black Student Unions and Black Student Associations, not only in the Big 12, but throughout the Midwest as well. Yahaya was also the recipient of the Mordean Taylor-Archer Scholarship, awarded annually to the outstanding member of the council. The award is named in honor of the council's former adviser and a former associate provost for diversity and dual career development at K-State. Yahaya previously served as the council's parliamentarian for the 2004-2005 academic year. In addition to his work on the Big XII Council, Yahaya is also the president of the Kappa Tau chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., and serves as a member of K-State's Multicultural Ambassadors. He is also a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and the National Society of Black Engineers. February 2005

* The K-State Interfraternity and Panhellenic councils received awards for excellence at the Mid-American Greek Council Association Conference Feb. 17-20 in Chicago. The K-State Interfraternity Council won the Jellison Award for division four, and the Panhellenic Council won the Sutherland Award for division three. Both awards are given to the councils that demonstrate overall excellence in eight categories: academic achievement, council management, leadership and educational development, membership recruitment, philanthropy and community service, public relations, risk reduction and management and self governance and judicial affairs. The Jellison Award is given to one interfraternity council in each division, and the Sutherland Award is given to one Panhellenic council in each division. The four divisions are based on the size of the Greek community, with division one being the smallest and division four being the largest. This is the eighth time since 1997 the K-State Interfraternity Council has won the Jellison Award and the fifth time the Panhellenic Council has received the Sutherland Award. February 2005

* A design-build project completed by architecture students in K-State's College of Architecture, Planning and Design provided the college with new studios, a reception area, a new Pierce Commons and more gallery space. The project, on the ground level of Seaton Hall's east wing, was designed and started by students in fifth-year architecture studios led by architecture faculty members Vladimir Krstic and Chris Spaw during the 2003-2004 school year. Krstic and Spaw had students in their 2004 fall semester fifth-year studios complete the project. January 2005

* A K-State interior design student received first place in the National Kitchen and Bath Association's 2004/2005 Student Design Competition. Senior Audrey Koehn, Hillsboro, was chosen out of 127 applicants from across the country for her design of a kitchen remodel. Her design consisted of a contemporary space emphasizing the major bayside view. Koehn's entry, which took more than two months to design, was a final project for her kitchen and bath design course in spring 2004. Students were given the option to submit their designs to the competition. The award includes a trip to the National Kitchen and Bath Association's Kitchen and Bath Industry Show, May 9-12, in Las Vegas, where Koehn will receive her award and cash prize. January 2005

* Two K-State seniors in apparel and textiles won design awards in the 2005 Fiber to Fashion Student Design Competition, sponsored by the Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association. Kristin Brungardt, Sublette, won first place and Morgan Gilliland, Houston, Texas, received second place for designs that incorporated alpaca fiber into fashions that were both marketable and fashionable. The students created presentation boards to reflect the competition theme 'Alpaca -- Transforming our lives,' and the design trend of taking something basic and changing it into something new and complex. They were chosen to submit their presentation boards by an internal review of both students and faculty members. Nine entries from K-State were chosen for the competition. There were a total of 38 entries from across the nation. January 2005