Kansas State University achievements

2006 K-State at Salina

 

* K-State's Chrystal Cole-Bridges has become the first woman to follow in the footsteps of the famed Tuskegee Airmen. It's a feat she wouldn't have been able to accomplish had it not been for a partnership between K-State at Salina and Tuskegee University. The partnership started in 2001 and encourages diversity in the aviation industry. Students get a bachelor's degree from Tuskegee University in aerospace engineering and earn a degree as a professional pilot at K-State at Salina during the summer. Tuskegee presently has no formal flight program. The Tuskegee Airmen were a group of renowned black fighter pilots who accomplished several records during World War II. Not only did the group not lose a single bomber it was escorting in more than 200 combat missions, members also destroyed more than 260 enemy aircraft and won more than 850 medals. The airmen's volunteer actions to fight for democracy overseas came while they were being denied civil rights at home. Cole-Bridges also is the second graduate of the program. She works as a design engineer at Cessna Aircraft Company in Wichita. December 2006

* The Students in Free Enterprise team at K-State at Salina took third place and received the Spirit Award at the Walgreen's Wrangle I competition, Nov. 9-11, at Arkansas State University in Magnolia, Ark. The case study competition was host to 16 Students in Free Enterprise teams from the south-central region. The K-State at Salina team received an $800 cash prize for finishing third. The team also was recognized with the Spirit Award -- the only other honor, besides the team rankings, presented at the competition. December 2006

* A new five-year, $500,000 grant from the National Science Foundation will be used as part of a mechanism to enhance Kansas State University at Salina recruitment efforts. K-State at Salina will use the Enhancing Lives through Technology and Engineering scholarship program to draw students to the college's engineering technology degree programs. November 2006

* K-State at Salina flight instructors continue to be among the nation's elite. The National Association of Flight Instructors has renewed Troy Brockway's designation as a Master Certificated Flight Instructor. K-State is No. 1 in the nation in the number of Master Certified Flight Instuctors on staff. Brockway is one of only 12 Kansas aviation educators who have earned the prestigious "Master" title. The designation must be renewed every two years. Brockway is assistant chief flight instructor at K-State at Salina. K-State's other Master Certificated Flight Instructors are Barney King, professional pilot section head, Bill Gross, chief pilot, and Eric Shappee. The master instructor designation is a national accreditation recognized by the Federal Aviation Administration that is earned by candidates through a rigorous process of continuing education and peer review. August 2006

* K-State at Salina will break ground Sept. 21 for its new Student Life Center. The $8 million, 61,000-square-foot-facility will bring together key student services, as well as some new ones, under one roof. A student union and bookstore, recreational facilities, and an auditorium are just some of the amenities the center will provide. The design team for the project is led by The Ebert Mayo Design Group. The center is expected to open in fall 2008. August 2006

* The 2006 K-State at Salina's TechnoCats Fast pitch softball team completed the season with a second place finish in the 18-Under American Fastpitch Association class B mid-regional National Tournament. Also, the TechnoCats won the 2006 ASA Class B state 18-and-under fast-pitch softball title held in Junction City. The TechnoCats were undefeated in their run for the title, outscoring their opponents 33-6. The goal of the TechnoCats team is to provide a competitive softball environment that will introduce and prepare young women for softball at the collegiate level. Team members live in the residence halls, practice daily, enroll in six credit hours of collegiate general education coursework, assist in clinics and workshops, participate in conditioning and strength activities, have mandatory study hall requirements and compete in tournament play every weekend. August 2006

* Bernard King, associate professor of aeronautics at K-State at Salina, has been elected to serve on the Board of Educator Trustees of the Aviation Accreditation Board International. The organization, formerly known as the Council on Aviation Accreditation, is the only nongovernmental, specialized accrediting body for aviation programs in the world. It sets the standards for all aerospace programs taught in colleges and schools around the U.S., as well as some programs internationally. Programs that meet the Aviation Accreditation Board International's standards -- including the professional pilot program at K-State at Salina -- are accredited for a five-year period. As a member of the board, King also will serve as co-chair for the organization's Curriculum Development Committee and as a member of its Outcomes Implementation and Standards committees. July 2006

* Dennis Kuhlman, dean of K-State at Salina, has been named engineer of the year by the Kansas Society of Professional Engineers. Kuhlman was recognized for his leadership during the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer project in early 2005, during which famed aviator Steve Fossett completed the first nonstop solo flight around the world and set the absolute speed record for such a flight. Mission control was based at K-State at Salina, and more than 100 students were involved in the project as volunteers. A dozen students were in leadership positions that included working in mission control and providing ground maintenance on the plane. The GlobalFlyer project also was recognized with the Engineering Achievement Award for 2005 at the conference. Kuhlman has been dean at K-State at Salina since 1997, after serving for many years as an extension agricultural engineer and faculty member on K-State's Manhattan campus. June 2006

* Eric Lawrence, a junior in aviation maintenance at K-State at Salina, will spend 10 weeks this summer as an intern with the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Lawrence will be working at the Paul E. Garber Preservation, Restoration and Storage Facility in Suitland, Md., where he will prepare aviation artifacts for display at the National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Washington Dulles International Airport. The Udvar-Hazy Center is the companion facility to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. May 2006

* Three aviation students from K-State at Salina have been selected by pilot and millionaire adventurer Steve Fossett to support the second Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer record attempt. Fossett will look to set the longest nonstop flight distance record in February during the GlobalFlyer Ultimate Flight. His attempt comes less than a year since the aircraft's first record-setting nonstop, solo flight around the world. K-State students Nancy Milleret, Patrick Rinearson and James Reed all assisted with the first GlobalFlyer record in 2005. Fossett has asked them to assist with the planning, maintenance and mission control operations for the Ultimate Flight. January 2006

* The National Intercollegiate Flying Association has selected Kansas State University at Salina as the site for this fall's Region VI Safety and Flight Evaluation Conference -- SAFECON -- Oct. 16-20. The competition will bring together approximately 100 participants on eight teams and 20 aircraft for the five-day event. These teams will compete for the chance to participate in the national competition, held each spring. Most recently, K-State was host to the national SAFECON competition in April 2005. The college also hosted regionals in 2002, as well as nationals in 1998 and 1999. SAFECON is devoted to the skill, safety, sport and education in college flying. A series of ground and flight events are conducted during the competition. Ground events include pre-flight inspection, aircraft recognition, instrument proficiency in a ground-based simulator and computer accuracy. Flight events include short-field precision landing, power-off precision landing, cross-country navigation and message drop. January 2006

 

2005 K-State at Salina

2004 K-State at Salina

2003 K-State at Salina

2002 K-State at Salina

Achievements index

K-State at Salina