Kansas
State University achievements
2003
Students
*
John O'Hara, Salina senior in finance, was selected as a Rotary
Ambassadorial Scholar. This scholarship, valued at $25,000, will
enable him to study for a master of science in economics and finance
at the University of Warwick's School of Business in Coventry,
England. The purpose of the Rotary scholarship is to help promote
international understanding and friendly relations among people
of different countries. O'Hara also is one of 12 student body
presidents selected to participate in a program called "Project
Interchange," an American Jewish Committee-sponsored event
that sends a small number of leaders from across the United States
to Israel to meet with government leaders and visit historical
sights. Project Interchange provides educational seminars in Israel
for America's policy and opinion makers. More than 3,500 American
leaders have participated in these intensive seminars in Israel.
K-State student body presidents have been among the small number
of participants selected every year since 1998. December 2003
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Eight Army ROTC cadets — all K-State seniors — were
selected by a national board as Distinguished Military Graduates.
They are in the top 20 percent of the 4,685 graduating senior
cadets nationwide. Receiving the Distinguished Military Graduate
designation guarantees them first choice placement among the Army's
16 career fields for officers. Distinguished Military Graduate
status is a life-long credential. K-State's Army ROTC program
performance rating in terms of "quality of graduates produced"
is among the top 2 percent in the nation and eight Distinguished
Military Graduates is the greatest number ever achieved by a graduating
class from K-State. This places K-State highest in the eight-state
region, which has 20 colleges and universities with Army ROTC
programs. K-State is producing more top military officers than
most prestigious, private military colleges and universities in
America. November 2003
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Brad Hammerschmidt, senior in geography and natural resources
and environmental science, Salina, and Renee Ecklund, junior in
electrical engineering, Herington, are among the 100 recipients
of the first Homeland Security Scholars and Fellows Program awards
from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The new scholarship
program was created to support the growth and mentoring of the
next generation of scientists who study ways to prevent terrorist
attacks within the United States, reduce America's vulnerability
to terrorism and minimize the damage and recovery efforts from
attacks that occur. August 2003
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A K-State student received a scholarship to participate in research
at NASA. Andrea Muraco, senior in industrial engineering, Manhattan,
received the $4,500 Langley Aerospace Research Summer Scholarship
to stay at NASA for 10 weeks during summer 2003 and participate
in a research project at the NASA Langley Research Center. She
will be working on a project initiated by David Ben-Arieh, associate
professor of industrial and manufacturing systems engineering,
in the Model Systems Branch, which is responsible for building
reduced-scale air and space experimental vehicles used for advanced
flight-testing and analysis. Muraco plans to graduate in December
2003, continue her NASA research and obtain a master's degree
in industrial and manufacturing systems engineering at K-State.
May 2003
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Two internship grants and one study abroad grant have been awarded
to K-State students from Phi Kappa Phi, the nation's oldest, largest
and most selective all-discipline honor society. Study abroad
and internship grants are meant to recognize and assist undergraduate
students as they gain knowledge from studying abroad or through
working outside the academic setting. Twenty grants valued at
$1,000 were awarded in each category. Victoria Luhrs, senior in
pre-professional secondary education, Overland Park, received
an internship grant to work with junior and senior high youth
groups this summer at the Village Presbyterian Church. Bradley
Hammerschmidt, junior in geography and natural resources and environmental
sciences, Salina, received an internship grant to continue his
studies this summer at K-State. He will work with Shawn Hutchinson,
assistant professor of geography and director of the Geographic
Information Systems Spatial Analysis Laboratory, as a part of
a grant from the Department of Defense, Department of Energy and
the Environmental Protection Agency to better understand non-point
source pollution at the Fort Riley Army base. Elizabeth Greig,
junior in modern languages and nutritional sciences, Clovis, N.M.,
received a study abroad grant to teach English this summer at
Centro de Asistencia Social a Ninas, a government-funded home
in Mexico that aids girls from unhealthy living conditions. April
2003
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Jeana Cole, senior in family studies and human services, Lincoln,
Kan., was received the 2003 Fourth Estate Award from the American
Legion for her coverage of Boys State 2002 on radio station KKSU-AM.
The American Legion presents the Fourth Estate Award annually
to journalists in radio, newspaper and television. Cole was a
student reporter for the radio station KKSU-AM. April 2003
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K-State's speech team finished ninth overall at the American Forensic
Association National Individual Events Tournament. This is the
team's 10th top-10 finish in the last 12 years. K-State's speech
team had three events in final rounds, two of which won national
titles. Approximately 89 schools and more than 800 competitors
attended the tournament. Nathan Jackson won national titles in
Prose Interpretation and Poetry Interpretation. Jackson, a senior
in theater, also won a national title in 2001 for Prose Interpretation.
He was the only competitor at the 2003 tournament to win multiple
national titles, and K-State was the only school at the tournament
to win more than one national title. Jackson's first place in
Poetry Interpretation means that K-State has won national titles
in 10 of the 11 possible events. K-State's other student in a
final round, Cortney Moriarty, finished second in the nation in
Communication Analysis. Among all speakers at the tournament,
Moriarty placed 16th. She also placed seventh in Persuasive Speaking
and received top 24 honors for Extemporaneous Speaking. April
2003
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A K-State senior was awarded Graduate Research Fellowships sponsored
by the National Science Foundation, and a K-State graduate student
received honorable mention. The fellowships are meant to support
graduate study that will lead to research-based degrees in science,
social science, mathematics and engineering. The fellowship awards
a living stipend of $27,500 per year for each of three years.
It also covers the cost of tuition and fees for that time period.
May 2003 graduate Julie Thornton, Wichita, received a fellowship.
Honorable mention went to Ryan Keller, DeSoto, a December 2002
graduate in mechanical engineering, and current graduate student
in that department at K-State. Three K-State graduates also were
recognized in the competition. Robin Roth, a May 2002 chemical
engineering graduate from Paxico, won a graduate research fellowship.
She is a graduate student at Arizona State University. Two graduates
received honorable mention. Chris Alan Loersch, a May 2002 graduate
in biology, computer science and psychology from Salina, is now
studying at Ohio State University; and Christopher Whitmer, a
December 2001 graduate in mechanical engineering from Wilson,
is now studying at Iowa State University. Whitmer also received
honorable mention in 2002. These highly-select students are expected
to contribute significantly to research, teaching and industrial
applications in science, mathematics and engineering, according
to the National Science Foundation. April 2003
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Jeremy Stohs, Marysville, was selected as a 2003 National Phi
Kappa Phi Fellow. The Phi Kappa Phi Fellowship program is one
of the nation's most respected scholarship programs for the support
of post-baccalaureate study. The award provides $8,000 to each
of 52 recipients for the first year of graduate study, and Active-for-Life
membership in Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society. Stohs will graduate
summa cum laude in May from K-State with a bachelor's degree in
political science and a minor in leadership studies. K-State students
who earn a 3.95 or above academic average graduate summa cum laude.
In the fall, Stohs will be starting on a master's degree in public
policy with a concentration in applied political science studies
at either American University or The George Washington University.
Ultimately, he plans to pursue a career in policy and advocacy.
The K-State Phi Kappa Phi honor society has an impressive record
in this competition. Since 1982, K-State has had 21 winners, a
total unmatched by any university in the nation. Brigham Young
University, Provo, Utah, has had 20 in the same time period. April
2003
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Jessica Burch, Wichita, a senior in criminology and pre-law, is
K-State's newest Truman scholar. With 26 Truman scholars, K-State
remains first in the nation among public universities and tied
for fifth in the nation among all universities, public and private.
Burch is among 76 scholars selected from among 635 candidates
nominated by 305 colleges and universities for the $30,000 Harry
S. Truman scholarship. The Truman scholarship can be used the
senior year and for graduate studies. Scholars are selected primarily
on the basis of leadership potential, including honesty, vision,
sensitivity and communications skills; commitment to a career
in public service; intellectual strength, analytical ability and
prospects of performing well in graduate school; and likelihood
of "making a difference" in public service. K-State
is first in the nation among public universities in producing
Truman Scholars since the program began in 1977 -- 26 and one
alternate. The Truman Foundation reports that only Yale, Stanford,
Harvard and Duke, all private schools, have had more. K-State
is tied for fifth with Radcliffe, Brown and Princeton. Among state
schools, K-State is first in the nation, followed by the University
of Michigan, the U.S. Military Academy, University of Utah, University
of Virginia and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
March 2003
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Three K-State students were offered Washington Internships for
Students of Engineering, bringing K-State's total WISE scholarships
to 35 -- more than any other school in the nation. The K-State
students selected are: Laura Bienhoff, senior in chemical engineering,
Kensington; Erin Green, senior in chemical engineering, Manhattan;
and Julie Quackenbush, senior in industrial engineering, Salina.
The WISE program provides an outstanding opportunity for engineering
students to learn how government officials deal with complex technological
issues. Each intern's summer experience culminates with the development
of a research paper on an engineering topic that is related to
a public policy issue. Each year, the WISE summer program selects
14 to 16 outstanding engineering students to spend 10 weeks in
Washington, D.C. March 2003
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Three Kansas State University students have won $7,500 Barry M.
Goldwater Scholarships -- Sarah Meyer, Aaron Wech and Jonathan
Whitmer. Justin Dyer received honorable mention. K-State students
have won 48 Goldwater scholarships since the program began in
1989, ranking our students first in the nation among public universities
in America in the number of Goldwater winners. Among all colleges
and universities in the nation, only Princeton with 51 winners
and Harvard with 50 have produced more Goldwater scholars. Duke
University is tied with K-State with 48 winners. March 2003
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Three K-State students are winners of up to $5,000 Benjamin A.
Gilman International Scholarships. Cathrine "Kati" Cleavinger,
Leavenworth, Victoria Conner, Lenexa, and Kara Nordhus, Seneca,
were awarded this national, highly competitive scholarship for
2003. In past rounds, the Gilman has awarded between 139 and 179
scholarships nationally. It is highly competitive. The number
of applicants ranges from about 550 to more than 2,000,. This
congressionally funded program is offered through the Bureau of
Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State
and is administered by the Institute of International Education.
One purpose of the Gilman Program is to encourage participation
by students in a broad range of fields of study, including those
not traditionally represented in study abroad. January 2003
2005
Student achievements
2004
Student achievements
2002
Student achievements
Achievements
index
