K-Staters in the news — September 2015
The top stories mentioning Kansas State University are posted below. Download an Excel file with all of this month's news stories.
Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2015
Kansas State to use $1.5M grant to upgrade reactor
9/29/15 KCTV 5
Kansas State University is upgrading its nuclear reactor control console with a $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.
Favorable conditions help spawn oak leaf itch mite boom
9/29/15 The Washington Times
“It’s just the year,” added Bob Bauernfeind, Kansas State University entomologist in Manhattan. “The mites were big in 2004 and 2005, and then there were nine years in between with not a peep about them.”
Panel of Agriculture and Rural Industry Experts Announced to Evaluate Outstanding Rural Leaders
9/29/15 PRWeb
John Floros, College of Agriculture dean and director, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas
Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2015
The Smithsonian’s Innovation Festival Demystifies the Invention Process
9/28/15 Smithsonian
The range of patented objects became immediately apparent, wandering between tables with presenters as varied as Kansas State University, which presented hydrogels, useful to researchers for their ability to change from jelly-like to liquid form, and Ford Global Technologies, which displayed its Pro Trailer Backup Assist, to help drivers of its 2016 F-150 pickup truck reverse their trucks.
Hundreds gather at K-State for rare lunar event
9/28/15 The Manhattan Mercury
It’s not often the K-State physics department draws hundreds of students, citizens and families to the campus on a Sunday night.
Kansas State University uses $1.5 million grant to upgrade nuclear reactor
9/28/15 Psys.org
Kansas State University's nuclear reactor control console in Ward Hall will be getting a much-needed upgrade, funded by a $1.5 million Nuclear Engineering University Partnerships grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.
Monday, Sept. 28, 2015
*Kansas State, other state universities see enrollments drop
9/25/15 Washington Times
“We have successfully weathered the transition from virtually an open admissions school to an institution that intentionally prioritizes student success,” said Pat Bosco, vice president for student life and dean of students at Kansas State.
*K-State nutrition expert: Many dieting theories are just junk
9/26/15 Wichita Eagle
Haub, the head of the Department of Human Nutrition at Kansas State University, then decided to get healthy. He started eating salad and a balanced diet. He gained 17 pounds.
KU can't expel student over tweets, Kansas Court of Appeals rules
9/25/15 Lawrence Journal World
But the court rejected that argument, pointing out that Kansas State University had filed a friend of the court brief arguing that Title IX does not require schools to sanction students for off-campus behavior.
Friday, Sept. 25, 2015
*Want to Hang Out? Some Colleges Say No to Hammocks
9/24/15 The Wall Street Journal
Last spring, 17 students at Kansas State University clambered into 14 hammocks stacked as high as 30 feet between two trees. A photo and video of the feat went viral. “Overachievers!” Kansas State President Kirk Schulz bragged in a tweet.
The U.S. Has One Crop to Rule Them All, and That’s a Big Problem
09/24/15 Yahoo! News
“When an area is low in diversity, or if you only have one crop, it’s almost like a garden,” said Jonathan Aguilar, water resource engineer at Kansas State University and lead researcher on the crop diversity study. “If a worm attacks the crop, it’s easy for it to spread. But if you have a different crop close by, you can defend against some of those pests.”
Why Is Your Grain Sorghum Falling Down?
09/24/15 Agriculture.com
Those areas that are already lodged? Those are wildlife feed at this point. So protect the yield you have left in the field, says Ignacio Ciampitti, cropping systems specialist at Kansas State University. "Don’t wait to harvest these fields. You cannot assume the rest of the field will stay standing," he emphasizes.
Thursday, Sept. 24, 2015
*Body by Fred: Working hard but the weight won’t come off
9/23/15 Austin American Statesman
You may have heard about the professor from Kansas State University, Mark Haub, who performed a famous junk food diet. Professor Haub proved a powerful lesson for anyone who still has weight to lose, so let’s listen up.
*Exclusive: Storm suspected of carrying new corn disease into U.S.
9/23/15 Reuters
"That's actually the one people are keeping an eye out for," said Judy O'Mara, director of the plant disease diagnostic lab at Kansas State University. "That will blow in."
*Appeals court hears cases at KSU Union
9/23/15 Manhattan Mercury
It’s not often you’ll see shorts and flip-flops in a courtroom — the occasional ornery defendant notwithstanding — but on Tuesday afternoon, the Kansas Court of Appeals eased up the decorum during a session at the Kansas State University Student Union.
Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2015
Manhattan teenager arrested in connection with robberies that closed down K-State campus
9/22/15 Topeka Capital-Journal
The Riley County Police Department apprehended the fourth suspect in connection with a string of aggravated robberies that occurred on Sept. 4. in Manhattan. Those robberies closed down the Kansas State University campus for several hours.
Team USA brings home the gold at international soil judging contest
9/22/15 High Plains Journal
Team USA was represented by Erin Bush, Kansas State University, junior in agronomy from Franklin, Indiana; Stephen Geib, Delaware Valley University; Adrienne Nottingham, West Virginia University; and Kristen Pegues, Auburn University.
Herbicide scrutiny mounts as resistant weeds spread in U.S.
9/22/15 Yahoo News
Peterson, who is both a weed scientist at Kansas State University and president of the Weed Science Society of America, said Kansas soybean farmers in particular are experiencing weed problems, particularly with a type known as Palmer amaranth.
Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2015
State appeals court to hear cases at WSU, KU, KSU
9/21/15 KCTV5
Three-judge panels will hear cases Tuesday at Wichita State University, the University of Kansas and Kansas State University. After arguments, the audience will have a chance to ask general questions about the judicial process.
Dorothy L. Thompson Lecture Series to host talk on civil rights leadership
9/21/15 The Manhattan Mercury
A civil rights advocate will discuss modern-day civil rights and share how the movement must differ from our historical understanding of civil rights as part of Kansas State University’s fall 2015 Dorothy L. Thompson Lecture Series.
K-State to observe Banned Books Week
9/21/15 The Manhattan Mercury
K-State Libraries, Sigma Tau Delta International English Honor Society and the English department are co-sponsoring a series of events Sept. 27-Oct. 3 to recognize Banned Books Week at Kansas State University.
Monday, Sept. 21, 2015
The Top Universities To Work For In 2015
9/18/15 Forbes
Kansas State University, MIT, Carnegie Mellon University, and Brown University round out the top five.
*Kansas Regents requesting millions more for higher education
9/18/15 Kansas City Star
The regents' budget priorities included about $5 million for Kansas State University to help pay for a new 78,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art geoscience building on the Manhattan campus. The building's total cost is estimated at $45 million. K-State officials said the university plans to raise half the money in the next five years through private gifts.
*Land Institute founder, who envisions food from prairie grass, prepares to retire 9/19/15 Wichita Eagle
“If we adopted his ideas worldwide, we’d starve,” said Barry Flinchbaugh, Kansas State University’s emeritus agricultural economics professor.
*Times are tough for Kansas teachers, but reports of an exodus are exaggerated
9/19/15 Kansas City Star
It helps that universities are becoming more “proactive” in recruiting teachers, said Debbie Mercer, dean of the College of Education at Kansas State University.
Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2015
Third Edition of Digital Citizenship in Schools Provides Framework for Preparing Productive, Responsible Technology Users
9/15/15 Chron.com
Ribble has worked as a classroom biology teacher, a secondary school administrator, a network manager for a community college and a university instructor. He earned a doctorate in educational leadership from Kansas State University.
White House Spending $160M On 'Smart Cities,' IoT
9/15/15 InformationWeek
An award to Kansas State University will fund research on novel approaches to integrate distributed power sources, such as rooftop solar panels and storage batteries, with the existing electric power grid.
Sweeping study of U.S. farm data shows loss of crop diversity the past 34 years
9/15/15 High Plains Journal
U.S. farmers are growing fewer types of crops than they were 34 years ago, which could have implications for how farms fare as changes to the climate evolve, according to a large-scale study by Kansas State University, North Dakota State University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Less crop diversity may also be impacting the general ecosystem.
Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2015
Obama administration earmarks $160 million to help entrepreneurs
9/14/15 Before It's News
Other grants will be used to help research applications for self-driving cars and ways to reduce traffic congestion. One such award, to Kansas State University, will fund research on novel approaches to integrate distributed power sources, such as rooftop solar panels and storage batteries, with the existing electric power grid.
Sweeping study of U.S. farm data shows loss of crop diversity the past 34 years
9/15/15 High Plains Journal
U.S. farmers are growing fewer types of crops than they were 34 years ago, which could have implications for how farms fare as changes to the climate evolve, according to a large-scale study by Kansas State University, North Dakota State University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Less crop diversity may also be impacting the general ecosystem.
Green infrastructure grants awarded to two universities
9/14/15 Sustainable City Network
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded grants of $20,000 each to Kansas State University and Mississippi State University to carry out green infrastructure demonstration and training projects.
Monday, Sept. 14, 2015
The Path to Change Runs Through the Provost’s Office
9/8/15 Chronicle of Higher Education
The smallest of changes can require a provost to coordinate discussions over months, and even years. At Kansas State University, administrators wanted to rethink professional titles, including adding some that would allow people who had taught off the tenure track for many years to advance beyond the title of "instructor." April Mason, provost and senior vice president, who is also president of the Association of Chief Academic Officers, convened a campus task force to examine the issue, discussed the panel’s proposals with the deans and the president’s cabinet, went over them with the human resources and legal departments, and brought a final draft before the state Board of Regents.
Second arrest stemming from K-State lockdown; more suspects named
9/11/15 KAKE-TV
The Riley Co. Police Dept. announced the arrest of a second person linked to the robberies and thefts in central Manhattan that spurred lockdowns at Kansas State University and Manhattan Christian College a week ago. Police also identified two more suspects in the case.
Ex-Kansas State researcher fails to secure federal whistleblower status
9/13/15 Topeka Capital Journal
A research assistant professor of biology at Kansas State University fired after asserting colleagues misrepresented Konza Prairie data in an academic journal lost a bid for whistleblower protection under federal law.
Friday, Sept. 11, 2015
Acre Designs Launches Indiegogo Campaign for NetZero Home
09/10/15 MSN
"The Acre Designs team is poised to disrupt the new home construction industry with their innovative business model, first-in-class management team, and visionary approach for how we can all live in more stylish, energy efficient and affordable homes," said the Director of Kansas State University's Center for the Advancement of Entrepreneurship Chad Jackson.
EPA Awards Green Infrastructure Grant of $20,000 to Kansas State University for Projects on Campus in Manhattan, Kan.
09/10/15 EPA
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded a $20,000 grant to Kansas State University to carry out a green infrastructure demonstration and training project on its campus in Manhattan, Kan.
Science provides new way to peer into pores
09/10/15 Medical News Today
The research with collaborators at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and Kansas State University appears in the American Chemical Society journal ACS Nano.
Thursday, Sept. 10, 2015
Hands-free electric scooters gain in popularity for recreation, transportation
9/9/15 The Kansas City Star
Alex Klemovich, a senior at Kansas State University from Lenexa, is hoping to cash in on the scooters’ popularity. She started a company, UpWave Marketing Inc., that soon will sell the scooters under the GhostWave name.
*Science provides new way to peer into pores
9/9/15 Phys.org
The research with collaborators at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and Kansas State University appears in the American Chemical Society journal ACS Nano.
TechAccel Marks One Year Anniversary by Announcing Two Deals to Advance Transformative Science
9/9/15 Bloomberg Business
In the first transaction, TechAccel has entered into a licensing agreement for a bio-pesticide with Kansas State University. The agreement between the two organizations secures an exclusive license on the patent entitled, "Doubled-stranded RNA-based Nanoparticles for Insect Gene Silencing."
Monday, Sept. 8, 2015
New K-State wheat variety: Joe
9/8/15 Farms.com
"Joe" is a new hard white winter wheat variety released this summer by the Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station. This variety was developed at K-State's Agricultural Research Center-Hays from a cross made by Joe Martin, retired wheat breeder at ARC-Hays. Joe was in the 2015 K-State Performance Tests as experimental number KS11HW39-5-4. Its pedigree includes two white experimental lines, KS04HW10-3 and KS04HW119-3.
*New wheat gene discovery gives insights to adaptability
9/8/15 Minnesota Ag
A Kansas State University wheat geneticist is part of a breakthrough study that identifies one of the wheat genes that controls response to low temperature exposure, a process called vernalization. Natural variation in vernalization genes defines when the plant begins to flower and is critical for adaptation to different environments.
Thursday, Sept. 3, 2015
*Insights into the mechanisms of fine-tuning wheat for diverse environments
9/2/15 Science Daily
A Kansas State University wheat geneticist is part of a breakthrough study that identifies one of the wheat genes that controls response to low temperature exposure, a process called vernalization. Natural variation in vernalization genes defines when the plant begins to flower and is critical for adaptation to different environments.
*KC Animal Health Corridor adds to the herd
9/2/15 Wichita Business Journal
The lab will develop technology that the company bought this year from Kansas State University.
From Russia With Math (For Kids)
9/215 Scientific American
While math circles – or matematicheskie kruzhki in Russian -- have traditionally been for middle and high-school students, Natasha Rozhkovskaya, associate professor of mathematics at Kansas State University, recently wrote the first guide to math circles for elementary school children. Rozhkovskaya, who hails originally from Novosibirsk, Russia, leads a math circle at KSU in Manhattan, Kansas. I asked her why these clubs are, well, multiplying.
AGam in Kansas
9-2-15 AGamin Kansas
Good morning and welcome to Farm Factor on AGam in Kansas. I’m your host, Conrad Kabus. On today’s program we focus on the UAB Department out of K-State Salina and their agriculture research and data collection. The revolutionary new field at K-State Salina, provides students with new research opportunities, technology and equipment. Included in that research and instruction is agriculture data, tests and missions. At the end of the show we also have Ryan Yates, from the American Farm Bureau. Stay tuned.
Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2015
*Animal Health Corridor adds new player to the herd
9/1/15 The Business Journals
MediVet Biologics announced it will open a lab in Manhattan in early October. The lab will develop patented technology that the company bought from Kansas State University earlier this year.
Is This the Solution to Crazy High Textbook Prices?
9/1/15 Time Magazine
Earlier this year, U.S. PIRG reviewed open textbook programs at five colleges: the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Kansas State University, Tacoma Community College, the University of Minnesota, and the University of Maryland.
Kansas State to celebrate Seaton Hall groundbreaking
9/1/15 KCTV-5
Kansas State University is planning a groundbreaking ceremony for a $75 million renovation of expansion of a 100-year-old campus building.
Tuesday, Sep. 1, 2015
Kansas City group honors women in STEMM
8/31/15 Kansas City Star
Individual honorees are: Linda Netzel, Kansas City Police Department; Debra Ellies, Osteogenex; Deborah O'Bannon, University of Missouri-Kansas City; Muriel Eaton, Kansas State University; Gretchen Ivy, HNTB; Sunita Lavin, Garmin; Marion Pierson, pediatrician; Tiffany Wheeler, KCP&L. The corporate award goes to Honeywell.
*K-State's Burg resigns VP of research post
8/31/15 American Towns
K-State President Kirk Schulz announced on Monday the resignation of Karen Burg, the university's vice president for research.
Kansas State to celebrate Seaton Hall groundbreaking
9/1/15 KCTV-5
Kansas State University is planning a groundbreaking ceremony for a $75 million renovation of expansion of a 100-year-old campus building.
