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K-State Today

May 14, 2014

Kirmser Undergraduate Research Awards recognize exceptional scholarship

Submitted by Sarah Hoyt

Kirmser Award winners

On May 7, members of the campus community gathered in Hale Library’s Hemisphere Room to honor the winners of the first Kirmser Undergraduate Research Awards.

The award committee recognized outstanding undergraduate research in topics ranging from children’s literature to the history of vulcanized rubber. Grand prize and honorable mentions were awarded in three categories: individual freshman, individual non-freshman and group. Individual grand prize winners each received $1,000, and the group grand prize winners shared a $3,000 award.

The awards are made possible through a gift from the Philip and Jeune Kirmser estate.

“The Kirmsers shared a lifelong devotion to education,” said Lori Goetsch, dean of K-State Libraries. “Now, their generosity allows us to celebrate the role the libraries play in teaching students to conduct research and to effectively use our resources. Their gift will impact generations of scholars to come.”

For more information, visit the Kirmser Undergraduate Research Award website

Individual freshman category, grand prize winner: Rachel Hayes, Wichita, “Rubber Rampage: The Era that Produced Vulcanized Rubber” for HIST 251: History of the United States to 1877, taught by M.J. Morgan, assistant professor of history.

Individual freshman category, honorable mention: Samantha Knese, Overland Park; “Gun Control or Gun Proliferation? State Response to Mass Shootings in Newtown and Aurora” for FSHS 300: Problems in Family Studies and Human Services, taught by John Fliter Jr., associate professor of political science.

Individual non-freshman category, grand prize winner: Joshua Wilson, Manhattan, “The Effect of Power Based Expectancy Violations on Perceptions of Attorney Credibility” for COMM 550: Senior Colloquium, taught by Gregory Paul, assistant professor of communication studies.

Individual non-freshman category, honorable mention: Andrew Woolley, Wichita, “Production of Trivalent Influenza Vaccines: Disposable Technology and Insect Cell Lines” for CHE 571: Chemical Engineering Systems Design 2, taught by John Schlup, professor of chemical engineering.

Individual non-freshman category, honorable mention: Benjamin Windholz, Manhattan, “My Eyes Are Up Here: The Comedy of Amy Schumer and the Carnivalesque” for COMM 550: Senior Colloquium, taught by Gregory Paul, assistant professor of communication studies.

Group category, grand prize winner: Katlyn Buckley, Manhattan; Charlie Lynn, Minneapolis; and Kynsey Creel, Albuquerque, New Mexico, “Humanizing the Inhuman; How Award-Winning Children’s Nonfiction Complicates Stereotypes” for ENGL 695: Topics in Literature: Children's Nonfiction, taught by Joseph Sutliff Sanders, assistant professor of English.

Group Category, honorable mention: Josh Dotson, Wichita; Ryan Cater, Osawatomie; Tian Bai, Changzhou, China; Taylor Stein,Wichita; and Jason Steuber, Overland Park, “Heat Sink Design Project” for ME 573: Heat Transfer, taught by Amy Betz, assistant professor of mechanical and nuclear engineering.