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2013 Arts and Sciences Achievements

* Micah D. Wilcher, senior in history, received a Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship, which provides up to $5,000 to study abroad. Wilcher will study at the University of Ghana in West Africa. She is interested in precolonial African history for her graduate studies. December 2013

* Gregory Eiselein, professor of English and university distinguished teaching scholar at Kansas State University, was named the 2013 Kansas Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, or CASE. The competitive award recognizes excellence in teaching and mentoring and is one of the most prestigious awards for U.S. professors. November 2013

* Walter Dodds, university distinguished professor of biology, and Donald Kaufman, professor of biology, were named 2013 fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Dodds and Kaufman are among the 388 fellows chosen this year. Their selection follows a vote by their peers in the association, who looked at potential fellows' distinguished efforts to advance science. November 2013

* Christine Aikens, associate professor of chemistry, was named an outstanding alumna by her alma mater, Iowa State University. Aikens received the Outstanding Alumni Award in Chemistry from Iowa State’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. November 2013

* Bartosz Grudzinski, doctoral candidate in geography, placed first in the graduate student paper presentation competition at the recent West Lakes Regional Meeting of the Association of American Geographers in Eau Claire, Wis. Grudzinski's paper, "Influence of grazing treatments on suspended sediment concentrations in the Flint Hills, Kansas," was based on his doctoral dissertation work being completed under the supervision of Melinda Daniels, adjunct faculty member in geography. November 2013

* Andrew Bennett, professor of mathematics and mathematics department head, has received the Mathematical Association of America’s Deborah and Franklin Tepper Haimo Award for Distinguished College or University Teaching. October 2013

* Dean Zollman, distinguished professor of physics, was named the 2014 recipient of the Oersted Medal, presented by the American Association of Physics Teachers. The medal will be presented at a ceremonial session of the 2014 American Association of Physics Teachers winter meeting in Orlando, Fla., in recognition of Zollman's significant contributions to physics education research and mentoring of a generation of PER researchers. October 2013

* Bryan Pinkall, voice instructor at the K-State School of Music, Theatre, and Dance, was selected by the Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games to join the group tasked with the production of the opening ceremony of the XXII Olympic Winter Games. October 2013

* The German Academic Exchange Service, the German national agency for the support of international academic cooperation, selected Alexander Ramm, professor of mathematics, as a research ambassador for the 2013-14 academic year. September 2013

* Barbara Amoah, doctoral student in entomology, received a 2013 Phi Kappa Phi Love of Learning Award. The $500 awards help fund postbaccalaureate studies or career development for active Phi Kappa Phi academic honor society members. September 2013

* Peter Dorhout, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and professor of chemistry, was named a fellow of the American Chemical Society. Dorhout was selected for his leadership of the college at K-State, the Graduate School at Colorado State University, his leadership in solid-state chemistry and his contributions to the American Chemical Society. August 2013

* Derek Hoff, associate professor of history, won the 2013 Pacific Coast Branch Book Award from the American Historical Association-Pacific Branch for "The State and the Stork: The Population Debate and Policy Making in U.S. History," published by University of Chicago Press, 2012. The award is given annually to recognize a best first book in history. August 2013

* Mathematics education at K-State adds up to a real value, according to Affordable Colleges Online. In its new ranking, "AC Online: Most Affordable Mathematics Colleges: Plains Region," K-State made the list for carrying a net price — tuition and fees — of $14,352, as reported by the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System. Criteria used for the rankings included: being a fully accredited institution; having a net price — tuition and fees — of less than $30,000; and offering at least one doctorate program in mathematics. August 2013

* YoungAh Parks in assistant professor of psychological sciences, and Sarah Riforgiate, assistant professor of communication studies, were selected 2013-2014 Early Career Work and Family Scholars Program award recipients. The goal of the program is to provide support for recent doctoral recipients in order to advance their research, teaching and long-term career prospects. July 2013

* Tony Demchak, doctoral student in history, was awarded a 2013 David S. Boren Fellowship to explore archives in St. Petersburg and Moscow, Russia, for 11 months. The Boren Fellowships provide up to $30,000 to U.S. graduate students to enhance their graduate education through international experience in their area of study and increase language proficiency. June 2013

* Bret McCandless, a May 2013 summa cum laude graduate in music and social science, was selected a Phi Kappa Phi fellow. He is one of 51 students nationwide in 2013 and one of 22 students from K-State in the past 25 years to earn the $5,000 fellowship. McCandless was named the Marjorie Schoch fellow, one of the honor society's nine named fellowships. June 2013

* Bart Bryant, research associate in biology, earned the prestigious National Institutes of Health's National Research Service Award Individual Postdoctoral Fellowship, which provides $113,000 for two years. He is the seventh Kansas State University researcher to receive the award and is the only person on campus to currently hold such award. June 2013

* Three students received Fulbright scholarships. Rob Breeden, junior in biology and premedicine, received a Fulbright Summer Institute scholarship, through the U.S. United Kingdom Fulbright Commission, to study at King's College in London. Stephanie Keith, May 2013 bachelor's graduate in anthropology and international studies, and Tucker Wilson, May 2013 bachelor's graduate in English and Spanish, received Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship grants through the U.S. Student Fulbright Grant Program. June 2013

* Elizabeth Ploetz, a doctoral student in chemistry is participating in the 63rd Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting in Lindau, Germany. The meeting, which runs June 30 to July 5, pairs promising future researchers with the world's foremost experts in chemistry. She is one of 624 undergraduate and graduate chemistry students worldwide to be invited. June 2013

* Heidi Ramzel, junior in physics and geography with a minor in chemistry, received a 2013 Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. She was one of 126 recipients of the $8,000 scholarship, which is awarded to outstanding students with two years left of undergraduate study. It also includes a summer internship at a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration facility. May 2013

* Mary Cain, associate professor of psychological sciences in Kansas State University's College of Arts and Sciences, was honored twice by the American Psychological Association. She was selected for the association's Leadership Institute for Women in Psychology and received the Clifford T. Morgan Award for Distinguished Service to the association's Division 6. The institute selection was made based on Cain's career achievements and leadership potential. The award recognizes members who have made sustained and exceptional contributions to the division. May 2013

* Angela Glean, junior in kinesiology, received the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship to study abroad. Glean's destination is Ecuador. The Gilman Scholarship Program offers awards up to $5,000 for undergraduates to study abroad. Award recipients are chosen through a competitive selection process. May 2013

* The latest book by Phillip Nel, professor of English and director of the graduate program in children's literature, was nominated for a 2013 Will Eisner Comic Industry Award. The award is the comic book industry's most prestigious honor. Nel's book, "Crockett Johnson and Ruth Krauss: How an Unlikely Couple Found Love, Dodged the FBI, and Transformed Children’s Literature," is nominated for a 2013 Will Eisner Comic Industry Award in the Best Educational/Academic Work category. April 2013

* Jenny Barriga, junior in chemistry and biochemistry, Dodge City, has been awarded the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship. She is the university's 69th Goldwater scholar, which ranks K-State in the Top Five of all U.S. universities for total Goldwater scholars. Brianne Pierce, junior in microbiology and premedicine, Wichita, and Kyle Snow, junior in chemical engineering, Eudora, are honorable mentions in the scholarship competition. April 2013

* Derrek Wilson, doctoral student in physics, received a 2013 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, which recognizes outstanding students who are pursing research-based master's and doctoral degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. He will receive more than $120,000 across three years, which includes a yearly $30,000 stipend and $12,000 in lieu of tuition and fees. Elizabeth Everman, doctoral student in biology, received an honorable mention from the foundation. April 2013

* Dale Herspring, university distinguished professor of political science, published his 13th book, "Civil-Military Relations and Shared Responsibility: A Four-Nation Study." It was released April 26 by Johns Hopkins University Press. The book is a four-nation study of military and civilian relationships in the U.S., Russia, Germany and Canada. Herspring has extensively researched the U.S., Russia and Germany, and focuses this book on civil-military relations after World War II. April 2013

* K-State students finished in the top 14 percent among the 578 colleges and universities and nearly 4,300 students participating in the 73rd annual Putnam Mathematical Competition. The university had one student place in the top 13 percent of the competition: Joshua Ericson, senior in mathematics, Junction City. April 2013

* Lynn Brien, doctoral candidate in geography, was awarded the prestigious Lortz Scholarship by the American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. She is the first K-State student to win the award in the last 20 years. The award of $1,000 will be used to support her dissertation research on "Modeling Vegetation Productivity of Coastal Louisiana Marshes: A Remote Sensing Approach." April 2013

* Ross Allen, a sophomore in economics and prelaw, is one of seven students in Kansas named to the Newman Civic Fellows program. Allen has explored how community and student organizations viewed service work, reviewed reflections and evaluations of service participants, and how service and learning could be integrated into co-curricular service work. The program is sponsored by Campus Compact. April 2013

* Frank Tracz, director of bands, was inducted into the American Bandmasters Association. Founded by Edwin F. Goldman in 1929, with John Philip Sousa as the only honorary life president, the association recognizes outstanding achievement on the part of concert band conductors and composers. The membership is by invitation only and comprises approximately 300 band conductors and composers in the U.S. and Canada. March 2013

* Richard Marston, university distinguished professor and head of the department of geography, has received the 2013 Meredith F. Burill Award by the Association of American Geographers. The award honors work of exceptional merit and quality that lies at or near the intersection of basic research in geography on the one hand, and practical applications or policy implications on the other. March 2013

* Six K-State Air Force ROTC cadets landed pilot training assignments after their graduation and commissioning. The cadets, members of the university's Detachment 270, were selected for pilot training by the Air Force Rated Aviation Board. They were the only six cadets nominated for training assignments by the university. The 100 percent selection rate tops the 57.9 percent national selection rate for the highly competitive process. March 2013

* David Stone, Pickett professor of military history, won a Moncado Prize from the Society for Military History for his article "Misreading Svechin: Attrition, Annihiliation and Historicism." The article appeared in the July 2012 issue of the Journal of Military History. February 2013

* The Mock Trial Team advanced to the first round of the national mock trial championships by qualifying at the Great Plains Regional Mock Trial Competition, Feb. 15-17, at Washburn University. February 2013.

* Tammy Sonnentag, doctoral candidate in psychological sciences, and Jarred Pfeiffer, master's student in fine arts-ceramics, received the 2013 Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools Excellence in Teaching Award, which honors graduate students who exemplify excellence in the teaching and learning missions of universities. Sonnentag earned the doctoral-level award and Pfeiffer received the master's-level award. February 2013

* Rabia Akhtar, doctoral candidate in security studies, won a Mehboob ul Haq Research Award from the Regional Center of Strategic Studies in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Through collaboration, Akhtar will write and publish a monograph on "Nuclear Learning in South Asia" for the center. The project is an outgrowth of her ongoing research on nuclear proliferation, particularly on American policy toward nuclear questions in India and Pakistan. February 2013.

* An essay written by Jim Sherow, professor of history, and Bonnie Lynn-Sherow, associate professor of history, was included in a commemorative portfolio given to President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and 200 select guests at the 2013 presidential inauguration luncheon. The Sherows were among the prominent historians invited to submit an essay for the portfolio, which celebrated the accomplishments of the Abraham Lincoln administration 150 years ago. The Sherows wrote about the Morrill Land-Grant College Act, pegging it to the opening of K-State as the nation's first operational land-grant university. January 2013


2012 Arts and Sciences

2011 Arts and Sciences

2010 Arts and Sciences

2009 Arts and Sciences

College of Arts and Sciences