2013 Student 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
* Nate Spriggs, senior in agricultural economics, received the Outstanding Student Achievement Award from the Associated College Unions International's Region 11. Spriggs serves as vice president of operations of the K-State Student Union's Union Program Council and president of the Union Governing Board. December 2013
Pavan Harshit Manepalli, master's student in grain science and industry, received the AACC International 2013 Engineering and Processing Division Best Student Paper Award for his presentation "Mathematical Modeling of Flow Behavior and Cell Structure Formation During Extrusion" at the organization's 2013 annual meeting. AACC International the premier professional organization for cereal and grain scientists. Manepalli 's major adviser is Sajid Alavi, professor of grain science and industry. December 2013
* The Crop Science Society of America presented its Gerald O. Mott Scholarship for Meritorious Graduate Students in Crop Science to K-State's Sruthi Narayanan, doctoral student in agronomy. December 2013
* Ximena Cibils-Stewart, master's student in entomology, received the 2013 Plant-Insect Ecosystems Legends of Entomology Award for Master Student Achievement at the 61st annual meeting of the Entomological Society of America. The award recognizes aspiring entomologists who exhibit exceptional potential during their Master of Science programs. December 2013
* The Council of University Transportation Centers selected K-State's Ranjit Godavarthy, a December 2012 doctoral graduate in civil engineering, for the Wootan Outstanding Dissertation Award for his dissertation, "Network and design concepts for accommodating large trucks at roundabouts. It was completed under the direction of Gene Russell, professor emeritus of civil engineering. December 2013
* The Financial Management Association chapter at Kansas State University's College of Business Administration has earned the Financial Management Special Recognition for Membership Development Award for the 2012-2013 academic year from Financial Management Association International. November 2013
* James Coover, master's student in agronomy, received the Governor's Award for the top graduate poster at the 2013 Governor's Conference on the Future of Water in Kansas, Oct. 24-25, in Manhattan. The title of his poster was "Phosphorus sorption and desorption from ephemeral gully soils." The competition had 24 student posters. Coover's major professor is Nathan Nelson, associate professor of agronomy. 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
* The Kansas State University Salina Flight Team claimed its first SAFECON Region VI championship. The competition was Oct. 28-Nov. 1 in Stillwater, Okla. The team took first in ground events and second in flight events. Team member Tosh Taylor won the Top Pilot Award. Team members earned 26 top-20 finishes, 13 top-five finishes and two first-place finishes at the competition. The team will now compete at nationals in spring 2014. November 2013
* The K-State Meats Judging Team finished third at the International Meats Judging Contest. It's the fourth year in a row that K-State has finished in the top three at this national championship. The team earned first in beef judging, second in reasons, second in overall beef, third in placings, fourth in beef grading, fifth in lamb and fifth in pork. Team members included Lane Giess, Courtney Schultz, Miguel Del Toro, Pake Ebert, Jeremy Mock, Elsie Suhr, Allie Hobson and MaryAnn Matney. The team was coached by Aaron Tapian and Garret Dietz, both master's students in animal sciences and industry, and Terry Houser, associate professor of animal sciences and industry. November 2013
* The K-State Personal Financial Planning team tied for third place in the national competition at the national Financial Planning Association conference recently in Orlando. Team members are Jamie Engelken, Sam Honey and Rashelle West, all seniors. November 2013
* The K-State Livestock Judging Team won third overall at the national livestock judging contest in Louisville, Ky. The team finished the season as the only school to finish in the top three at both the American Royal and the North American livestock judging contests. K-State also was the only university to have all five team members recognized as a top 10 individual in at least one species or reasons at the Louisville event. Team results included first in swine, second in sheep, ninth in beef, second in oral reasons, first in performance sheep, second in performance cattle and first in all-performance classes. Team member Corey Wilkins was named to the National All-American Team. November 2013
* Several K-State agronomy students earned honors and recognition at the 2013 American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America national meetings, Nov. 3-6, in Tampa, Fla. Pavithra Arachchige won second place in poster presentation and third place in oral presentation, Soil Chemistry Division, Soil Science Society of America graduate student competition. Ray Asebedo took third place in oral presentation, Soil Fertility and Plant Nutrition Division, Soil Science Society of America graduate student competition. Sarah Battenfield won third place in poster in Division C-1, Plant Breeding and Genetics, Crop Science Society of America graduate student competition. Bryson Haverkamp placed third in poster presentation, Division C-3, Crop Ecology, Management & Quality, Crop Science Society of America graduate student competition. Kyle Shroyer gained honorable mention for poster presentation, Division C-2 Crop Physiology and Metabolism, Crop Science Society of America graduate student competition. Dilooshi Weerasooriya won third place in poster presentation, ACS528 Diversity Student Poster Competition. Also at the competition, the Wheat State Agronomy Club took third place in club poster competition, Students of Agronomy, Soils, and Environmental Sciences. November 2013
* The student team of Garrett Crane, Jordan Heinen and Todd Blackburn placed second in the design-build division of the 21st annual Construction Management Student Competition for Region IV of the Associated Schools of Construction. The team is coached by Ray Buyle, assistant professor of architectural engineering and construction science. November 2013
* The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation’s oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines, recently recognized its K-State chapter as a Chapter of Merit. The award is given to chapters that excel in recognizing and promoting academic excellence in all fields of higher education and engaging the community of scholars in service to others. November 2013
* The American Royal Association awarded $2,500 scholarships to K-State students Logan Britton, senior in agricultural economics; Nathan Laudan, senior in food science and industry; and Nathan Stinson, junior in agricultural economics. October 2013
* Sruthi Narayanan, doctoral student in the department of agronomy, received the 2013 Outstanding Graduate Student Award from the Association of Agricultural Scientists of Indian Origin. October 2013
* Outstanding studio work and a design-build project at a Girl Scout camp near Topeka earned several Kansas State University architecture students honors from the American Institute of Architects Kansas, or AIA Kansas. Eli Logan, master's student in architecture, earned second place and a $250 prize in the AIA Kansas Student Competition. Earning the AIA Kansas Design Award for Student Architecture at the conference was a team of K-State students, all seniors in architecture, for their design-build project at Camp Daisy Hindman in Shawnee County. October 2013
* Three students from the College of Veterinary Medicine earned honors at the annual conference of the American Association of Bovine Practitioners, Sept. 18-21, in Milwaukee, Wis. Recipients and their honors include: Tera Rooney Barnhardt, fourth-year veterinary medicine student and master's student in biomedical science, $5,000 American Association of Bovine Practitioners Foundation-Zoetis Veterinary Student Scholarship; Sara McReynolds, doctoral student in pathobiology, third place in the association's Research Summaries Graduate Student Awards; and Aaron Schaffer, third-year veterinary medicine student and master's student in biomedical science, $7,500 American Association of Bovine Practitioners Amstutz Scholarship and second place in the association's Research Summaries Graduate Student Awards. October 2013
* Two College of Veterinary Medicine students each captured first place in their respective competitions at the annual conference of the Society for Theriogenologists and American College of Theriogenologists. Jessica Klabnik-Bradford, third-year veterinary medicine student, won first place in the student case competition in the poster session. Viviane Gomes, second-year veterinary medicine student, won first place in the oral session of the student case competition. September 2013
* K-State student Jessie Brockway was crowned 2013 Miss Kansas Czech-Slovak Queen. Brockway is a sophomore in biochemestry with an emphasis on pre-pharmacy. September 2013
* Buddy Lisk, junior in mechanical engineering, was one of four Kansas college students named as a national winner of the renewable $25,000 Buick Achiever National Scholarship funded by the General Motors Foundation. September 2013
* Alex Pint, senior in architectural engineering, was awarded a scholarship to attend the annual Greenbuild International Conference and Expo, Nov. 20-22, in Philadelphia, Pa. September 2013
* Ahmed Al-Rahmani, doctoral student in civil engineering, won first place and $1,000 in the national competition of the International Highway Engineering Exchange Program for his paper "An Artificial Intelligence Approach to Objective Health Monitoring and Damage Detection in Concrete Bridge Girders." His major professor is Hayer Rasheed, professor of civil engineering. September 2013
* Tera Rooney Barnhardt, doctoral student in veterinary medicine, was one of 15 veterinary students nationwide to receive a scholarship from Zoetis and the American Association of Bovine Practitioners Foundation. Scholarship recipients are pursuing careers in large-animal veterinarian medicine. 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
* Ronnie Sullivan, sophomore in agribusiness, and Adam Wilkerson, senior in civil engineering, were among the 56 undergraduate college students named to the first class of Cargill Global Scholars. The new scholarship program selected college students from Brazil, China, Russia, India and the United States to receive funds to help cover their educational expenses and to participate in leadership development and enrichment activities with Cargill leaders. September 2013
* HandsOn K-State received the Hunger Champion award from Harvesters for outstanding contributions to hunger relief. Harvesters is a community food network serving the Kansas City area. September 2013
* Josef Lang, master's student in interior architecture and product design, received a $1,000 study abroad grant from Phi Kappa Phi. Lang used the $1,000 grant to study at the Danish Institute of Study Abroad. He is the 21st student from K-State to receive the honor society's study abroad grant since the program was created in 2001. August 2013
* Kansas State University Salina's Unmanned Aircraft Systems Club landed a Top 10 finish at the 11th annual Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International Student Unmanned Aircraft Systems Competition at Webster Field, an annex of Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Md. The club placed eighth out of 47 teams and earned $3,800 in prize money -- which is an increase from last year. It was the team's second year at the competition. August 2013
* Alexis Kiel, a May 2013 interior architecture and product design graduate, took first place at the AWFS Fresh Wood Competition in the production/contract section for her wood chair project called "Leaf2." The competition judging was July 24-27 in Las Vegas, Nev. August 2013
* The department of biological and agricultural engineering's Fountain Wars Team earned second place at the international competition offered at the 2013 annual meeting of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers. It was the team's second straight second-place finish in the event, a hands-on, real-time design competition where students design and model a fountain to complete technical tasks. The team's faculty adviser is Phil Barnes, associate professor of biological and agricultural engineering. August 2013
* The Biological Systems Engineering Student Professional Club earned a second-place award for excellence in initiative and professionalism among American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineering student branches. The award, presented at the society's 2013 annual meeting and part of the Association of Equipment Manufacturers Trophies Competition, is based on the club's activities and achievements for the year. The club's faculty adviser is Joe Harner, professor and head of the department of biological and agricultural engineering. August 2013
* Jessica Winkler, doctoral student and graduate research assistant in animal science, won the first Graduate Student Poster Contest at the annual meeting of the National American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture. Her poster, "The Impact of Correct Exams (Regrades) on Final Exam Scores," and was co-authored by Andrea Sexten, assistant professor of animal sciences and industry; Ashley Rhodes, May 2013 doctoral graduate in curriculum and instruction; and Tim Rozell, Winker's adviser and associate professor of animal sciences and industry. July 2013
* Alexandra "Alex" Christiansen placed third in the Reciprocal Meat Conference Master of Science division graduate student research poster competition, June 16-19, at Auburn University. Her poster was "Nutritional Composition and Color Comparison of Heritage Bred Chickens (120 day growth) vs. Commercial (50 day growth) Broilers. July 2013
* Kai "Karl" Yuan, doctoral student in animal science, won the National Milk Producers Federation Graduate Student Paper Presentation Contest in Dairy Production in the Ph.D. Division at the joint meeting of the American Society of Animal Science and American Dairy Science Association. The honor includes a travel grant, sponsored by Novus, to present at the European Federation of Animal Science meeting in Europe next year. July 2013
* DeeAnn Turpin, May 2013 bachelor's graduate in biological systems engineering, received the 2013 Pharos of Alexandria Global Learning Award from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers. The $1,000 award recognizes exemplary leadership skills, humanitarian service and dedication to the promotion of sustainable and environmentally sound engineering practices. July 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
* 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
* K-State's quarter-scale tractor design team was the first-place winners in the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers' 16th annual International Quarter-Scale Tractor Student Design Competition. It's the 14th time in the last 15 years that K-State has won or placed in the top three of the event. K-State also won the X Team competition, which is for freshmen, sophomores and new team members. June 2013
* Kansas State University Salina's Enactus team earned its highest-ever placing — second runner-up in League 1 — at the Enactus United States National Exposition, May 22-23, in Kansas City, Mo. Enactus teams use business concepts to develop community outreach projects, transform lives and shape a better, more sustainable world. 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
* 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
* Kristin Stewart, senior in architectural engineering, earned a $2,000 scholarship from Tau Beta Pi, the national engineering honor society. The scholarship is awarded on a competitive basis of high scholarship, campus leadership and service and promise of future contributions to the engineering profession. June 2013
* Two graduate students in grain science received fellowships from the AACC International Foundation. Juhui Jung, master's student in grain science, was awarded the $3,000 AACCI Milling and Baking Division's M. Rella Dwyer Graduate Fellowship, and Oscar Ramos, doctoral student in grain science, was awarded the $2,000 AACCI Fellowship. 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.
* The Dairy Judging Team took reserve champion honors at the Western National Intercollegiate Dairy Cattle Judging Contest in Richmond, Utah. It was the highest finish for the university at this contest. Representing the university at the event were Nathaniel McGee, senior in agricultural education; Maggie Seile, junior in agricultural communications and journalism; and Kyle Jacobs, senior in agricultural education. The team is coached by Jon Pretz, master's student in animal sciences and industry. May 2013
* The Chem-E-Car Team landed a spot in the national competition, set for Nov. 1-2 in San Francisco. The team earned its spot by finishing in third place at a recent regional competition in Norman, Okla. The team entered two cars -- Catmobile and Wildcat Cruiser -- in the event, which earned third and fourth places in performance and first and third places in the poster presentation. May 2013
* Bronson Blasi, a senior in architectural engineering, was one of just five national recipients of a scholarship from the Besal Scholarship Fund for the 2013-2014 school year. Blasi received a $3,000 scholarship. May 2013
* Casey Droddy, junior in agricultural communications and journalism, and Jake Erceg, sophomore in animal sciences and industry, were selected members of the 2013-2014 Agriculture Future of America leadership team. Droddy was named a student advisory team member and Erceg was named a campus ambassador. May 2013
* Jessica Bauerle, junior in elementary education, andAngela Glean, junior in kinesiology, received the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship to study abroad. Bauerle's study abroad destination is Ghana, while Glean's Gilman Scholarship is for study in 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
* 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, Liberal, Mo., 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, Smithville, Mo., received an honorable mention from the foundation. April 2013
* Kaitlin Morgan, sophomore in animal sciences and industry and agricultural communications, Deerfield, and Barret Wellemeyer, sophomore in civil engineering, Derby, are among the 50 honorable mentions selected nationally for the 2013 Morris K. Udall Undergraduate Scholarship. April 2013
* A team from the College of Engineering is among 10 selected nationwide to participate in the inaugural National Collegiate Wind Challenge, sponsored by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado is the competition organizer, under direction of the U.S. Department of Energy. The team's goal is to build a small wind turbine that can charge an electronic device such as a cellphone or an iPad. Team members will be selected in the summer, with the competition taking place in May 2014. April 2013
* Clint Frye, doctoral student in chemical engineering, Haddam, was named a Lawrence scholar by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. He is the university's first recipient of the prestigious award and one of 12 scholars chosen this year. April 2013
* An interdisciplinary team of graduate students from Kansas State University, University of Kansas and University of Missouri-Kansas City won the Urban Land Institute's Gerald D. Hines Student Urban Design Competition with the entry "The Armory." The award included $50,000 for the students. The team was led by Kevin Cunningham and included Kylie Harper and Derek Hoetmer, all Master of Landscape Architecture students. The team's main adviser was Jason Brody, assistant professor of regional and community planning. 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
* Three students from the College of Agriculture, all members of the university's chapter of Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences, won awards in the photo or speaking contests at the national society's 28th annual Career Fair and Training Conference. Lonell Brown, senior in animal sciences and industry, received first place in the photo contest; Simone Holliday, sophomore in animal sciences and industry and chapter president, received second place in the photo contest; and Taneysha Howard, junior in agricultural communications and journalism, received second place in the public speaking contest. April 2013
* Leaders in Freshman Engineering, or LIFE, which is a part of Kansas State University's Engineering Student Council, has been named the best freshman council in the nation. The award was presented at the recent 2013 conference in Urbana, Ill. April 2013
* K-State's chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi is the best in the Midwest. The fraternity has received the 2012-2013 Midwest Provincial Chapter of the Year. The award is the highest honor Kappa Alpha Psi awards to a chapter in its Midwest province, which includes Kansas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Missouri, Nebraska and part of Arkansas. The chapter is now eligible to compete for Kappa Alpha Psi's National Chapter of the Year award, which is awarded in August. April 2013
* The Mid America CropLife Association board of directors selected K-State's Paige Druffel as one of 12 college students in the nation to receive its $2,000 Young Leader Scholarship for college expenses. Paige Druffel is an agricultural communications and journalism major. Her summer internship is with Monsanto. April 2013
* A team from K-State's student chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management won first place in the society's recent case competition in Austin, Texas. The team competed against 15 universities from the Southwest. The competition focused on issues management practices, recruitment, training, development and employee labor relations. Team members included Jody Forge, senior in management, Leavenworth; James Geary, senior in management, Overland Park; and Michelle Allison, junior in management, Wichita. The team was accompanied by faculty adviser Valerie Evans, an instructor of management at the university. April 2013
* Brendan Bishop, president-elect of the Engineering Student Council, was elected regional recruitment coordinator for the National Association of Engineering Student Councils. His election came at the association's 2013 conference in Urbana, Ill. April 2013
* The K-State Salina Enactus team advanced to the national competition by claiming a regional championship April 10 in Dallas, Texas. The team also was named a 4.0 Award recipient and recognized as an Enactus 4.0 Club for earning a 4.0 or higher in competitions on a 5.0 scale. The awards recognizes the K-State Salina chapter for quality education programs, success in Enactus and long-term sustainability in enabling progress through entrepreneurial action. 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
* Damien Downes, plant pathology-based doctoral student in the interdepartmental genetics graduate program, won a Student Poster Prize at the 10th International Aspergillus Meeting. The prize was sponsored by the industrial biotechnology company Novozymes. Downes also won a Genetics Society of America-sponsored Best Student Poster Award in the Functional and Comparative Genomics and Gene Regulation category at the 27th Fungal Genetics Conference. April 2013
* Ross Allen, a sophomore from Holton, 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
* The K-State Proud campaign has raised more than $650,000 in its seven years. The student-run campaign establishes a culture of philanthropy, with the money raised helping students who are struggling financially. March 2013
* A team of Kansas State University students won the 2013 Washburn Leadership Challenge Event, March 7-8, at Washburn University in Topeka. The event challenges students to address a variety of problems and situations that simulate real-life experiences, with their leadership decisions determining the competition's outcome. Members of team included Magen Witcher, junior in pre-professional secondary education, Elkhart; Grant Goodack, senior in economics, Olathe; Collin Huerter, junior in political science, and Avery Simecka, freshman in arts and sciences-open option, both from Topeka; and Ryan Haxton, freshman in pre-journalism and mass communications, Valley Center. Team advisers were Lori Kniffin, adviser of academic programs, and Bethany Miles, special projects assistant, both with the School of Leadership Studies. March 2013
* The Kappa Pi Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. won the Dorothy King Tucker Outstanding Undergraduate Chapter for the Midwest Region at a conference this month in Tulsa, Okla. K-State's chapter was chosen over chapters in Nebraska, Iowa, Colorado, Wyoming, Oklahoma, Montana, Missouri and elsewhere in Kansas.
* The Kansas Athletic Training Society recognized several students in the athletic training program for outstanding academic achievement. Four students are earning the society's All-Academic Honors, four students are earning second team All-Academic Honors and 10 students are earning honorable mention. Honorees must be juniors or seniors with a minimum 3.8 grade point average. March 2013
* A team of graduate students from Kansas, including three students from the K-State department of landscape architecture and regional and community planning, was named one of four finalists for the Urban Land Institute's Gerald D. Hines Student Urban Design Competition. The Kansas team will compete for a $50,000 prize. K-State team members, all master's students in landscape architecture, include Kylie Harper, Derek Hoetmer and Kevin Cunningham. The team's main adviser is Jason Brody, assistant professor of regional and community planning, with Stephanie Rolley, head of the department of landscape architecture and regional and community planning; Blake Belanger, associate professor of landscape architecture; and Gary Stith, professor of regional and community planning. March 2013
* For the third time in the last six years, a K-State interior design student team won the annual Interior Design Educators Council Student Design Competition. The team claimed first prize for its entry "A Refreshing Education." The award was presented at the annual conference of the Interior Design Educators Council, which was Feb. 17-19 in Indianapolis. Team members included Andrea Sisk, Overland Park; Sydney Hall, Colorado Springs, Colo.; and Haoran Hu, Wuhan City, China. Faculty advisor was Migette Kaup, associate professor of apparel, textiles and interior design. K-State teams also won the competition in 2008 and 2010. March 2013.
* Three K-State students received individual awards at the 2013 Big 12 Conference on Black Student Government. Brittany Garcia, junior in psychology, Garden City, received the Barbara Jordan Political Action Award; Marcus Bragg, senior in management information systems, Kansas City, Kan., received the Most Outstanding Senior in the Big 12 Conference award; and Justice Davis, freshman in business administration, Kansas City, Mo., received the Dyric Burt Most Outstanding Freshman in the Big 12 Conference. 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
* For the sixth time in the last eight years Kansas State University's Black Student Union has been awarded the Clarence Wine Award for Outstanding Big 12 Council of the Year. The honor is presented annually to an outstanding undergraduate black student government or council in the Big 12 Conference. It recognizes an organization that has demonstrated a serious commitment to unity, academic achievement, scholarship, campus programming and community service. March 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.
* Kelly Foster, master's student in biomedical sciences, and Feraidon Ataie, doctoral student in civil engineering, were named KansasBio winners for their research presentations at the 10th annual Capitol Graduate Research Summit. They each received a $500 scholarship from KansasBio. February 2013.
* Students from the College of Business Administration won the Kansas City Chartered Financial Analyst Society's 2013 CFA Institute Research Challenge. The team advances to the Regional Americas Research Challenge in Toronto in March. The challenge is an international competition, conducted at the local, regional and global levels, is between university-sponsored teams of both undergraduate and graduate students. 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.
* The Meats Judging Team won reserve high team overall at the Iowa State Invitational Meats Judging Contest. K-State was the high team in pork judging, specifications, cured ham and total placings. February 2013.
* Jordan Bever, senior in the industrial and manufacturing systems, received first prize in the technical paper competition at the 2013 South Central Regional Student Conference of the Institute of Industrial Engineers. Her paper, "Designing a Palletization Process for Heart to Heart International," outlines the evaluation, design and implementation of a solution to improve the warehouse performance of a disaster relief agency. It was co-written by Lauren Cody and Brandon Mais, both December 2012 graduates in industrial and manufacturing systems engineering. The project adviser was Jessica Heier Stamm, assistant professor of industrial and manufacturing systems engineering. 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.
* Architectural engineering students Alyssa Shinn and Kyle Knuth earned scholarship for the 2013-2014 school year from the Kansas City chapter of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, or ASHRAE. Shinn, received a $1,000 scholarship and Knuth earned a $3,000 scholarship. February 2013.
* Ismael E. Badillo-Vargas, doctoral student in plant pathology, was awarded a predoctoral fellowship grant of more than $71,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture for his research on the tomato spotted wilt virus and its relationship to thrips. The competitive scholarship is for agricultural students who have two more years to complete their doctoral degree programs. Recipients receive two years of funding for research expenditures, tuition, a graduate research salary and conference travel. January 2013
* Entomology doctoral student Shelly Wiggam-Ricketts won the award for best student presentation by the Kansas chapter of The Wildlife Society at the 2013 Kansas Natural Resources Conference. Her poster presentation was "Pollinator Resource Use in Rangelands that Utilize Patch-burn Grazing." Wiggam-Ricketts is working under the mentorship of entomology professors Gregory Zolnerowich and David Margolies. January 2013
* K-State Salina's Steven Gish, freshman in aviation maintenance, Olathe, received a $5,000 scholarship from the International Society of Transport Aircraft Trading Foundation. As a recipient, Gish will attend an institution sanctioned by the Council of Aviation Accreditation. Scholarship requirements included meeting academic standards and demonstrating need. January 2013
