2020 Faculty/Staff Achievements
• Top scientist: University Distinguished Professor Phillip E. Klebba named fellow of the Association for the Advancement of Science.
• Global impact: K-State's Vara Prasad recognized with International Agronomy Award.
• Super achiever: K-State Student Union Executive Directory Corey Williamson named 2020 EOA Achiever by Educational Opportunity Association.
• Excellence in education, outreach: Agronomy's Ciampitti honored with Agronomic Education and Extension Award.
• Serving the state: Gov. Kelly selects Madaí Rivera for Advantage Kansas Coalition.
• Senate speaker: BRI Director Stephen Higgs testifies before key U.S. Senate committee on important research going on at the vital K-State institute.
• Attention worthy: North Central Weed Science Society names Vipan Kumar outstanding young scientist.
• Scoring a top spot: Music's David Simmons Wood named program director for Early Music America.
• Key selection: Associate professor and extension specialist Erin Yelland to serve as associate editor of the Journal of Extension.
• Salute to outstanding work: Kansas Association of Colleges and Employers awards three K-State staffers — Andrew Kohls, assistant director, Career Center; Rebecca Gould, career coach, College of Business Administration Career Development; and Kerri Keller, director, Career Center.
• National nomination: Bryan Pinkall receives Grammy nomination with KC Chorale for recent recording.
• Distinguished service: BRI's Stephen Higgs receives Harry Hoogstraal Medal for Outstanding Achievement in Medical Entomology.
• Innovative teacher: Shirley Tung winner of 2020-2021 Innovative Course Design award from the American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies.
• Impressive streak: Personal financial planning's HanNa Lim earns third consecutive top research paper award from the Association for Financial Counseling & Planned Education.
• Tackling hunger: Jan Middendorf named chair of key Feed the Future Innovation Labs council.
• International service: Julie Pentz accepted in Fulbright Specialist Program.
• Student service leader: Beth Bailey honored with Shirley Bird Perry Distinguished Service Awardfrom Association of College Unions International Region II.
• The "write" way: Engineering's Pascal Hitzler and co-authors receive the Semantic Web Science Association Ten-Year Award for published work.
• Leading the way: Kinesiology's Craig Harms receives American Kinesiology Association's Jerry R. Thomas Distinguished Leadership Award.
• Master mentor: Extension Engineering's Bruce Snead receives lifetime achievement award for mentoring from national radon organization.
• A healthy honor: Kansas Public Health Association recognizes Megan Katt for outstanding service in promotion of public health.
• Rising star: International educators association honors Sara Boro with regional Rising Star Young Leader Award.
• Excellence honored: Kellie Wilson honored for human resource excellence by College and University Professional Association for Human Resources.
• Dance education leader: Julie Pentz elected to Executive Committee of National Dance Education Organization.• Distinguished fellowship: English's Steffi Dippold named to 2019-2021 Andrew W. Mellon Society of Fellows in Critical Bibliography.
• Genomics gem: Plant pathology's Jesse Poland and Jared Crain receive inaugural 2020 Plant Genome Outstanding Paper Award.
• Important first: Bill Zhang first K-Stater to lead key American Society of Civil Engineering/Structural Engineering Institute technical committee.
• Sustaining excellence: Renewable energy research led by Behrooz Mirafzal earns prize for journal publication.
• A+ archivist: Cliff Hight, with fellow members of the Dictionary Working Group, receives Council Exemplary Service Award from Society of American Archivists.
• Emerging leader, select specialist: Two Global Campus staffers are University and Professional Continuing Education Association Central Region honorees — Katie Linder receives the 2020 Emerging Professional Continuing Educator award, while George Widenor receives Continuing Education Support Specialist award.
• Author, author: Chad Schwartz, associate professor of architecture, writes second book, "Situate, Manipulate, Fabricate: An Anthology of the Influences on Architectural Design and Production."
• White House honor: Civil engineering professor named White House Fellows national finalist.
• Civil rights advocate: Political science's John Fliter appointed to Kansas Advisory Committee to US Commission on Civil Rights.
• Write stuff: New textbook by Biology's Kim With honored as best by British Ecological Society.
• Top dissertation kudos: Political science's Angela Y.S. Park receives Leonard D. White Award from American Political Science Association for best doctoral dissertation.
• Saxophone sensation: Anna Marie Wytko releases first book for saxophonists who embrace comprehensive musicianship.
• Professional excellence: Katie Heinrich named fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine.
• Chart topper: Music's Bryan Pinkall sings on No. 1 classical album.
• Career rewarded: American Society for Horticultural Science names Candice Shoemaker a fellow for outstanding contributions, research to field.
• Research boost: K-State history professor gets NEH summer stipend for Kosovo refugee research.
• Fulbright kudos: Geography and geospatial sciences' Bimal Paul earns Fulbright Flex Award for project in Nepal.
• All-Star faculty: American Meat Science Association presents Distinguished Achievement Award to Travis O'Quinn; while American Society of Meat Scientists honors Mike Tokach for research and Jason Woodworth for service.
• Top teacher: Civil engineering's Scott D. Schiff named 2020 Outstanding Faculty/Practitioner by regional civil engineering group.
• Ready to lead: K-State's Debra Bolton elected to chair North Central Extension Research Activity group.
• Creating a buzz: K-State study first to show SARS-CoV-2 can't be spread by mosquitoes.
• Taking on disease: University signs licensing agreement by College of Veterinary Medicine's Waithaka Mwangi for African swine fever.
• Commitment honored: American Society for Engineering Education honor's Polytechnic's Julia Morse for longtime service.
• Tackling treatment: K-State-led research consortium led by Ho-Leung Ng testing drugs to fight COVID-19, shares results with world.
• Promising researcher: Cosmologist Lado Samushia receives $750,000 early career research grant from U.S. Department of Energy.
• Taking the helm: Biology's Carolyn Ferguson new president-elect of American Society of Plant Taxonomists.
• Emerging star: National Council on Family Relations recognizes Anthony Ferraro as up-and-coming teacher and mentor.
• National office: Physician assistant program's Nikki Tucker named secretary of the Society for Physician Assistants in Pediatrics.
• Teaching excellence: Biological and agricultural engineering's Ajay Sharda recipient of Educator/Research Award of Excellence from Precision Ag Alliance and partner organizations.
• Rising star: InvestmentNews tabs Martin Seay for its 40 Under 40 list.
• A CAREER first: Jeff Comer is first College of Veterinary Medicine faculty member to receive NSF CAREER award.
• A good fit: Kinesiology's Katie Heinrich president-elect of American Academy of Health Behavior.
• Feeding the future: Vara Prasad to serve on new international commission on sustainable agricultural intensification.
• Global service: Hospitality management's Jichul Jang new treasurer of International Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education.
• Where excellence grows: National agricultural education group recognizes K-State agriculture faculty, students with awards.
• Cyber success: NSF renews K-State's CyberCorps program led by Eugene Vasserman.
• Community booster: KSRE's Trudy Rice presented national community vitality service award.
• Ensuring success: Dan Kurtz to elected to serve with Association of Baccalaureate Program Directors.
• Voice of a champion: Voice professor Bryan Pinkall wins 2020 American Prize in Vocal Performance.
• True patriot: K-State President Richard Myers recognized by Daughters of American Revolution with Distinguished Citizen Medal.
• National landing spot: Polytechnic's Lindsey Dreiling tabbed for new federal aviation advisory board.
• Outreach excellence: Vet Med's Kate KuKanich honored by Student American Veterinary Medical Association for community outreach.
• Chief position: K-State Police Director Ronnie Grice serving on COVID-19 Recovery Task Force.
• Super scientist: Plant pathology's Barbara Valent elected to elite National Academy of Sciences.
• Up-and-coming: Chemical engineer Ryan Hansen is K-State's latest NSF CAREER award winner.
• Setting the standards: Hospitality management professor to serve on advisory council of national hotel and lodging education institute.
• Designer of distinction: APDesign's Otto Chanyakorn named recipient of prestigious Gabriel Prize.
• Research rewarded: Biology's Lydia Zeglin is K-State's newest NSF CAREER award recipient.
• International leader: Camilla Roberts selected president of International Center for Academic Integrity.
• Excellence honored: National mammologist society names graduate student research award in honor of biology professors Don and Glennis Kaufman.
• Top writer: JMC's Gloria Freeland earns two Kansas Professional Communicators awards.
• Hospitable leader: Hospitality management's Kevin Roberts to serve on Accreditation Commission for Programs in Hospitality Administration.
• Rural schools champion: College of Education's Jerry Johnson to serve on APLU's Rural Student Success Advisory Committee.
• Making education excellent: New Coffman chair Julia Keen co-authors new textbook on building sustainable commercial buildings.
• Next-level leader: Bronwyn Fees recognized for leadership, named an ACE fellow.
• Top teacher: Special education professor named "unsung hero."
• The 'write' way: Senior instructor earns Top Author Award from Top Hat.
• Title of distinction: Chuck Rice named national associate of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
• Up-and-comer: Engineering professor receives NSF CAREER award for 3D metal-graphene composites research.
• Significant collaboration: K-State physicists contribute to report on blueprint for ultimate neutrino detector.
• Illuminating excellence: College of Engineering's Fred Hasler honored by professional lighting society.
• Fantastic physicist: Physics' Tim Bolton named project director of major federal neutrino experiment at Fermilab.
• Author excellence: K-State Libraries' Michael Haddock honored by Midwest chapter of international aboriculture society for his latest book.
• Preserving history: Chapman Center for Rural Studies' Lynn-Sherow co-authors book about ranching life in the Flint Hills.
• Starring role: Assistant professor of theatre appears in History Channel's "Project Blue Book."
• Top editor: Financial Planning Association appoints K-State's Stuart Heckman editor of Journal of Financial Planning.
• Federal recognition: Civil engineering professor part of award-winning research team cited by U.S. Department of Defense program.
• Top planner: Personal financial planning program chair Martin Seay new president of Financial Planning Association.
