K-State Current - November 16, 2016
K-State Current is a weekly news update for the Kansas Board of Regents in an effort to apprise the Regents on a few of the many successes and achievements made by K-State faculty, staff and students.
K-State News
Kansas State University researchers aim to heighten feed mill biosecurity
They've come a long way already, but Kansas State University researchers studying
the safety of animal food produced in feed mills say they've got plenty more to learn
as they work to maintain safe food for animals and humans.
The researchers are trying to protect food from dozens of risks to raw agricultural
products entering and leaving the nearly 6,000 feed mills in the United States.
"For many decades, we were manufacturing feed but we really never thought of feed
as one of those things that could be bringing some of these diseases into our animals,"
said Cassie Jones, assistant professor of animal sciences and industry. "Just like food can make humans
sick, some contaminated animal food can — rarely, but can — make animals sick."
According to the American Feed Industry Association, nearly 300 million tons of agricultural
commodities are processed annually in American feed mills, providing feed for 9.6
billion food-producing animals as well as 70 million dogs and 74 million cats.
Jones and several of her colleagues have focused their research on swine feed, and
have been conducting trials in the Cargill Feed Safety Research Center, part of the
university's O.H. Kruse Feed Technology Innovation Center.
Kansas State University's mill is considered the only biosafety level-2 facility
in the world that can conduct this type of research, using feed processing equipment
that is similar to that used in commercial mills.
"A lot of these concepts started with the work we've done previously on porcine epidemic
diarrhea virus, or PEDv," said Jason Woodworth, research associate professor of animal sciences and industry.
In 2015, Woodworth and a team of Kansas State University researchers discovered that
feed could be a vector for PEDv, a destructive disease that caused an estimated 8 million pig deaths in 2014.
"That whole concept that a virus can be carried in the animal food and infect pigs
was something that people thought was a possibility but maybe didn't believe until
our research helped prove it," he said.
While their findings on PEDv were a major breakthrough, Kansas State University researchers
are also on the lookout for safeguards against other diseases, such as salmonella.
One research team hopes to provide solutions against feed contamination from classical
swine fever and African swine fever, two diseases present in other countries but not
currently in the United States.
Some of the biosecurity measures being implemented in feed mills are familiar to
the industry: knowing where trucks have traveled from, washing hands, showering between
barns, cleaning boots and controlling foot traffic in and out of the facility, among
others.
Newer research includes finding the best ways to clean concrete floors, rubber boots
and stainless steel equipment; reducing grain dust, which may carry viruses or toxins;
and adding nutrients to feed such as medium chain fatty acids or coconut oil that
can provide added protection against target pathogens.
The university's work includes animal scientists, nutritionists, veterinarians, feed
scientists and an army of graduate and undergraduate students. Iowa State University
and other industry partners have provided help in areas that couldn't be addressed
at Kansas State University.
"We're collecting information and doing the research that is going to help the industry
define ways that we can do a better job of providing food for the pigs," said Woodworth,
who noted that the group's findings should also be transferrable to cattle, chickens,
domestic pets and other animal species.
Ultimately, the research will lead to safer food for American consumers.
"The U.S. food supply is the safest food supply in the world," Jones said. "There
is not an inherent problem with the food supply currently or with pork or the feed
we're manufacturing for swine. By doing this research, we are raising the bar to make
us even safer.
"We are trying to understand the lingering issues that could impact animal food safety,
as well as understanding some of the things we can do from the feed mill perspective
to ensure that the feed and the products that the animals are consuming are not only
manufactured in a way that meets all of their nutritional requirements, but are safe
at all times."
Jones noted that implementing biosecurity measures on farms many years ago led to
animals that were healthier and grew faster with less incidence of disease. She foresees
similar benefits by improving feed mill biosecurity.
"Considering the lessons we've learned along the way, we're just at the infancy of
applying those across the industry," she said.
The National Pork Board and the U.S. Department of Agriculture have provided most
of the funding for the university's work.
Promoting purple pride: Kansas State University's creative teams receive CASE awards
Kansas State University's Division of Communications and Marketing, the KSU Foundation
and the K-State Alumni Association will receive 35 awards from the Council for Advancement
and Support of Education, or CASE, at the council's joint district conference, Dec.
11-13, in Chicago.
The council is an international association of educational institutions. Kansas State
University is in District VI, which includes other educational institutions in Kansas
as well as Colorado, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming.
Each year the district selects CASE institutional awards to highlight the best practices
in alumni relations, fundraising, public and governmental relations, advancement services,
special events and communications.
The K-State Alumni Association will receive 12 CASE awards for creative works and
programs from 2015-2016.
"We are honored to be recognized by CASE for the programming, communications and
other services the Alumni Association provides to the greater Wildcat Community,"
said Amy Button Renz, president and CEO of the K-State Alumni Association. "These
awards showcase the dedication, creativity and passion to K-State that our staff possesses."
The association's awards:
Gold awards for excellence in research, medicine and science news writing for K-Stater
magazine; innovative uses of technology for the exclusive holiday gifts email; Alumni
Fellows special event; marketing and branding of the 100th homecoming celebration;
design of the Wildcats Forever poster; and the May 2016 @K-State alumni e-newsletter.
Silver awards for the K-State License Plate Program in the best practices in alumni
relations platinum category; the August 2015 @K-State alumni e-newsletter; the design
of K-State Alumni Association 2016 member calendar; Kansas State University's 100th
homecoming celebration special event; and best uses of social media for#DormWars social
media campaign.
A bronze award for the Kansas City Wabash CannonBall 10th Anniversary Fund-A-Wildcat
fundraising video.
The KSU Foundation will receive eight CASE awards for creative works and programs
from 2015-2016.
"The public launch of the Innovation and Inspiration Campaign was a central tenet
of the foundation’s work this year, so it is rewarding to receive so many awards recognizing
those efforts," said Greg Willems, KSU Foundation president and CEO. "Moreover, it
was an honor to collaborate so closely with our campus partners and many volunteers
to advance this transformational campaign."
The foundation's awards:
Grand gold awards for Innovation and Inspiration Campaign Launch event and the spring
2016 Good for K-State magazine.
Gold awards for the foundation's gift planning package; the Innovation and Inspiration
case statement; and the winter 2015 Good for K-State: Innovation and Inspiration commemorative
campaign edition.
A silver award for the winter 2015 Good for K-State magazine design.
Bronze awards for Personalized trustee engagement Pinchbook; and the Innovation and
Inspiration Campaign #KStateInspires social media initiative.
Kansas State University's Division of Communications and Marketing will receive 15
CASE awards for creative works from 2015-2016.
"Kansas State University's unified voice is successful at inspiring teamwork and
creativity among many talented individuals," said Jeff Morris, university vice president
for communications and marketing. "We are honored to receive 35 of these prestigious
awards across the university's teams, and proud to continue advancing and supporting
higher education in the state of Kansas."
The division's awards:
A grand gold award for the statewide Extension website branding and integrated marketing
in the best practices in communications and marketing platinum category.
Gold awards for the K-State Admissions Holiday Greetings Video; spring 2016 SEEK
research magazine in the special constituency magazine category; and design of the
spring 2016 SEEK research magazine.
Silver awards for the #WildcatWay Brand Experience Campaign; university website news
distribution RSS technique; The Wildcat Way "What makes traditions unforgettable?"
intuitional spot; and excellence in research, medicine and science news writing.
Bronze awards for theK-State economic impact website; "The Experience Matters" annual
magazine; 2016 K-State Open House postcard; K-State Research Showcase information
video; spring 2016 Seek research magazine in the institutional relations research
publication category; the Johnson Cancer Research Center "The fight starts here" commercial;
and Archeological Field School photograph.
Faculty Highlights
Wendy Ornelas receives alumni honors from California Polytechnic State University
Wendy Ornelas, professor of architecture in the College of Architecture, Planning & Design, was awarded the 2016 Honored Alumni Award from California Polytechnic State University on Nov. 4.
The Honored Alumni Award is the highest honor given to alumni by the university's alumni association. The award was established more than 60 years ago to provide recognition for outstanding graduates and former students. While on campus, Ornelas also spoke at the College of Architecture & Environmental Design's Student Leadership Workshop.
Ornelas joined the faculty at K-State in 1989 and served as associate dean in the College of Architecture, Planning & Design from 2005-2016. She earned a Bachelor of Science in architecture from California Polytechnic State University, and a master's degree from Oklahoma State University.
Ornelas is a licensed architect in California and Kansas.
Elected to the American Institute of Architects' College of Fellows in 2005, Ornelas is the first and only female and Latina fellow in the state of Kansas.
Ornelas is the recipient of numerous awards, including distinguished professor of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture. She is a member of the National Architectural Accrediting Board, serving as president in 2009-2010, and is the faculty advisor for the college's Women in Design program.
She has served as the central states regional director for the American Institute of Architects, co-chair of the American Institute of Architects National Diversity and Inclusion Council and as the board liaison to the Young Architects Forum. She served two terms on the Kansas State Board of Technical Professions and received the 2015 American Institute of Architects Richard Upjohn Fellowship.
"Wendy has long been a champion of the profession, and of the design professions. In her many capacities here and at the national levels she has helped propel the importance of design leadership," said Tim de Noble, professor and dean of the college. "This recognition by her alma matter, one of the premiere programs in the United States, is fitting!"
Terrie R. McCants to be honored as 2016 International Educator of the Year
Terrie R. McCants, clinical associate professor of family studies and human services, will be recognized as the 2016 International Educator of the Year at the International Education Awards Ceremony at 4 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17, in Hale Library's Hemisphere Room. April Mason, provost and senior vice president, will make remarks and recognize McCants with the award.
McCants is the program coordinator for the certificate in conflict resolution and the co-coordinator for the conflict analysis and trauma studies minor at K-State. She also facilitates two study abroad courses: Peace and Conflict in Northern Ireland, and Sustainable Peace in Post-Apartheid South Africa.
"McCants is truly an engaged international scholar," said Briana S. Nelson Goff, a professor in the School of Family Studies and Human Services who nominated McCants. "She not only actively pursues her own international program interests, but facilitates the engagement of her students in ways that enhance their critical thinking skills, professional knowledge, and diverse global experiences. Her international work has included Northern Ireland, Scotland, South Africa, Botswana, Kenya, Mexico and Nepal — work that reflects a truly global approach."
The International Educator of the Year award, established in 2003 by the provost's office, is presented annually to a K-State faculty or staff member, for making significant contributions to advancing international education.
"Terrie embodies every aspect of the International Educator of the Year Award," said Brett Mallon, a former K-State student and current doctoral student in peace and conflict studies at the University of Manitoba. "I feel confident in speaking on behalf of Terrie's hundreds of current and former students and the multitude of colleagues and associates when I wholeheartedly say we are eternally indebted to the incredible person who has been an instructor, a mentor and a friend."
In addition to teaching, McCants works as a mediator at the School of Family Studies and Human Services' Family Center and is the mediation coordinator for K-State.
"It is always such an honor to be nominated by colleagues," said Marcelo Sabates, associate provost in the Office of International Programs. "This recognition by your peers demonstrates your superb work to elevate international awareness on our campus."
"This is the largest nomination pool the award committee has discerned in recent years and it was very competitive representing high-profile faculty and staff from colleges across the campus," said Marcellus Caldas, assistant provost for international faculty collaborations and educational programs and chair of the International Educator Selection Committee. "This shows how engaged our colleges are in supporting and recognizing the international work being done globally right here in our classrooms and abroad."
K-State Student News
A pair of second-year Kansas State University veterinary students has been selected to participate in the American Association of Swine Veterinarians' seventh annual Veterinary Student Poster Competition, sponsored by Newport Laboratories.
Jordan Gebhardt, Cedar Springs, Michigan, and Laura Constance, Clyde, North Carolina, will take part in the competition Feb. 26, 2017, at the association's annual meeting
in Denver.
Based upon scores awarded in the judging of abstracts submitted for the association's
student seminar, the top 15 poster abstracts were chosen for judging, out of the 33
that were selected for poster presentation at the meeting. Gebhardt and Constance
are both concurrent Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and doctoral program students in
Kansas State University's College of Veterinary Medicine. Their primary mentors are
Steve Dritz and Megan Niederwerder, respectively, both swine researchers in the diagnostic
medicine and pathobiology department in the veterinary college.
"My project builds upon research conducted by K-State focused on a very relevant
issue swine producers are facing — how to effectively and efficiently mitigate the
risk of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus contamination within feed manufacturing facilities
and prevent subsequent infection of animal herds," Gebhardt said. "It is a collaborative
project involving our college along with colleagues in the grain science and industry
and animal sciences and industry departments at Kansas State University and colleagues
at Iowa State University's College of Veterinary Medicine. It is very practical research
with the goal of establishing readily implementable protocols to reduce disease transmission
within feed manufacturing facilities."
Gebhardt said that his research opportunities build directly upon what is learned
in the classroom, and greatly enhance the educational experience and preparation for
real-world problem solving. The title of his poster project is "Evaluation of the
effects of flushing feed manufacturing equipment with chemically treated rice hulls
on porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) cross contamination during feed manufacturing."
Constance's project involves porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome, or PRSS,
which is an economically devastating swine disease endemic to many U.S. farms, costing
producers around $665 million annually. The title of her poster is "Comparison of
morbidity and mortality after challenge with two North American PRRS virus isolates
shows marked variation in time course and prevalence of clinical disease between isolates."
"The objective of our study was to compare clinical disease between two types of
PRRS virus in nursery piglets,” Constance said. "By characterizing disease caused
by different PRRS viruses, we increase our knowledge of the potential impacts on swine
production as well as increase our capacity for early recognition of virus introduction
on the farm."
A panel of three judges will conduct a brief interview with each of the 15 students
selected to participate to determine poster winners. Newport Laboratories is sponsoring
the scholarship awards, which include $500 for first place, $400 for second and third
places; $300 for fourth through sixth places; and $200 for seventh through 15th places.
"I am very excited by the prospect of presenting my data to a broader audience to
further the characterization of the disease," Constance said. "This disease occurs
in many farms in Kansas; therefore it is relevant to not only on a global or national
basis, but also to the state in which I am currently living. By better understanding
this disease, I can hopefully make an impact on local producers in detecting the virus
and understanding how the disease is manifested in the piglets."
10 Kansas State University graduate students earn honors at Research and the State
Research on diets high in fat and sugar, the effects of early-season and late-season
grazing in the Flint Hills, and why computation thinking is important at the elementary
level are the focus of some of the winning research presentations by Kansas State
University graduate students who were selected to represent the university at the
14th Capitol Graduate Research Summit, Feb. 28, 2017, at the State Capitol in Topeka.
Ten students were chosen to present their work in Topeka based on their research
presentations at Research and the State Nov. 2 in the K-State Student Union.
Research and the State involved 48 participants from four colleges and 20 departments.
The event was sponsored by the Graduate Student Council, the Graduate School, the
Office of the President and the Office of the Provost and Senior Vice President. Each
winner received a $250 award.
"The winners of Research and the State showcase the outstanding research being conducted
at K-State and will communicate the value of their research to the state legislators
when they present at the Capitol Graduate Research Summit in February," said Carol
Shanklin, dean of the Graduate School. "This event is one of the many opportunities
that the Graduate School and the Graduate Student Council collaborate to enhance our
students' ability to communicate their research to the public."
At the Capitol Graduate Research Summit, the 10 students will have the opportunity
to present and showcase their research in front of the Kansas Board of Regents and
Kansas legislators. The annual statewide summit for Kansas legislators features current
research of graduate students at Kansas State University, the University of Kansas,
the University of Kansas Medical Center, Wichita State University, Emporia State University,
Fort Hays State University and Pittsburg State University. A university professor
and an industry representative will judge the poster and student presentations. The
top presenter from each university will be awarded a $500 award.
The following Kansas State University graduate students were selected to present
at the Capitol Graduate Research Summit:
• Jack Lemmon, master's student in animal sciences, Allen, for "Effects of intensive late-season sheep grazing following early-season steer
grazing on population dynamics of sericea lespedeza in the Kansas Flint Hills." His
faculty advisor is KC Olson, professor of animal sciences and industry.
• Matthew Galliart, doctoral student in biology, Hutchinson, for "Experimental natural selection of big bluestem ecotypes across the Great Plains:
A novel test for the strength of local adaptation." His faculty advisor is Loretta
Johnson, professor of biology.
• Josh Weese, doctoral student in computer science, Macksville, for "Bringing computational thinking to K-12." His faculty advisor is William Hsu,
associate professor in computer sciences.
• Ryan Schmid, doctoral student in entomology, Kingsley, Iowa, for "Protecting Kansas wheat: Assessment of a novel Hessian fly monitoring strategy."
His faculty advisor is Brian McCornack, associate professor of entomology.
• Catherine Hill, doctoral student in psychology, Katy, Texas, for "Diet-induced impulsivity: the effect of high-fat and high-sugar diets on the
mechanisms of impulsive choice." Her faculty advisor is Kimberly Kirkpatrick, professor
of psychological sciences.
• Sam Emerson, doctoral student in human nutrition, Midlothian, Texas, for "Characterizing the inflammatory response to a high-fat meal in healthy adults:
A Systematic review." His faculty advisor is Sara Rosenkranz, assistant professor
of food, nutrition, dietetics and health.
• Md. Zahidul Karim, doctoral student in civil engineering, Bangladesh, for "Characterizing soil erosion potential using electrical resistivity." His faculty
advisor is Stacey Tucker-Kulesza, assistant professor of civil engineering.
• Zheng Zhao, doctoral student in biological and agricultural engineering, China, for "Developing multiplexed detection of blood exosomal markers for diagnosis of
ovarian cancer." His faculty advisor is Mei He, assistant professor of biological
and agricultural engineering.
• Regina Enninful, doctoral student in agronomy, Ghana, for "Characterization of parents of sorghum mapping populations exposed to water-deficit
stress during the vegetative stage." Her faculty advisor is Krishna Jagadish, associate
professor of agronomy.
• Tri Tran, doctoral student in civil engineering, Vietnam, for "Determining surface roughness in erosion testing using photogrammetric method."
His faculty advisor is Stacey Tucker-Kulesza, assistant professor of civil engineering.
