Research and the State

research and the state

In this annual form, graduate students from all academic programs are invited to present a poster of their research and share why it is important to lawmakers and citizens of Kansas. Ten presenters will be selected to represent K-State at the annual Capitol Graduate Research Summit (CGRS) held in the spring at the State Capitol Building, where graduate students will present their posters to state legislators and the public.

2026-2027
Research and the State
graduate student poster forum

Poster presentations:
February 17, 2027
10:00am - noon and 1:30 - 3:30pm
K-State Student Union

Awards ceremony: 4:30pm

Registration

Your abstract must be written in a way that students and faculty from a variety of academic disciplines and the general public can understand. Please DO NOT prepare a technical abstract as you would for an audience of experts in your field.
Use the abstract template to ensure correct formatting.
- INCLUDE headers for the broad sections in your abstract (e.g., Background, Method, Results, and Conclusion).
- Your abstract must not exceed 250 words. Title, author information, and section headers are not included in the word count.
- Author names – Include first and last names of all authors in the order determined appropriate by the authors. DO NOT include professional titles (e.g., use “John Smith,” NOT “Dr. John Smith”). Bold the name of the presenting author.
- Author affiliations – For K-State authors, list the author’s department. For others from other institutions, list the department and the university.
- Use numerical superscripts to distinguish authors with different affiliations. Superscripts are not needed if all authors have the same affiliation.
Refer to Sample abstracts - For abstract samples of proper formatting, refer to the "Previous abstracts and award recipients" section below.
Review and proofread your abstract. Please make sure your abstract is free of grammatical errors.
Save the document using the following file name format: Last Name, First Name.docx
(e.g., “Smith, John.docx.”).
Upload your abstract at the end of the online registration form. You must receive approval of all co-authors prior to submitting your abstract.

Register by January 15. Registration will open in the Fall 2026 semester

Participation guidelines

All currently enrolled graduate students from any discipline are invited to participate in Research and the State. Ten students will be selected to participate in the Capitol Graduate Research Summit (CGRS), which takes place in the Spring 2027 semester. These ten students must be enrolled in a K-State graduate program in the Spring semester to be eligible for participation in the CGRS.

Requirements for Research and the State participation:

Present work that you completed at K-State as a graduate student.
One presentation per student, and only one presenter per poster.
Give a new presentation. If you have previously participated in Research and the State or the K-State GRAD Forum, you can present on a similar topic/project as you did previously, but you are expected to have new data to share in this forum.
Include results/findings in the abstract and in the poster presentation.
Consult with major advisor/faculty member supervising the research and all co-authors before registering and submitting an abstract.
Use the ABSTRACT TEMPLATE (.doc) to submit an abstract of your poster presentation and a summary of how your research relates to issues of interest to the Kansas legislature. You will upload your abstract at the end of the registration form.
Write your abstract and poster presentation for a diverse audience who are NOT experts in your discipline. Help understand and appreciate your work!

Poster and presentation guidelines

Posters for Research and the State must not exceed 4 feet in width and 3 feet in height. These are the dimensions that will be required for posters selected for the Capitol Graduate Research Summit.

Download a PPT file sized for 48x36 inches

Posters will be displayed on portable walls and push pins will be provided. Presenters just need to bring their poster!
Mounting posters to foam boards and attaching three-dimensional objects to posters is discouraged because these materials can make it difficult to attach the poster to the portable walls.
Presenters are expected to prepare a 3-minute oral presentation of their poster for the judges and should be prepared to answer questions.

Tips for a successful presentation

Help everyone understand and appreciate your work! Posters should be designed and presented in a way that can be understood by a broad audience. You will be presenting your work to an academically diverse audience, so you should not present your work in the same way that you would for experts in your field.
View videos of Three Minute Thesis competition winners and utilize Three Minute Thesis preparation resources to prepare the three-minute oral presentation of your poster.
View a video on How to Create a Better Research Poster in Less Time, which includes links to poster templates.
The Writing Center is an excellent resource for helping students effectively communicate their research to a broad audience. Presenters are encouraged to contact the Writing Center to schedule an appointment with a tutor.

Common topics of interest to legislators

The following are topics that are of interest to Kansas legislators. However, participation in the poster session is NOT limited to research/scholarly work in these areas. All participants

Topics of interest:
sustainable water supply; economic development and job creation; workforce development; plant and animal health; food safety: from farm to fork; health conditions impacting the health of Kansas including cancer, obesity, diabetes, and other conditions; health care costs; alternative health care; community development and quality of life in rural communities; alternative and sustainable energy sources; education: student achievement and student testing; business attraction in the state. Also refer to Kansas House and Senate standing committees to identify areas of interest to state legislators.

Previous abstracts and award recipients

2026, 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016

2026

Amy Winstead, Masters in Biology
Soil and grass quality are impacted by fire and grazing.

Vydehi Gadiparthi, Masters in Agronomy
Beneath the Surface: How Farming Practices Influence Soil Health and Microbial Life

Md Suzauddula, PhD in Food, Nutrition, Dietetics and Health
Bioengineered Purple Tomato-Derived Anthocyanins Reduce Colorectal Cancer Progression

Kelechi Igwe, PhD in Biological and Agricultural Engineering
Closing the Water Budget Gap: Leveraging Satellite-Based Insights for Accurate Irrigation Water Use Estimation across the Western U.S.

Mohsen Davoudkhani, PhD in Psychology
Odor Identification and Blood-Based Markers Reveal Early Signs of Mild Cognitive Impairment

Mia Reyes, Masters in Agricultural Education and Communication
Growing Pains: The Entrepreneurial Journey of Kansas Agritourism Operators

Nayara Mota Miranda Soares, PhD in Agriculture
Effects of graded levels of red sorghum bran on processing parameters and palatability in dry dog food

Vidya Nadar, PhD in Chemistry
Small Molecules, Big Impact: Building the Next Generation of Cancer and Antibiotic Drugs

Dylan Couch, PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering
Improving brain cancer detection rates using a quantum computing framework

Asmita Mahara, PhD in Biological and Agricultural Engineering
The Ultimate Future of Wastewater Treatment: Harnessing nature’s remedy to Tackle the Untreatable

Sigma Xi award recipients

These presenters were selected for their outstanding presentations to receive an award from K-State’s chapter of Sigma Xi.

Alireza Monavarian, PhD in Biological and Agricultural Engineering
Modeling the suitability of maize cultivation under future climate scenarios

Olusola Olagunju, PhD in Grain Science
VRI-YOLO11: An Optimized YOLO-Based Model for Automated Hard Red Winter Wheat Grading

Avery Neer, Masters in Regional Community and Planning
Engaged Urban Design and Planning: Student Learning Outcomes and Service-Learning

2025