Undergraduate Research Day at the Capitol features six students from Kansas State University
Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016
MANHATTAN — When Kansas State University hosts Undergraduate Research Day at the Capitol, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 18, six of the university's undergraduate researchers will get the chance to present their work on the first-floor rotunda of the State Capitol in Topeka.
The event showcases the research being conducted by students at the state's four-year institutions. Around 40 undergraduate student projects will be presented. The presentations are free and open to the public.
"Undergraduate Research Day at the Capitol is an opportunity for our state legislators and other guests visiting the Capitol to see firsthand the quality of research in which undergraduates across Kansas are engaged," said Anita Cortez, director of Kansas State University's Office of Undergraduate Research & Creative Inquiry. "Since its beginnings as a land-grant institution, K-State has had undergraduates actively involved in discovery and research. Today, this event illustrates the vital role that higher education plays in strengthening our own Kansas economy and workforce. It shows the interrelatedness of Kansas to the rest of the world."
The following Kansas State University students will present their work at Undergraduate Research Day at the Capitol:
• Jordan Thomas, senior in anthropology and international studies, Atchison, will co-present "Cultivating Culture: Youth Food Movement and Cultural Revival in the Tiwa Pueblo Community." Thomas' faculty mentor is Michael Wesch, associate professor in anthropology.
• Adam Schieferecke, junior in microbiology and biochemistry, Bennington, will present "Generation of Improved Oncolytic Poxviruses." Schieferecke's faculty mentor is Stefan Rothenburg, assistant professor of biology.
• Michael Zuniga, sophomore in biology, Dodge City, who will present "The expression of Cytokines in Human Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stromal Cells (US-MSCs) after activation." Zuniga's faculty mentor is Mark L. Weiss, professor of anatomy and physiology.
• Shai Washington, senior in political science and international studies, Lenexa, who will present "U.S. Drone Strikes and Foreign Policy Substitutability." Washington's faculty mentor is Carla Martinez Machain, assistant professor of political science.
• Geordy Williams, junior in computer science, Prairie Village, who will present "Global Sensitivity Analysis of Dam Erosion Models." Williams' faculty mentor is Mitchell L. Neilsen, professor of computing and information science.
• MacKenzie Wade, senior in anthropology, Bakersfield, California, who will co-present "Cultivating Culture: Youth Food Movement and Cultural Revival in the Tiwa Pueblo Community." Wade's faculty mentor is Michael Wesch, associate professor of anthropology.
