Kirmser Awards recognize exceptional undergraduate scholarship at Kansas State University
Friday, May 14, 2015
Attending the recent Kirmser Undergraduate Research Award ceremony were, front row from left: Jason Coleman, award committee chair; Chloe Boudreaux, Sandy Chastan, Haley Claxton, Joseph Paz and Lori Goetsch, Dean of K-State Libraries; and back row, from left: Kevin Garman, Phillip Mahoney, Jack Ezell, Colin Halpin and Logan Jones. | Download this photo.
MANHATTAN — Outstanding undergraduate research in topics ranging from presidential history to biosystems engineering has earned several Kansas State University students the Kirmser Undergraduate Research Award, presented through the K-State Libraries.
Grand prize and honorable mentions were awarded in three categories: individual freshman, individual non-freshman and group. Individual grand prizewinners each received $1,000, and the group grand prizewinners shared a $4,000 award.
"K-State Libraries are dedicated to promoting, supporting and fostering undergraduate research and creative inquiry across all disciplines," said Jason Coleman, undergraduate and community services librarian and chair of the award committee. "The Kirmser Undergraduate Research Award is an exciting opportunity for us to reward students who successfully engage in academic inquiry, and I commend all of our applicants and winners."
The awards are made possible through a gift from the Philip and Jeune Kirmser estate. The Kirmsers' daughter, Sandy Chastan, attended the ceremony.
The following students are recipients of a Kirmser Undergraduate Research Award:
• Kevin Garman, senior in biological engineering systems, Burr Oak, grand prize in the group research category for "Design for cadaver rotation system," done in the Biological Systems Engineering Senior Design class with Edwin Brokesh, instructor of biological and agricultural engineering.
• Abigail Friesen, freshman in agricultural economics, Colby, honorable mention in the individual freshman research category for "Informative report: Immigration and job opportunities," done in the Expository Writing I course with Erica Ruscio, master's student in English.
• Sara McAfee, sophomore in open option, Great Bend, honorable mention in the group research category for "The accessibility of Kansas State University's campus: A community-based action research project," done in the Culture and Context in Leadership course with Leigh Fine, assistant professor of leadership studies.
• Cora Jaeger, senior in elementary education, Hays, honorable mention in the individual research non-freshman category for "Know your enemy: Contradictory elements find synthesis in The Kingdom of Little Wounds," done in the Literature for Adolescents course with Joe Sutliff Sanders, associate professor of English.
• Alexander Brase, freshman in pre-journalism and mass communications, Manhattan, honorable mention in the individual freshman research category for "Informative report: How the portrayal of race in Disney movies contributes to perceptions of race in the U.S.," done in the Expository Writing I course with Erica Ruscio, master's student in English.
• Jared Marcuson, senior in communication studies, Oberlin, honorable mention in the individual research non-freshman category for "Living learning communities and their role in persistence of college students," done in the Senior Colloquium course with Gregory Paul, assistant professor of communication studies.
• Chloe Boudreaux, senior in biological engineering systems, Olathe, grand prize in the group research category for "Design for cadaver rotation system," done in the Biological Systems Engineering Senior Design class with Edwin Brokesh, instructor of biological and agricultural engineering.
• Haley Claxton, senior in history, Olathe, grand prize in the individual research non-freshmen category for "Some we remember, some we forget: The collective memory of assassinated U.S. presidents in the modern age," done in the Honors Project course with Charles Sanders, associate professor of history.
• Samuel Edwards, public relations, Olathe, honorable mention in the group research category for "The accessibility of Kansas State University's campus: A community-based action research project," done in the Culture and Context in Leadership course with Leigh Fine, assistant professor of leadership studies.
• Colin Halpin, senior in history and economics, Olathe, grand prize in the individual research non-freshmen category for "Education in the 'right' sense of the word: The quest for a balanced education at the Kansas State Agricultural College," done in the Advanced Seminar in History course with Charles Sanders, associate professor of history.
• Danielle Winters, senior in communication studies, Plainville, honorable mention in the individual research non-freshman category for "Effects of information and communication technologies on the work-life balance of resident assistants," done in the Senior Colloquium course with Gregory Paul, assistant professor of communication studies.
• Kayla Wilkinson, sophomore in biochemistry, Riley, honorable mention in the group research category for "The accessibility of Kansas State University's campus: A community-based action research project," done in the Culture and Context in Leadership course with Leigh Fine, assistant professor of leadership studies.
• Phillip Mahoney, senior in biological systems engineering, Salina, for "Design for cadaver rotation system," done in the Biological Systems Engineering Senior Design class with Edwin Brokesh, instructor of biological and agricultural engineering.
• Jack Ezell, senior in biological engineering systems, Shawnee, for "Design for cadaver rotation system," done in the Biological Systems Engineering Senior Design class with Edwin Brokesh, instructor of biological and agricultural engineering.
• Joseph Paz, freshman in pre-professional secondary education, Topeka, grand prize in the individual freshman research category for "Informative report: Disproportional makeup of American prisons," done in the Expository Writing I course with Corrina Honeycutt, instructor of English.
• Logan Jones, senior in theater and French, Wichita, grand prize in the individual research non-freshmen category for "Found in translation: Bringing Sartre's Huis clos to a modern American audience," done for the Problems in Modern Languages course with Melinda Cro, assistant professor of modern languages.
• Melanie Riordan, sophomore in apparel marketing, Norwalk, Iowa, honorable mention in the group research category for "The accessibility of Kansas State University's campus: A community-based action research project," done in the Culture and Context in Leadership course with Leigh Fine, assistant professor of leadership studies.
• Kamaron Davis, sophomore in communication studies, Kansas City, Missouri, honorable mention in the group research category for "The accessibility of Kansas State University's campus: A community-based action research project," done in the Culture and Context in Leadership course with Leigh Fine, assistant professor of leadership studies.
More information on the Kirmser Undergraduate Research Award is available at http://www.lib.k-state.edu/kirmser-undergraduate-research-award-winners.
