Wildcat undergraduates selected to conduct water research as Kansas Water Institute fellows
Tuesday, June 17, 2025
Seven undergraduate students will conduct water research with faculty members as the newest Undergraduate Water Fellows through the Kansas Water Institute.
As fellows, the students will gain applied learning experiences through their research to support future careers in academia, industry, entrepreneurship and beyond. They will present their research findings to the scientific community at the conclusion of their fellowships.
Undergraduate fellows of the Kansas Water Institute are full-time students in either their junior or senior years. Seven scholarships totaling $14,000 were awarded to students to support their upcoming research efforts.
Two students received the Townley Family Scholarship, which is funded by the Duane and Terry Townley Family and supports research efforts for emerging leaders in the field of water resource research. The Kansas Water Institute selects two Townley fellows each academic year, and this year's recipients are Josiah Quinlan, junior in biological and agricultural engineering, and Helen Winters, senior in biology and fisheries, wildlife, conservation and environmental biology.
Quinlan's research focuses on the downstream environmental impacts of the water injection dredging process in Tuttle Creek Reservoir. His research is part of a collaborative, multidisciplinary effort to investigate the effects of this unique dredging process, and it may help form future dredging policies at other sites.
Winters' research focuses on big bluestem grass, with an emphasis on how this dominant prairie grass adapts to climate and responds to differing water availabilities. Her work will help form conclusions about the productivity, health and ability of an ecosystem to support grazing.
Five students were selected for Kansas Water Institute scholarships, which will support their work on innovative water-related research projects under the mentorship of K-State faculty.
- Connor Albright, chemical engineering, will explore data-driven forecasting of soil water content using the Kansas Mesonet and machine learning.
- Prabhleen Kaur, chemistry, will investigate the synthesis and characterization of amphiphilic triblock copolymers for water purification.
- Allison Ricker, fisheries, wildlife and conservation biology, will research anatomical adaptations to water stress in a dominant prairie grass across a precipitation gradient.
- Emma Grace Tyndall, environmental science, will examine the impact of woody encroachment on soil water chemistry and isotopic composition.
Gwen VanLeeuwen, mechanical engineering, will study an onsite microplastic testing device for Kansas water.