Inaugural grants awarded for applied learning
Kansas State University is committed to ensuring that by 2030, all degree-seeking undergraduate students will participate in at least one applied learning experience, or ALE, before graduation. Today, the University Steering Committee for Applied Learning Experiences announces the inaugural recipients of the Applied Learning Experiences incentive grants from the spring 2025 application cycle.
A funding opportunity announced in April, the ALE incentive grants were established to support, expand, deepen and scale applied learning experiences across the institution, driving toward the university’s applied learning imperative as outlined in the Next-Gen K-State strategic plan.
Eleven projects have been awarded funding, providing added support to a total of twenty-four faculty and staff contributors with a collective $150,000 investment. Four projects are transdisciplinary in nature, catalyzing and launching pilot applied learning programming across at least two K-State units, while the other seven focus on new activity pilots, activity expansion and curriculum exploration.
2025 Applied Learning Experiences incentive grants
Spot Fire Press: A creative undergraduate student publishing initiative
Students from multiple disciplines will work with editorial interns to self-publish their works in collaborative relationships with community partners.
- Traci Brimhall, University Distinguished Professor and graduate faculty, department of English; Jon Hunt, professor, department of landscape architecture and regional and community planning; Daniel Ireton, associate professor, K-State Libraries; Anne Oswald, director, University Printing; Mervi Pakaste, professor, department of art; Jason Scuilla, professor, department of art; Jeffery Sheldon, director, Sunderland Innovation Lab, K-State Libraries; Dan Warner, associate professor, department of art; Anthony Warnick, assistant professor, department of art.
Bridging disciplines and campuses: A collaborative boot camp in design, drawing and diorama modeling
Faculty from the Salina and Manhattan campuses will join forces, offering interior architecture students an opportunity to utilize three-dimensional software systems and Immersive Cyber Systems.
- William Genereux, professor, School of Integrated Studies, K-State Salina; Katrina M. Lewis, associate professor, interior architecture and interior design.
Research and Extension Applied Learning Program, REAL
K-State Research and Extension will partner with the College of Health and Human Sciences to deploy student interns to Kansas communities, expanding capacity for community engagement and problem-solving.
- Rick Peterson, associate director, Extension programs; Kari Morgan, teaching associate professor, applied human sciences.
Reimagining Kansas City: Collaborative strategies for urban and ecological resilience
Students from arts and sciences, engineering and architecture will work to create socially responsible and technically sound solutions to grand challenges like climate-resistant infrastructure, optimizing multimodal public transit and more.
- Lauren Harness, director, Kansas City Design Center, professor of practice, College of Architecture, Planning & Design; Stacy Hutchinson, professor, department of biological and agricultural engineering; Shawn Hutchinson, professor, department of geography and geospatial sciences.
Student employment pathways to career readiness
Student employees will learn to set goals, identify their skills and articulate career readiness, optimizing their student employment experience.
- Kerry Keller, executive director, Career Center.
Applied health behavior counseling
This kinesiology course will afford upper-level students the opportunity to practice communication, problem-solving, and adaptability skills through partnerships with community health organizations.
- Emily Mailey, associate professor, department of kinesiology.
Designing and simulating automated guided vehicle systems for warehouse material flow
Through this course, learners will work in groups to design Automated Guided Vehicle systems to move materials within a warehouse system, solving challenges brought forward by industry partners like Hallmark.
- Saurav Kumar Dubey, associate teaching professor, department of industrial and manufacturing systems engineering.
Reimagining Kansas City's historically Black neighborhoods: A placemaking research and design project
This upper-level course offers learners space to practice design in a complex, urban environment in partnership with community members through site analysis, co-creation workshops and audience-related communication.
- Gabby Coleman, visiting assistant professor, department of architecture.
Metal fab bootcamp: An immersive applied learning experience to build confidence and competence in pre-service agriculture teachers
Learners will prepare for their student teaching semester by partnering with current agricultural educators, industry partners and peers in their student teaching cohort to gain confidence in managing a metal fabrication teaching lab within a high school setting.
- Brandie Disberger, teaching associate professor, department of communications and agricultural education.
Undergraduate certificate and a minor in instrument repair for music educators
This certificate will host a series of Applied Learning courses aimed at training the pre-service music educator in instrument repair, giving students valuable skills for their future careers.
- Ben Worcester, academic advisor and undergraduate program director, School of Music, Theatre and Dance; Joshua Cook, instructor and director of instrument repair, School of Music, Theatre and Dance.
The Wildcat Mobile Theatre Unit
Students in this course will devise, design, rehearse and ultimately perform a one-act play for public school audiences across Kansas.
- Shannon Skelton, associate professor and advisor, School of Music, Theatre and Dance.
Learn more about the projects supported by spring 2025 Applied Learning incentive grants on the Applied Learning Experiences website.
The Fall 2025 ALE Incentive Grants applications are now open and will close on October 15. Any campus partner interested in integrating Applied Learning Experiences is encouraged to view the opportunities on the Applied Learning Experiences Incentive Grants page or to contact the ALE team at appliedlearing@k-state.edu.