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K-State Today Student Edition

October 30, 2017

Office of Undergraduate Research & Creative Inquiry announces research and travel grant recipients

Submitted by Anita Cortez

The Office of Undergraduate Research & Creative Inquiry, or OURCI, has awarded several undergraduates with grants for research projects and travel. 

Recipients of the $1,000 Undergraduate Research Award receive the funding to work with a research mentor, while recipients of the Travel Award, worth up to $1,000, use the support to cover costs associated with presenting at conferences, conducting research at an archive or other related research travel.

The following students have received an Office of Undergraduate Research & Creative Inquiry Undergraduate Research Award or Undergraduate Travel Award for fall 2017:

From Greater Kansas City: Audrey Chang, senior in mathematics, Undergraduate Research Award, and Carter Lundgren, senior in kinesiology, Undergraduate Research Award, both from Olathe; Caroline Fuss, senior in political science, Undergraduate Research Award, and Molly Zych, senior in biology, Undergraduate Travel Award, both from Overland Park; and Martha Nguyen, senior in biology, Shawnee, Undergraduate Research Award. 

Pallie Koehn, senior in psychological sciences, Gypsum, Undergraduate Research Award; Kaitlyn Bradshaw, senior in biology, Hill City, Undergraduate Research Award; Vaithish Velazhahan, senior in microbiology and biochemistry, Manhattan, Undergraduate Research Award; Sara Marek, senior in education-modern languages, St. George, Undergraduate Research Award; and Zachary Callaghan, sophomore in agricultural education, Tonganoxie, Undergraduate Travel Award

From out of state: Kristen Krueger, junior in family studies and human services, West Des Moines, Iowa, Undergraduate Travel Award.

From out of country: Daniel Winslow, senior in kinesiology, Wiesbaden, Germany, Undergraduate Research Award.

The Office of Undergraduate Research & Creative Inquiry also awarded two research grants during the Students Promoting the Advancement of Research at K-State, or SPARK, Week. These grants are for the 2018 spring semester. SPARK Tank is an opportunity for students to submit grant proposals to a panel of judges and potentially receive $1,000 as a result of their presentation.

This year's winners of SPARK Tank were Alexandria Bontrager, junior in microbiology, Whiting; and Peter Fontaine, sophomore in mathematics, Mission. Bontrager's research mentor is Erika Geisbrecht, associate professor of biochemistry; and Fontaine's mentor is Scott Spencer, visiting assistant professor of mathematics.

Additional spring 2018 grants for both research and travel will be awarded in November. Students will work approximately 100 hours over the project duration of 15 weeks and will have the opportunity to make contributions to their field. Faculty oversight is required, and awardees will have an opportunity to network with other researchers. All fields of study — from agriculture, business, education, to the sciences and the arts and humanities — are encouraged to apply. The Office of Undergraduate Research & Creative Inquiry encourages students to plan ahead for spring research grants and spring travel: the next round of applications for spring 2018 grants are due Nov. 10.

For more information regarding the Office of Undergraduate Research & Creative Inquiry, the research and travel grants, and for access to the application, visit k-state.edu/undergradresearch/.