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K-State Today

July 23, 2014

Students complete summer program, Research Immersion: Pathways to STEM, with presentations

Submitted by Brenee King

2014 RiPS Student Participants

The first summer research program, Research Immersion: Pathway to STEM, or RiPs, conducted by the Kansas Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation, or KS-LSAMP, program began on June 1 and ends July 25.

The program will culminate with student participants presenting 10-minute talks about their research. Presentations are scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Thursday, July 24, in Room 227 at the K-State Student Union. All are welcome to attend.

This program paired undergraduate students with research faculty at K-State. Students from the program's alliance institutions: K-State, Dodge City Community College, Donnelly College, Garden City Community College and Seward Community College applied and were selected to be part of the first cohort of program students.

During the program, students worked in individual labs on research projects mentored by faculty members, graduate students and others. Additionally, students attended a weekly seminar organized by the Summer Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program, which focused on topics related to graduate school and career/professional development.

Along with conducting research, students were introduced to various facets of K-State. Representatives from admissions, career and employment services, new student services, Hale Library, the physics department and study abroad spoke with the students. The students also toured several research facilities at K-State, including the nuclear reactor, Biosecurity Research Institute, and the James R. Macdonald Lab in the physics department.

The summer research program participants include: Binh Hua, Garden City Community College; Elio Maurin, Dodge City Community College; Itzel Moreno-Rodriguez, Garden City Community College; Aaron Ortiz, Garden City Community College; Andres Pacheco-Olivas, Garden City Community College; John Palm, K-State; Maria Partida, Dodge City Community College; Jashuna Shrestha, K-State; and Jennifer Valles, Dodge City Community College.

Faculty mentors include William Hsu, computing and information sciences; Sue Brown, Division of Biology; Sherry Fleming, Division of Biology; Erika Geisbrecht, biochemistry and molecular biophysics; Matthew Kirk; geology; Stacey Tucker, civil engineering; Katie Loughmiller, architectural engineering and construction science; Amy Betz, mechanical and nuclear engineering; and Stefan Rothenburg, Division of Biology.

The summer program is part of the National Science Foundation-funded Kansas Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation grant. The overall goal of the Kansas Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation is to double the number of underrepresented minority students graduating from Kansas State University with baccalaureate degrees in science, technology, engineering or math.