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K-State Today

March 19, 2012

Forum for success: Students earn honors for research

Submitted by c

Posters and oral presentations have earned Kansas State University undergraduate and graduate student researchers honors at the 17th annual university Research Forum.

Eleven undergraduate and 82 graduate students presented their research to the campus community at the event, and winners were selected for each category. Topics included health care, bioscience, military relations and military families, roads and transportation, energy, technology, water, animal health, defense, tax policy and tourism, among others.

The winners include:

Kristina Bigelow, senior in biology and gerontology, Elsmore, first place in the undergraduate student oral session for "Gap Junctions with Substituted Quinolines in Colon Cancer Cells"; Johanna Diaz, senior in biology, Garden City, first place in the undergraduate student poster session for "Drug Effects On Behavior and Cortisol Levels During Castration in Calves"; Kerri Day Keller, doctoral candidate in counseling and student development, Manhattan, first place in graduate student social sciences, humanities and education oral session for "The Essence and Outcomes of Effective Internship Learning Experiences."

From out of state:

Allison Bryan, master's student in biomedical science and a doctoral candidate in veterinary medicine, Huntington Beach, Calif., second place in graduate student biological sciences oral session for "Characterization of Immune Activation in Healthy Foals When Vaccination is Initiated at 3-Months of Age"; Chad Hobson, master's student in geology, Lavonia, Ga., third place in graduate student engineering, math and physical sciences oral session for "Chemical Hydrogeologic Investigation of Tungsten in Groundwaters -- An Emerging Contaminant"; Casey Bulen, master's student in geology, Vine Grove, Ky., first place in graduate student engineering, math and physical sciences oral session for "The Role of Basaltic Magmatism in the Evolution of the Cambrian Southern Oklahoma Aulacogen: Geochemical and Isotopic Constraints on the Mafic Rocks in the Arbuckle Mountains, OK"; Nathan Keep, master's candidate in agronomy, Elm Creek, Neb., third place in graduate student poster session for "Characterization of Physiological Parameters in Soybean with Genetic Improvement in Seed Yield"; Amy Willmott, master's student in entomology, Medford, N.J., first place in graduate student agricultural sciences oral session for "Efficacy of Systemic Insecticides Against the Citrus Mealybug, Planococcus Citri (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae)"; Lauren Brewer, doctoral candidate in grain science and industry, Cayce, S.C., second place in graduate student agricultural sciences oral session for "Phenolic and Antioxidant Contribution of Wheat Fractions and Mill Streams Produced from the Same Kernels."

From out of country:

Thais Albuquerque, doctoral candidate in entomology, Brazil, first place in graduate student poster session for "Microbial Ecology of Stable Flies: Effect of Bacterial Community of Aging Horse Manure on Stable Fly Oviposition and Larval Development"; Qingyu Wu, doctoral candidate in horticulture, China, third place in graduate student agricultural sciences oral session for "Ectopic Expression of Arabidopsis Glutaredoxin Atgrxs17 Enhances Tolerance to Multiple Abiotic Stresses in Tomato"; Sandra Contreras, doctoral candidate in agricultural economics, Columbia, second place in graduate student poster session for "Descriptive Analysis of Meat Recalls from 1982-2009 in the U.S"; Alina De La Mota-Peynado, doctoral candidate in biology, Dominican Republic, first place in graduate student biological sciences oral session for "ECM29 Acts as a Negative Regulator of the Proteasome."

From India: Lateef Syed, doctoral candidate in chemistry, second place in graduate student engineering, math and physical sciences oral session for "An Ultrasensitive Chemiluminescence Method for Trace Blood Detection Using Luminol-Labeled Gold Nanoparticles"; and Sriram Varahan, doctoral student in microbiology, third place in graduate student biological sciences oral session for "An ABC Transporter is Required for Secretion of Peptide Sex Pheromones in Enterococcus Faecalis."

Vahid Rahmani, doctoral candidate in biological and agricultural engineering, Iran, first place in graduate student interdisciplinary oral session for "Intense Rainfall Events Distribution Pattern in the State of Kansas."