Classy Cats win third national championship in a row!
The K-State Classy Cats competed against dance and spirit teams from across the country at the 2024 College Classic in Orlando, Fla., in April. They placed third in the Jazz Division, second in Spirit Showdown, and first in Pom, earning their third National Championship title in three years!
English professor receives nation’s top award for first-year student advocacy
Longtime K-State English professor Gregory Eiselein’s work to establish and support K-State First—the university’s program for first-year student experience—earned him the nation’s top award for college staff and faculty involved in high-impact practices for first-year student success. Eiselein’s nomination set him apart as a campus coalition builder who weaved first-year student success into the fabric of K-State’s student-first culture.
Nobel Prize-winning physicist presents about his work with NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope
Nobel laureate John C. Mather from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center presented the lecture, “Opening the Infrared Treasure Chest with the James Webb Space Telescope,” for the 2023 Chester Peterson Jr. Public Lecture in Physics in October.
Arts and Sciences faculty members support K-State’s new Digital Agriculture Institute
The College of Arts and Sciences joined forces with the College of Engineering, College of Agriculture and other partners to establish the interdisciplinary Institute for Digital Agriculture and Advanced Analytics, a people-centered collective transforming learning, research and outreach around digital technologies and advanced analytical methods.
Researchers explore potential cancer risks of drinking water and radon levels in three Kansas counties
The Johnson Cancer Research Center is funding an initiative to evaluate two potential cancer risks in Russell, Ellsworth and Lincoln counties. Geology and geography faculty members and students are exploring groundwater contamination in private wells and elevated radon levels as potential contributors to the region’s health challenges. A photography professor is documenting community members’ stories.
History department partners with Kansas Historical Foundation to publish journal
You may have seen the Kansas History journal around, but did you know that our history department publishes it with the Kansas Historical Foundation? K-State faculty members and editorial assistants work with authors to share research in this peer-reviewed journal of scholarly articles, documents and other materials that inform about the history, prehistory and cultural heritage of Kansas and the Great Plains. Issues appear quarterly, and you can see what’s in the Summer 2024 issue here.
Arts and Sciences students to serve as U.S. cultural, academic ambassadors through Fulbright Program
Kylie Litavniks, senior in political science, French and finance, with a secondary major in international and area studies, of Andover, and Jeremy Kamman, senior in physics and international studies, of Antioch, Ill., were selected for awards through the Fulbright Program, the U.S. government’s flagship international academic exchange program.
They will travel internationally as part of Fulbright’s prestigious network of cultural exchange programs and bilateral commissions meant to increase understanding, friendship and diplomacy between the U.S. and other countries. Litavniks will travel to Taiwan and Kamman to Macedonia.
Biology student is K-State’s 85th Goldwater Scholar
Helen Winters, junior in biology and fisheries, wildlife, conservation and environmental biology, of Bennington, has received the prestigious Barry Goldwater Scholarship, K-State’s 85th.
Awardees receive up to $7,500 annually for college-related expenses. Winters has been active in undergraduate research and intends to pursue a career in mathematics, science or engineering—a requirement of the scholarship.
Chemistry student aims to earn both a B.S. and MBA in only four years through accelerated program
Erin Frenk fell in love with science during her first experiment at age 14, and now she works in an analytical chemistry lab at K-State. The lab is developing methods that use electrochemistry to create and deposit nanoporous materials, which has environmental applications.
Frenk’s passion for her work helps her stay on track to complete a five-year accelerated program in just four years and graduate with a bachelor’s in chemistry and a master’s in business administration.
Zeng scholarship funded by alumna Michelle Munson supports physics grad student
Muhammad Sakhi, graduate research assistant in physics, has been awarded the first Dr. Shuo Zeng Scholarship. He will receive $27,300 per year to support his work in the J.R. Macdonald Laboratory.
The Zeng scholarship is made possible by Michelle Munson, a 1996 K-State graduate in physics and electrical engineering, and her husband, Serban Simu. Its purpose is to support high-caliber international graduate students in physics or data sciences who not only have high academic achievement but also show humanity through service to others, like its namesake did.
Biologists receive nearly $5 million for wild bird conservation research
K-State biologists are leading studies to understand declining wild turkey and greater prairie-chicken populations.
David Haukos, associate professor of biology and leader of the Kansas Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, and Dan Sullins, assistant professor of biology and assistant unit leader, received more than $1.8 million from the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks and National Wild Turkey Federation. More information is in the news release.
Very recently, Haukos was also awarded a $3.2 million USDA grant for his team’s study, “Greater Prairie-Chicken Response to the Conservation Reserve Program.” An official announcement will be made soon.
