Kansas State University

Greetings from Manhattan!

What a glorious fall season we’re having here – perfect for a morning stroll or a Wildcat tailgate. In this brief eNewsletter, we are highlighting some of our star faculty and students who are doing great things to make a difference. Early next year, we will be sending out our A&S Letters magazine that will contain more in-depth stories about the kinds of research happening in the college, on and off campus, that are part of our land grant heritage. And research isn’t done only by faculty and graduate students. We have been helping undergraduates become scholars in their own rights by supporting undergraduate research. That’s part of our goal to prepare every graduate to be prepared to face a world of unlimited opportunities like you have.

As our family prepares for the Thanksgiving holiday, I’m thankful for the many wonderful faculty, staff, and students we have here at K-State who represent the best in Kansas. I’m also thankful for the many alumni who have shared their wonderful stories with me these past three years – you make us all proud to have been part of your lives here in Manhattan. Thank you for all your support.

Go Cats!
Peter Dorhout

By Greg Tammen

A collaborative discovery involving researchers in the biochemistry and molecular biophysics department may lead to the first universal treatment for dystonia, a neurological disorder that affects nearly half a million Americans.

Michal Zolkiewski, associate professor of biochemistry and molecular biophysics in the College of Arts & Sciences at Kansas State University, and Jeffrey Brodsky at the University at Pittsburgh co-led a study that focused on a mutated protein associated with early onset torsion dystonia, or EOTD, the most severe type of dystonia that typically affects adolescents before the age of 20. Dystonia causes involuntary and sustained muscle contractions that can lead to paralysis and abnormal postures.

Continue reading “Scientists identify new protein in the neurological disorder dystonia, potential for treatment” →

By Jennifer Tidball

A College of Arts & Sciences professor of psychological sciences at Kansas State University is using twin studies to understand the nature versus nurture debate of the workplace: Do genetic factors or environmental factors influence employee proactivity?

His answer: The interaction between the genetic and environmental factors determines why some employees are more proactive than others.

Continue reading “By studying twins, psychological sciences professor researches proactivity in the workplace” →

By Jennifer Tidball

Two Kansas State University biologists are studying streams to prevent tallgrass prairies from turning into shrublands and forests.

By looking at 25 years of data on the Konza Prairie Biological Station, Allison Veach, doctoral student in biology, Muncie, Indiana, and Walter Dodds, university distinguished professor of biology, are researching grassland streams and the expansion of nearby woody vegetation, such as trees and shrubs. Continue reading “Water research tackles growing grassland threat: Trees” →

By Jennifer Bhargava
Kansas City Star

Whitney Horn, sophomore in English, had her first book published this fall. The book is titled “No Right Answers” and is a coming-of-age story. The Kansas City Star profiled her story in September.

Click here for the article.

By Shireen Roshanravan

More than 70 people gathered at the historic Douglass Community Center Friday, Sept. 19, to celebrate new beginnings for the American ethnic studies department. The crowd included community leaders and longtime residents of Manhattan’s Mexican-American and Black neighborhood as well as administrators, Continue reading “American ethnic studies celebrates new beginnings” →

We want to tell the stories you are most interested in. Is there a department, faculty member, student or alumni you would like to hear about? If so, please let us know. Email your story idea to artsci@k-state.edu and you could make it into our next issue!