K-Statement
CHINESE AMBASSADOR TO GIVE LANDON LECTUREChinese Ambassador H.E. Zhou Wenzhong's Landon Lecture has been rescheduled for 2:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 11, at McCain Auditorium. Zhou's lecture was originally scheduled for Oct. 10, 2007, but was postponed at his request. The lecture is free and open to the public. Zhou, whose official title is ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the People's Republic of China to the United States, was named to his current post in 2005. GRADUATE SCHOOL NAMES PART-TIME INTERIM ASSOCIATE DEANA faculty member who served as director of his department's graduate program is now serving as part-time interim associate dean of the Graduate School. Kevin Lease, an associate professor of mechanical and nuclear engineering and director of the K-State Mechanical Testing and Evaluation Laboratory, is an award-winning teacher and adviser. "I am pleased that Dr. Lease has accepted this new challenge," said Carol Shanklin, interim dean of the K-State Graduate School. "Kevin's experience as graduate program director in the department of mechanical and nuclear engineering, as well as his experience mentoring graduate students, will be valuable in his new appointment. The Graduate School staff look forward to having Kevin join our team in support of the graduate enterprise at K-State." Lease served as director of the graduate program for the department of mechanical and nuclear engineering from 2001-2006. NOTEWORTHY
On Campus - February
Feb. 1 Feb. 4 Feb. 6 Feb. 7 Feb. 8 Feb. 11 Feb. 12 Faculty Senate meeting Feb. 14 Ongoing 'Gamma Ray' performance
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Wayne Nafziger, economics, presented "Software Entrepreneurs in India's Silicon City: Tigers, Copycats, and Mixed Breeds," Institute for Social and Economic Change, Nov. 26, Bangalore, India.
A connected campus
K-State has introduced a text-messaging system to alert students, faculty and staff of campus emergencies. The voluntary service, which lets qualified users register their cell-phone numbers via the university's existing eProfile information system, became available Jan. 18. Read more
A way to combat a stubborn illness
Roman Ganta, a professor of diagnostic medicine and pathobiology, has been awarded a grant of $1,825,000 by the National Institutes of Health to figure out how to stop the tick-borne bacteria Ehrlichia chaffeensis from making animals and people sick. Read more
UP CLOSE
Columnist updates retirement advice
Fred Brock can't be accused of not following his own advice. In 2004 he took early retirement from The New York Times. Then he and his wife, Evelyn, sold an expensive house in a New Jersey commuter city and moved themselves and their equity to a small inland college town: Manhattan, to be specific. Read more
PLAUDITS
DYER ELEVATED TO FELLOW IN IEEE
Ruth Dyer, associate provost and a professor of electrical and computer engineering, is among 295 senior members of the IEEE to be elevated to the grade of Fellow.
Dyer, pictured at left, has belonged to the IEEE, formerly known as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, since 1986. The grade of Fellow recognizes unusual distinction in the profession and is conferred by the board of directors upon senior members who have demonstrated an extraordinary record of accomplishments in any of the IEEE fields of interest.
The IEEE is a not-for-profit technical-professional society that promotes the advancement of diverse technologies and offers authoritative standards on areas ranging from aerospace systems, computers and telecommunications to biomedical engineering, electric power and consumer electronics.
RUSSIAN LITERATURE EXPERT IS NAMED INTERNATIONAL EDUCATOR FOR 2007
An expert on Soviet-era Russian literature who established K-State's first office of study abroad has been named the university's international educator of the year for 2007.
Walter Kolonosky, professor of modern languages, was singled out for "his dedication to the internationalization of Kansas State University above and beyond his teaching and scholarship," according to the letter from the award committee announcing the honor.
During the 1980s Kolonosky, pictured at right, introduced K-Staters to international student exchanges. By the end of that decade more than 100 students had studied abroad and more than 100 students from abroad had studied at K-State.
Kolonosky's office became a clearinghouse for information on study-abroad programs, scholarships, internships and work-abroad opportunities. From this one-person office Kolonosky advised students and negotiated exchanges with schools such as the University of Nottingham, the University of Strathclyde, the University of Sunderland and Moscow Pedagogical University.
TWO GAIN COMMERCE BANK FACULTY AWARDS
A chemical engineer who has pushed semiconductors beyond silicon and a biochemist who is investigating the molecular basis for vision are the fall 2007 recipients of Commerce Bank Distinguished Graduate Faculty Awards.
James Edgar, professor of chemical engineering, and Dolores Takemoto, professor of biochemistry, were recognized. Each received a $2,500 honorarium.
POINTS OF PRIDEArchitecture and design programs receive top rankings from national firms A nationwide survey rates academic programs offered in the College of Architecture, Planning and Design at K-State as among the best in the nation, as is the interior design program offered through K-State's College of Human Ecology. According to the 2008 survey of leading design firms across the country, conducted by the journal "DesignIntelligence" and the Design Futures Council in conjunction with the "Almanac of Architecture and Design," K-State ranks: * First among bachelor of landscape architecture programs; * Fourth among master of interior architecture/design programs; * Sixth among master of landscape architecture programs; * Eighth among bachelor of architecture programs; * Eighth among bachelor of interior architecture/design programs; and * 13th among master of architecture programs. |
OH, BY THE WAY
KONZA ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION PROGRAM SEEKS VOLUNTEERS FOR DOCENT TRAINING
The Konza environmental education program, offered through K-State's Konza Prairie Biological Station, will begin its 2008 docent training program at 9 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 16.
The docent program offers specialized training for people interested in the Konza Prairie and the tallgrass prairie environment. Docents guide educational programs and tours of the Konza Prairie for school groups, organizations, families and other groups, all in support of the Konza Prairie Biological Station's three-fold mission: research, education and conservation.
Starting Feb. 16, classes will meet Saturday mornings from 9 a.m. to noon. The classes will run through May and in September. The first orientation session, in the Hulbert Center at the Konza Prairie, will be followed by several field trips and learning experiences.
After completion of training, observation by experienced docents and graduation in September, docents will have volunteer opportunities that include guiding hikes, guiding van tours of the bison enclosure, in-service training, work days and special events.
The Konza Prairie Biological Station is six miles south of Manhattan on McDowell Creek Road. Entrance to the station is marked by a sign at Konza Lane.
For more information on the Konza Prairie and its education programs, contact Valerie Wright, Konza environmental educator, at 785-587-0381 or konzaed@k-state.edu.
DEADLINE FOR CHANGING K-STATE eIDS IS FEB. 13
Wednesday, Feb. 13, is the deadline for changing passwords on K-State eIDs for spring 2008. Visit http://www.eid.k-state.edu to learn how to change passwords.
OPPORTUNITIES CLASSIFIED • A recording of classified job opportunities is available 24 hours a day on the Employment Information Line, 785-532-6271. • A list of employment opportunities is posted at www.k-state.edu/hr/ • For additional information, call 785-532-6277 or come to the Division of Human Resources in 103 Edwards Hall. Applications are accepted 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. weekdays. UNCLASSIFIED • A complete listing of vacancies can be seen at www.k-state.edu/affact/ • For additional information, call the office of affirmative action at 785-532-6220 or come by 214 Anderson Hall. |