10 Kansas State University graduate students earn honors at Research and the State
Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2016
Winners of the 2016 Research and the State event at Kansas State University, from left: Catherine Hill, Sam Emerson, Ryan Schmid, Matthew Galliart, Jack Lemmon and Josh Weese. Not pictured are Regina Enninful, Md. Zahidul Karim, Tri Tran and Zheng Zhao. | Download this photo.
MANHATTAN — Research on diets high in fat and sugar, the effects of early-season and late-season grazing in the Flint Hills, and why computation thinking is important at the elementary level are the focus of some of the winning research presentations by Kansas State University graduate students who were selected to represent the university at the 14th Capitol Graduate Research Summit, Feb. 28, 2017, at the State Capitol in Topeka.
Ten students were chosen to present their work in Topeka based on their research presentations at Research and the State Nov. 2 in the K-State Student Union.
Research and the State involved 48 participants from four colleges and 20 departments. The event was sponsored by the Graduate Student Council, the Graduate School, the Office of the President and the Office of the Provost and Senior Vice President. Each winner received a $250 award.
"The winners of Research and the State showcase the outstanding research being conducted at K-State and will communicate the value of their research to the state legislators when they present at the Capitol Graduate Research Summit in February," said Carol Shanklin, dean of the Graduate School. "This event is one of the many opportunities that the Graduate School and the Graduate Student Council collaborate to enhance our students' ability to communicate their research to the public."
At the Capitol Graduate Research Summit, the 10 students will have the opportunity to present and showcase their research in front of the Kansas Board of Regents and Kansas legislators. The annual statewide summit for Kansas legislators features current research of graduate students at Kansas State University, the University of Kansas, the University of Kansas Medical Center, Wichita State University, Emporia State University, Fort Hays State University and Pittsburg State University. A university professor and an industry representative will judge the poster and student presentations. The top presenter from each university will be awarded a $500 award.
The following Kansas State University graduate students were selected to present at the Capitol Graduate Research Summit:
• Jack Lemmon, master's student in animal sciences, Allen, for "Effects of intensive late-season sheep grazing following early-season steer grazing on population dynamics of sericea lespedeza in the Kansas Flint Hills." His faculty advisor is KC Olson, professor of animal sciences and industry.
• Matthew Galliart, doctoral student in biology, Hutchinson, for "Experimental natural selection of big bluestem ecotypes across the Great Plains: A novel test for the strength of local adaptation." His faculty advisor is Loretta Johnson, professor of biology.
• Josh Weese, doctoral student in computer science, Macksville, for "Bringing computational thinking to K-12." His faculty advisor is William Hsu, associate professor in computer sciences.
• Ryan Schmid, doctoral student in entomology, Kingsley, Iowa, for "Protecting Kansas wheat: Assessment of a novel Hessian fly monitoring strategy." His faculty advisor is Brian McCornack, associate professor of entomology.
• Catherine Hill, doctoral student in psychology, Katy, Texas, for "Diet-induced impulsivity: the effect of high-fat and high-sugar diets on the mechanisms of impulsive choice." Her faculty advisor is Kimberly Kirkpatrick, professor of psychological sciences.
• Sam Emerson, doctoral student in human nutrition, Midlothian, Texas, for "Characterizing the inflammatory response to a high-fat meal in healthy adults: A Systematic review." His faculty advisor is Sara Rosenkranz, assistant professor of food, nutrition, dietetics and health.
• Md. Zahidul Karim, doctoral student in civil engineering, Bangladesh, for "Characterizing soil erosion potential using electrical resistivity." His faculty advisor is Stacey Tucker-Kulesza, assistant professor of civil engineering.
• Zheng Zhao, doctoral student in biological and agricultural engineering, China, for "Developing multiplexed detection of blood exosomal markers for diagnosis of ovarian cancer." His faculty advisor is Mei He, assistant professor of biological and agricultural engineering.
• Regina Enninful, doctoral student in agronomy, Ghana, for "Characterization of parents of sorghum mapping populations exposed to water-deficit stress during the vegetative stage." Her faculty advisor is Krishna Jagadish, associate professor of agronomy.
• Tri Tran, doctoral student in civil engineering, Vietnam, for "Determining surface roughness in erosion testing using photogrammetric method." His faculty advisor is Stacey Tucker-Kulesza, assistant professor of civil engineering.
