K-State graduate students named Phi Kappa Phi Dissertation fellows
Tuesday, April 30, 2024
MANHATTAN — The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation's oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society, has selected two Kansas State University graduate students as 2024 Phi Kappa Phi Dissertation fellows.
Sachin Dhanda, doctoral student in agronomy, Hisar, India, and Chase Spears, doctoral student in leadership communication, Lansing, are two of only 15 students to receive the award. The $10,000 fellowships support active Phi Kappa Phi members in the dissertation writing stage of doctoral study.
Dhanda and Spears were selected based on several criteria, including how the fellowship will contribute to the completion of the dissertation, the significance of original research and endorsement by the dissertation chair.
"We are very excited for Sachin and Chase to receive the Phi Kappa Phi Dissertation fellowships," said Shawna Jordan, president of the K-State Phi Kappa Phi chapter. "They continue a legacy of students from Kansas State University receiving this fellowship to continue their education."
Dhanda's dissertation research is focused on understanding the extent of multiple herbicide resistance among kochia populations across Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. Additionally, he will develop integrated weed management strategies for controlling herbicide-resistant kochia and Palmer amaranth in the no-till dryland production system.
Vipan Kumar, assistant professor of agronomy, and Anita Dille, professor and assistant head of teaching in the department of agronomy, are Dhanda's co-advisors. Dhanda said their guidance has been crucial to his work.
Dhanda has authored 15 peer-reviewed journal articles, four extension publications and 21 abstracts from scientific presentations, and he has delivered seven guest lectures. Additionally, he received a North-Central Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Graduate Student Grant to evaluate the potential of fall- and spring-seeded cover crops to manage herbicide-resistant weeds. At K-State, he is a teaching assistant for 300-level Weed Science and Soil Science courses.
An active member in many professional and leadership activities, Dhanda serves as a student representative for the Western Society of Weed Science's Herbicide Resistant Plant Committee and a K-State Graduate Student Ambassador. He has served as secretary for the K-State Agronomy Graduate Student Association and the International Coordinating Council.
Dhanda is a first-generation student, and he earned his bachelor's degree in agriculture from CCS Haryana Agricultural University in India. He holds a master's degree in agronomy from Punjab Agricultural University in India.
"This prestigious fellowship not only recognizes the significance of my research in weed science but also underscores the importance of sustainable agriculture," Dhanda said. "I am grateful for Phi Kappa Phi's support, which will enable me to further advance agronomy and make a meaningful contribution to sustainable agricultural practices."
Spears' research explores how the U.S. military violates its own rules through selectively applied apolitical norms that are enforced with greater weight than actual military policy and law. He has published peer-reviewed scholarship in the Public Relations Journal and Strategy Bridge as well as chapters in the books "Maintaining the High Ground: The Profession and Ethics in Large-scale Combat Operations" from Army University Press and "Internal Communication and Employee Engagement: A Case Study Approach" from Routledge.
His commentary work has appeared around the nation in publications including The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, The Federalist and Military Times. Spears is a regular contributor to the online journal The American Mind, published by the Claremont Institute. He has also taught crisis communication and public relations courses at Spurgeon College in Kansas City, Missouri, as well as a classical composition course St. Giles Christian Academy in Leavenworth.
An Army veteran, Spears earned his bachelor's degree from Lee University. He holds a Master of Military Art and Science degree from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, a master's in professional studies in public relations and corporate communications from Georgetown University and a master's in science in journalism from the University of Tennessee.
Spears was an Army Public Affairs Fellow at Georgetown University. He has delivered guest lectures at the University of Florida, the U.S. Army SHARP Academy and U.S. Army Recruiting Command.
His other honors include Best Paper on the 24th International Public Relations Research Conference Theme, Kansas City IABC KC Quill for Promotional Writing, Fort Leavenworth Ethics Symposium Award for Best Paper, Georgetown University Spirit of Public Relations Award, first place in the U.S. Army Forces Command Fourth Estate Awards for Television Spot Production and second place in the U.S. Army Forces Command Fourth Estate Awards for Television Reporting.
"It is one thing to be told that your research is important," said Spears. "It's another thing entirely for an organization to invest tangibly in you as a scholar, as patrons have done for the arts throughout history. My family and I are tremendously grateful for the practical aspect of this funding, and I am deeply honored by the show of support for my work that being a Phi Kappa Phi Dissertation Fellow demonstrates."
