Source: Nicole Wayant, nwayant@k-state.edu
News release prepared by: Beth Bohn, 785-532-6415, bbohn@k-state.edu

Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2009

K-STATE STUDENT FIRST RECIPIENT OF NEW SCHOLARSHIP FROM AMERICAN SOCIETY OF PHOTOGRAMMETRY AND REMOTE SENSING

MANHATTAN -- Kansas State University's Nicole Wayant, senior in geography and mathematics, Topeka, is the inaugural recipient of the $1,000 Abraham Anson Memorial Scholarship from the American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing.

The scholarship was created to encourage undergraduate students who have an exceptional interest in pursuing scientific research or education in geospatial science or technology related to photogrammetry, remote sensing, surveying and mapping to enter a professional field where they can use the knowledge of their discipline to excel in their profession.

Wayant received the scholarship based on her course work, letters of recommendation from faculty or professionals, work experience and her plans for continuing studies toward becoming a professional in a field related to the discipline.

"I would love to do research pertaining to a wide array of subject areas," Wayant said. "I am especially interested in different applications of remote sensing to study disease relationships to the environment and military intelligence research. What I love about the disciplines of remote sensing and photogrammetry is that they are the perfect combination of geography and mathematics. I feel very fortunate to be able use both subject areas for which I am majoring."

A K-State's honors list student, Wayant served internships in 2007 and 2008 with the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency. Only a small number of interns are selected each year from a national pool of applicants to serve in the agency's offices in Virginia and St. Louis. She also has served as an intern with U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas.

Wayant currently works at K-State's Remote Sensing Research Lab in the department of geography, where she is involved with a research project investigating the environmental factors affecting the spread of malaria. In addition, she also has been involved with a K-State research project that used geographic information science to identify potential hot spots of cancer cells in the Midwest.

Wayant is a member of Gamma Theta Upsilon, the geography honorary, and Phi Kappa Phi, a national honor society. Her many other honors include a cancer research award from K-State's Terry C. Johnson Center for Basic Cancer Research; a Phi Kappa Phi scholarship; and second place for best paper by an undergraduate student at the 2008 meeting of the Great Plains-Rocky Mountain Division of the Association of American Geographers.

A 2005 graduate of Topeka's Seaman High School, Wayant is the daughter of Bruce and Dawn Wayant.