K-State in the news — July 2020
Some of the top stories mentioning Kansas State University are posted below. Download an Excel file (xls) with all of this month's news stories.
Friday, July 31, 2020
National/International
The first dog in the US to test positive for COVID-19 has died
7/30/20 Salon
"The danger we are facing is that people get nervous when they hear that companion animals could be virus carriers and decide to get rid of them," Jürgen Richt, a veterinary virologist at Kansas State University in Manhattan, told Nature in May.
Can COVID-19 spread through mosquitoes? Experts say no.
7/30/20 WRAL
Researchers from Kansas State University say they did everything possible to try and infect the mosquitoes with the coronavirus. Even though mosquitoes cannot spread the coronavirus, they can still spread deadly diseases like the West Nile Virus and other illness.
State/Regional
K-State professor takes broad view of food production
7/30/20 The Dodge City Daily Globe
As a professor of agricultural economics, Allen Featherstone knows his way around classrooms and meeting venues. After all, he’s been teaching and conducting research for about 35 years.
But the new coronavirus pandemic put a temporary hold on in-person classes and conferences and prompted quick adjustments in how he and his Kansas State University colleagues present information and research findings.
Local
K-State student hospitalized with COVID-19 shares story
7/30/20 WIBW
More than 500 Kansans are hospitalized with COVID-19. Among them is a Kansas State University student whose story has gone viral.
Thursday, July 30, 2020
National/International
*One Disease Mosquitoes Don't Spread: Coronavirus
7/29/20 WebMD
"While the World Health Organization has definitively stated that mosquitoes cannot transmit the virus, our study is the first to provide conclusive data supporting the theory," said study author Stephen Higgs. He is director of the Biosecurity Research Institute (BRI) at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas.
State/Regional
Health education continues through the pandemic
7/30/20 Kansas Ag Connection
Educating Kansans about diabetes and how to manage it is not new for K-State Research and Extension agents, but once the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the United States last spring prompting the cancellation of face-to-face training, Monica Walker and several of her colleagues started working on a way to teach classes virtually.
Local
Myers calls for local governments to institute consistent mask-wearing rules
7/29/20 Manhattan Mercury
K-State president Richard Myers on Tuesday called on community leaders to institute mask-wearing rules that will help K-State to start classes as scheduled.
Wednesday, July 29, 2020
National/International
Risky Populations: States with the Most College Students
7/28/20 WRCB-TV
4. Kansas
Despite the fact that the Sunflower State allocates an above-average percentage of the state budget to higher education, many of its publicly-funded schools are planning to reopen their campus to students this fall, some with modified schedules. For example, the University of Kansas (18,000 students) and Kansas State University (17,000 students), the state’s two largest public universities, will begin the semester with in-person learning until Thanksgiving, after which final exams will be conducted online.
State/Regional
KSU president pushes for face masks through fall semester
7/28/20 KSN
Kansas State University President Richard Myers is asking the city of Manhattan and Riley County to establish policies requiring the use of face coverings through the end of the fall semester.
Local
Myers: Together we can meet this challenge
7/28/20 The Collegian
When Kansas State made the decision to move to in-person and hybrid teaching beginning Aug. 17, the state of Kansas was making progress in mitigating the spread of COVID-19.
Tuesday, July 28, 2020
National/International
*How a K-State research lab is fighting back against COVID-19
7/27/20 MSN Canada
Kansas State University’s Biosecurity Research Institute, a laboratory most known for its high-tech livestock and food-processing research facilities, may seem like an unlikely setting for the fight against COVID-19.
State/Regional
Young trees are finicky about watering needs. Take steps to find ideal balance
7/27/20 Kansas City Star
Dennis Patton is a horticulture agent with Kansas State University Research and Extension.
Local
Horticulture professor spreads word about importance of trees, nature
7/27/20 Manhattan Mercury
Cathie Lavis’s classroom is outside.
Lavis, a horticulture professor at K-State, spends much of her time working with plants in the great outdoors, and her students get hands on lessons in caring for nature.
Monday, July 27, 2020
National/International
*Getting Answers: Can mosquitoes contract and spread the COVID-19 to humans?
7/24/20 KVOA-TV, Phoenix
Also, a newly released study out of the Kansas State University Biosecurity Research Institute is the first to confirm that the coronavirus cannot be transmitted by mosquitoes.
State/Regional
*How a K-State research lab is fighting back against COVID-19
7/27/20 Wichita Eagle
Kansas State University’s Biosecurity Research Institute, a laboratory most known for its high-tech livestock and food-processing research facilities, may seem like an unlikely setting for the fight against COVID-19. Research at the Biosecurity Research Institute typically focuses on pathogens that threaten the food supply by infecting crops or livestock animals.
A buzzing livestock
7/25/20 Topeka Capital Journal
Although entomologist Raymond Cloyd, a professor at Kansas State University, is seeing neither a decrease nor an increase to bee populations in Kansas, Swaffar, Mull and Brunk are watching their colonies multiply. With the help of Garibay, they are introducing others to beekeeping.
Local
*K-State to keep tuition and fees for in-person and hybrid classes flat for the 2020 fall semester
7/24/20 KMAN
Tuition and fees for in-person and hybrid classes at Kansas State University will remain flat for the 2020 fall semester.
Friday, July 24, 2020
National/International
7 ag stories you might have missed this week
07/23/20 Beef magazine
New vaccine development work at Kansas State University may soon help confront African swine fever, a disease that is endemic in sub-Saharan Africa. K-State is doing the vaccine development work through a sponsored research agreement facilitated by K-State Innovation Partners and Median Diagnostics Inc., or MDx, a veterinary medicine company based in South Korea. K-State Innovation Partners facilitates technology commercialization for the university.
State/Regional
USDA funds technology research for optimum production from better, smarter planting
07/23/20 KTIC
In a collaborative effort with crop producers, researchers at Kansas State University will introduce the latest technologies for precision planters to help enhance productivity and maximize yield.
Local
Multicultural student leadership respond to Myers’ statement on racism, free speech
07/24/20 The Collegian
Myer’s 11-step plan outlines how K-State plans to counteract racial injustice on campus and punish it if it does occur.
Leaders from the multicultural students union created and signed a letter addressed to the administration praising the statement and requesting that additional steps be added to the plan.
New program could help feral cat population in city
07/23/20 The Junction City Union
She said the cost for the program is very low due to them having access to the K-State mobile vet unit that provides spay and neuters for free to the shelter. The prices for vaccines can range from $2 to $3 for each cat.
Thursday, July 23, 2020
National/International
*Mosquitos cannot spread COVID-19, Kansas State University finds after studying three most common vector species
7/22/20 FirstPost
A new study, done by researchers at Kansas State University and published in the journal Nature, suggests that the COVID-19 causing virus, SARS-CoV-2, cannot survive inside three of the most widespread mosquito species - Aedes aegypti, Aedes albopictus and Culex quinquefasciatus - even in extreme conditions.
State/Regional
Risk, benefit of hedging sale of live cattle
7/22/20 Morning Ag Clips
A Kansas State University agricultural economist has completed an exhaustive study on hedging cattle prices, which he says could help producers manage their economic risks – perhaps especially so in times of crisis.
Brian Coffey looked at the average price of steers and heifers sold in Kansas between 2010 and June 2020 to determine if hedging – a strategy to lock in prices using futures markets – is a reliable strategy for selling live cattle.
Local
Tuition won’t be refunded if classes revert online mid-semester, Provost says
7/22/20 Manhattan Mercury
Kansas State won’t refund tuition if all classes return to distance education partway through the semester “since students are able to make progress towards their degrees with those courses,” Provost Charles Taber said.
Wednesday, July 22, 2020
National/International
*COVID-19 is not mosquito-borne, says study
7/21/20 The Week
"While the World Health Organization (WHO) has definitively stated that mosquitoes cannot transmit the virus, our study is the first to provide conclusive data supporting the theory," said Stephen Higgs, a co-author of the research from Kansas State University in the US.
State/Regional
*Kansas State University students earn degrees, graduation honors
7/21/20 Salina Post
More than 3,370 students completed degree requirements from Kansas State University in spring 2020. The graduates are from 102 Kansas counties, 47 states and 47 countries.
Local
Notices for July 21, 2020
7/21/20 Manhattan Mercury
K-State will host a discussion as part of their Community Action Talks (CATs) on Friday about the impact COVID-19 has had on the community.
EDITORIAL | Online school doesn't measure up
7/21/20 Manhattan Mercury
We’re confident that schools in this community -- including the K-12 system and Kansas State University -- will do a good job of teaching students through online means this coming semester.
Monday, July 20, 2020
National/International
*Scientists provide conclusive data that mosquitoes can't spread COVID-19
7/20/20 Jerusalem Post
According to a study by researchers at Kansas State University, mosquitoes are unable to spread the novel coronavirus.
*K-State researchers work on African swine fever vaccine
7/17/20 AgDaily
New vaccine development work at Kansas State University may soon help confront African swine fever, a disease that is endemic in sub-Saharan Africa. It has spread to different regions of Europe and Asia, causing devastating losses worth billions of dollars in China, Vietnam, and other surrounding countries where pork is the most popular food item.
State/Regional
*K-State to conduct research on COVID-19 vaccine
7/18/20 Topeka Capital Journal
Kansas State University announced this past week it has signed a research agreement with New York-based Tonix Pharmaceuticals to develop a vaccine candidate for the prevention of COVID-19.
*K-State research team first to prove SARS-CoV-2 not transmittable through mosquitoes
7/17/20 KSN
Researchers at Kansas State University say they have confirmation that SARS-CoV-2 cannot be transmitted to people through mosquitoes and mosquito bites.
Local
*K-State study first to prove COVID-19 coronavirus not spread my mosquitoes
7/17/20 Manhattan Mercury
K-State researchers on Friday became the first to publish a study proving that SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus strain that causes COVID-19, cannot be spread to humans by mosquitoes.
*Salina entrepreneur and inventor gets help from K-State
7/17/20 KSAL
The Technology Development Institute at the Kansas State University Carl R. Ice College of Engineering has provided a Salina entrepreneur and inventor with the development assistance needed to get his newest product ready for interested manufacturers.
Friday, July 17, 2020
National/International
Why cleaner air may be bad for your sourdough bread
7/16/20 Reuters/Yahoo!
“Over the years it has been leading to more and more symptoms of sulfur deficiency in the Kansas wheat crop,” said Romulo Lollato, a wheat production specialist with Kansas State University.
7 ag stories you might have missed this week
7/16/20 Beef Magazine
A Kansas State University research team, headed by Megan Niederwerder, assistant professor of diagnostic medicine and pathobiology in the College of Veterinary Medicine, has just published a new study, "Mitigating the risk of African swine fever virus in feed with antiviral chemical additives," in the scientific journal Transboundary and Emerging Diseases.
State/Regional
New Opera workshopped in Sterling
7/16/20 The Hutchinson News
Two of the performers are Sterling-based singers Katelyn Mattson-Levy and Janie Brokenicky. Mattson-Levy is on-air classical music DJ for Kansas Public Radio and Janie (Anthony) Brokenicky of Manhattan is director of the Flint Hills Children’s Choir and Kansas State University music instructor.
Local
When is a melon ripe?
7/16/20 Topeka Capital-Journal
Ward Upham, a horticulture expert at Kansas State University said ripe watermelons normally develop a yellow color when ripe on the part that sits on the ground. According to Upham, the depth of the yellow varies depending on the type of melon.
Thursday, July 16, 2020
National/International
Why cleaner air maybe bad for your sourdough bread
7/16/20 reuters.com
In the United States, sulfur deficiency “is more of an emerging problem,” said Mary Guttieri, a U.S. Department of Agriculture researcher who is studying sulfur and Kansas wheat. “It’s not been something that these farmers’ grandparents or even their parents needed to worry about.”
State/Regional
Survey indicates 7 in 10 teens struggle with mental health
7/15/20 Hayspost.com
“It’s not unusual for young people to report that they’re feeling distressed, anxious or depressed, but I do think what’s unique and probably troublesome around the National 4-H Council report is that the young people thought they couldn’t talk about the feelings they had,” said Elaine Johannes, an extension 4-H Youth Development specialist at Kansas State University.
Local
As questions about Student Code of Conduct violations come up, code review process begins
7/15/20 K-State Collegian
The Student Code of Conduct was set to be reviewed in the 2020-2021 school year anyway, but the resurgence of conflicts on social media and other tensions centered around the actions of one student applies new urgency to that task
Wednesday, July 15, 2020
National/International
Kemin Industries Acquires U.S. Patent Application for Effective Solution to Control African Swine Fever Virus in Feed
7/14/20 PR Newswire
New data generated by Kansas State University and Dr. Megan Niederwerder demonstrates that Sal CURB effectively inactivates ASFv in livestock feed.
State/Regional
*Kansas State Board of Education releases guidance for upcoming school year
7/14/20 41 Action News
A new study from Kansas State University showed the top concerns of teachers as they prepare to return to work.
Local
*K-State’s remote learning survey provides insight to continuing distance learning in Elementary and High Schools
7/14/20 WIBW
More than 800 Kansas teachers, counselors and administrators participated in K-State’s College of Education survey, sharing their experiences of adapting their teaching methods to distance learning at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
RCHD monitoring possible COVID-19 outbreak sites; county adds 9 cases for 364 total
7/14/20 Manhattan Mercury
Officials have previously announced outbreaks associated with K-State Athletics, Aggieville and the Leonardville Nursing Home.
Tuesday, July 14, 2020
National/International
*Tonix Pharmaceuticals Enters into Research and Exclusive License Option Agreement with Kansas State University to Develop Vaccine Against COVID-19
7/13/20 Markets Insider
The research will be directed by Dr. Waithaka Mwangi, Kansas State University, Department of Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology, who is the inventor of the new technology.
State/Regional
*OPINION: Professors Call For Cancellation of Student Ban
7/13/20 KSAL.com
Local
*K-State signs research agreement for COVID-19 vaccine candidate
7/13/20 Manhattan Mercury
Kansas State University has signed a new preclinical research and option agreement with Tonix Pharmaceuticals, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, to develop a vaccine candidate for the prevention of COVID-19.
Monday, July 13, 2020
National/International
*How universities are planning to reopen amid the pandemic
7/10/20 Slate
Changing the way students dine on campus will be a must this fall. Some schools are implementing contactless payment methods and extended dining hall hours and disposable paperware. Many are expanding grab-and-go options. Kansas State University is reducing the number of seats in its dining halls to encourage students to practice social distancing while eating.
*Tonix Pharmaceuticals Enters into Research and Exclusive License Option Agreement with Kansas State University to Develop Vaccine Against COVID-19
7/13/20 Globe Newswire
Tonix Pharmaceuticals Holding Corp., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, today announced a new preclinical research and option agreement with Kansas State University to develop a vaccine candidate for the prevention of COVID-19 that utilizes a novel live virus vaccine vector platform and the CD40-ligand, also known as CD154 or 5c8 antigen, to stimulate T cell immunity.
State/Regional
*K-State professors call for cancellation of SEVP student ban
7/10/20 WIBW-TV
In an op-ed letter to Kansas Senators and Representatives from distinguished Kansas State University professors, University of Kansas professors, University of Kansas Medical Center professors and Wichita State University professors call for the cancellation of the SEVP student ban which cancels the visas of international students studying in the United States if their classes are held online in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
*COVID-19 spike in Kansas casts doubt on allowing local rules
7/10/20 Lincoln Journal-Star
The latest reported spike came as Kansas State University announced almost 1,900 employees would be required to take some unpaid leave between early August and the end of June 2021 because of the economic slowdown tied to the pandemic.
Local
*K-State administrative furloughs to affect more than 1,400 employees
7/10/20 Manhattan Mercury
K-State officials on Friday announced that administrative furloughs for the current fiscal year would impact 1,438 faculty and staff members.
*K-State officials: Full-time international students should be able to study in US in fall
7/12/20 Manhattan Mercury
As international students across the U.S. face uncertainty and the possibility of being forced back to their home countries, K-State officials said students currently in the country and enrolled full time should be able to continue their education in the fall.
Friday, July 10, 2020
National/International
Biologists find 10 lineages of fish able to live in highly toxic streams*
7/9/20 NSF.gov
Using the same mechanism, several species of fish have adapted to harsh environments, calling into question the idea of evolutionary chance, according to a National Science Foundation-funded study by Kansas State University and Washington State University researchers.
Scientist Michi Tobler of Kansas State and colleagues published their results in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
KSU researching heat stress-resilient soybeans
7/9/20 World Grain
Kansas State University (KSU) researchers are working to create soybean varieties that will better withstand heat stress in the critical post-flowering stage of development.
Local
KSU international students adjusting to semester changes
7/9/20 K-ROCK 101.5
At Kansas State University, the percentage and number of enrolled international students has dropped relatively steadily in the last decade after peaking in the 2014-2015 school year.
Thursday, July 9, 2020
National/International
Evolutionary biologists find several fish adapt in the same way to toxic water
7/9/20 Science Daily
Several species of fish have adapted to harsh environments using the same mechanism, which brings to question evolutionary chance, according to a study by Kansas State University and Washington State University.
Regional/State
‘People don’t want to be forced.’ How Kansas mask mandate became political tussle
7/8/20 The Kansas City Star
Manhattan, home to Kansas State University, Winfield and Parsons have also issued regulations. Salina also imposed its own mask order and Saline County on Wednesday afternoon decided to mandate masks beginning Thursday.
Local
K-State offering options to ensure international students stay in Kansas after ICE issues new policy
7/8/20 KSNT
Kansas State University was quick to issue a statement on Monday. University Provost Dr. Charles Taber said K-State has a plan to keep international students in Kansas.
Wednesday, July 8, 2020
National/International
The retired inventor of N95 masks is back at work, mostly for free, to fight covid-19
7/7/20 The Washington Post
Tsai came to the United States in 1981 to pursue his doctoral degree in a variety of subjects at Kansas State University, where he completed more than 500 credits, despite needing only 90 to graduate.
Regional/State
*Bulk Solids Innovation Center Celebrates Five Years in Salina
7/7/20 KSAL.com
From research to product testing to education and training, the Kansas State University Bulk Solids Innovation Center is celebrating five years of contributions to the particle technology industry.
Local
Manhattan City Commission passes mask ordinance
7/7/20 KSNT
According to the Manhattan city order, enforcement will be investigated and enforced as infraction by Riley County or Kansas State University police departments.
Tuesday, July 7, 2020
National/International
*Researcher demonstrates how additives can help mitigate risk of African swine fever transmission through feed
7/6/20 Phys.org
New research at Kansas State University is demonstrating that the risk of spreading a deadly animal virus through feed can be effectively reduced through the use of different feed additives.
Regional/State
Japanese beetles return to wreak havoc in the garden. Here’s what to do, and not do
7/6/20 Kansas City Star
Dennis Patton is a horticulture agent with Kansas State University Research and Extension.
Local
OUR NEIGHBORS | Retired K-State professor discusses passion for history, reflects on years teaching
7/6/20 Manhattan Mercury
Freeland, a K-State alumna who graduated in 1975, recently retired from her position as a professor for 37 years in the A.Q. Miller School of Journalism and Mass Communications at Kansas State University.
Monday, July 6, 2020
National/International
Preseason Workouts Provide Frightening Preview for Colleges
7/2/20 Wall Street Journal
In line with Dr. Kyle Goerl, the director of pupil well-being and workforce doctor at Kansas State College and chair of the Big 12 Conference’s medical advisory committee, schools are usually not a lot completely different from meatpacking crops. “These are people that stay shut to at least one one other, they work together tightly every day,” he stated. “We knew we needed to do our greatest to maintain it out as a result of if it obtained in it was going to maneuver quick.”
Experts warn Fourth of July could be 'tipping point' which accelerates coronavirus outbreak
7/2/20 U.K. Daily Mail
As of last week, 90 percent of cases in the county that is home to Kansas State University involved people ages 18 to 24. Health officials said most of them spent time in a bar and restaurant district known as Aggieville.
Regional/State
As ticks come to Kansas, Kansans come with solutions
7/5/20 Wichita Eagle
Dr. Roman Ganta, professor and director of the Center for Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases at Kansas State University, spent the past 20 years researching ways to fight tick-borne diseases. In June, he received a $3 million grant from the National Institute of Health to develop a vaccine for ehrlichiosis.
*K-State vet shares tips for keeping pets safe during 4th of July celebrations
7/2/20 WIBW-TV
A Kansas State University veterinarian is sharing tips on how to make the 4th of July holiday safer and more enjoyable for pets.
Local
Students, community protest racism at K-State, march to President Myers' house
7/5/20 Manhattan Mercury
Chants of "Beware K-State! Students aren't safe!" rang throughout campus as K-State students and community members marched Saturday to President Richard Myers' house to protest against racism on campus.
K-State officials: Campus unrest ‘goes beyond one tweet’
7/2/20 Manhattan Mercury
After K-State announced its 11-step action plan to address racism and discrimination on campus, top university leaders acknowledged that the tension goes back beyond a student tweet that erupted the campus community.
*K-State gives notice of an ‘attack on the email domain’
7/2/20 Kansas State Collegian
Thursday afternoon, Kansas State sent out an alert via a special edition of K-State Today that the university email system has been “compromised.”
Thursday, July 2, 2020
National/International
Closing bars to stop coronavirus spread is backed by science
7/1/20 Associated Press
As of last week, 90% of cases in the county that is home to Kansas State University involved people ages 18 to 24. Health officials said most of them spent time in a bar and restaurant district known as “Aggieville.”
‘We cannot violate the law’: Kansas State won’t expel student who made racist tweets
7/1/20 The Kansas City Star
Kansas State University will not expel the student whose insensitive tweets about George Floyd prompted many to urge that he be kicked off campus.
Regional/State
Cattle are susceptible to heat
7/1/20 Topeka Capital-Journal
A.J. Tarpoff, a beef veterinarian with K-State Research and Extension, said cattle are resilient animals and will often acclimate to hot temperatures. But some factors, including their hide color, diet, humidity and whether temperatures cool down overnight, will affect the animals ability to thrive in heat.
*Kansas State President says university can’t expel student but can redefine policy
7/1/20 KSNT
Kansas State University President Richard Myers responded Wednesday morning to requests that the student who posted a racist message on social media would be expelled, according to his message to students.
Local
*K-State announces 11-step plan to combat racism, bigotry
7/1/20 The Mercury
K-State officials are enacting an 11-step action plan in response to calls for them to do more on the issues of racism and discrimination on campus, president Richard Myers announced Wednesday.
