Two professors named 2013-2014 Commerce Bank Distinguished Graduate Faculty
Thursday, Oct. 17, 2013
MANHATTAN -- Two of Kansas State University's graduate faculty members are being awarded the 2013-2014 Commerce Bank Distinguished Graduate Faculty Award.
Bhadriraju Subramanyam, professor of grain science and industry, and Daniel Higgins, professor of chemistry, were selected for the awards for their outstanding scholarly achievements and their contributions to graduate education at Kansas State University. The awards come with a $2,500 honorarium and are supported by the William T. Kemper Foundation and the Commerce Bancshares Foundation. They are coordinated through the Kansas State University Foundation and the university president's office.
"For nearly 20 years, Commerce Bank and the William T. Kemper Foundation have teamed up with Kansas State University to support the Commerce Bank Distinguished Graduate Faculty Awards," said Tom Giller, community bank president of Commerce Bank, Manhattan. "Exceptional instruction leads to student success, and we are proud to help the university honor faculty members who excel in research as well as teaching and mentoring Kansas State University students."
Subramanyam and Higgins will receive the awards at the Graduate School commencement ceremony at 1 p.m. Friday, Dec. 13, in Bramlage Coliseum. They each also will present a lecture on their research to the campus community during the 2013-2014 academic year.
Subramanyam specializes in the management of insects associated with stored grain and food and feed processing facilities using alternatives to pesticides. He is recognized nationally and internationally for his expertise and leadership in applying integrated pest management to the protection of dry, durable commodities and their products from the farm to the fork.
Subramanyam joined K-State in 1999 as an associate professor of grain science and industry. He received his doctorate and master's in entomology from the University of Minnesota and his bachelor's from Andhra Pradesh Agricultural University in India.
Higgins' research involves the implementation of novel optical microscopic techniques for characterization of mesostructured thin film materials. The main goal of his research is to obtain a better understanding of the micron-to-nanometer-scale properties of these materials.
Higgins received his doctorate from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and his bachelor's from St. Olaf College. He was a postdoctoral research fellow from 1993-1996 at the University of Minnesota.
