Source: Jim Hohenbary, 785-532-6904, jimlth@k-state.edu
Photos available. Contact media@k-state.edu or 785-532-6415
News release prepared by: Kristin Hodges, 785-532-6415, khodges2@k-state.edu

Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2009

K-STATE ARTS AND SCIENCES STUDENTS WIN SCHOLARSHIPS FOR SUMMER PROJECTS AND ACADEMIC FUNDING

MANHATTAN --Kansas State University has awarded five undergraduate students $5,000 Chapman scholarships for summer projects and academic funding.

The Mark Chapman Scholars Program gave this year's scholarships to: Dylan Works, junior in economics and political science, Iola; Erin Waymire, junior in anthropology, Manhattan; Emily Patton, junior in anthropology, Prairie Village; Mark Sowers, sophomore in biology, Spring Hill; and Cyndi Preston, junior in modern languages and mass communications, Duluth, Minn.

"I wanted to help these students develop their exceptional skills, supercharge their careers and bring prestige to K-State," said Mark Chapman, the program's founder. "I am very interested in the variety of their projects. It is fascinating to see the high quality and uniqueness of their endeavors. I'd like to follow their careers."

The Chapman Scholars Program allows outstanding first- and second-year students enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences to develop and pursue opportunities in support of their educational and career goals. The Chapman Scholars Program awards five scholarships annually. Scholars use $3,000 of the award for summer projects or activities, including research projects, international experiences and community service projects. Recipients use the rest of the funding for the following academic year.

"The array of opportunities that our scholars were able to create for themselves this year really demonstrates what kind of added value the Chapman Scholars Program can generate," said Jim Hohenbary, K-State assistant dean for nationally competitive scholarships. "It's an exciting contribution to the College of Arts and Sciences."

Following is a list of the students' projects:

Works spent the summer shadowing and interviewing a Kansas manufacturing company and a mid-sized insurance company in the United Kingdom. He studied how the different managers created and implemented policies to guide their companies through the recent economic downturn. Works is interested in a career in the international financial arena and in finance-related public policy. He is a graduate of Iola High School.

Patton went to the El Zota Biological Field Station in Costa Rica during the summer. She studied the behavior and ecology of capuchin monkeys in the region. She plans a career in primate research and conservation. Patton is a graduate of Shawnee Mission East High School.

Sowers travelled to Amboseli National Park in Kenya for his summer project. He participated in field research on African elephants for the Amboseli Elephant Research Project. He plans a career as a researcher in the field of elephant ecology and behavior and to advocate for elephant conservation based on his findings. Sowers is a graduate of Spring Hill High School.

Waymire attended the Anthropological Field School in Malta to learn anthropological field techniques. In spring 2010 she will study in Japan. She plans to be an anthropologist. Waymire is a graduate of Maize High School.

Preston is specializing in Hispanic studies and advertising. She spent the summer studying at the Universidad del Salvador in Argentina, where she is continuing to study this fall. She took intensive language courses during the summer and now is taking advertising and culture courses. While abroad, she is observing and studying the differences between American and Argentine advertising techniques and strategies. She plans a career in the advertising industry with an international and cross-cultural perspective. Preston is a graduate of Olathe South High School.

The Mark Chapman Scholars Program was started by the Clay Center native, who graduated from K-State in 1965 with a dual bachelor's degree in history and political science. At K-State, he lettered in football, track and softball and was a member of Army ROTC and Acacia fraternity. Chapman later earned a juris doctorate from the University of Texas. He is a self-employed investor working in the areas of real estate, stocks, oil and gas.