Department of Philosophy

Awards

KSU's philosophers (professors and students) are recognized, internally at K-State, and nationally, for their achievements and contributions. Here are a few recent examples.

Student Awards and Publications

  • Philosophy major recognized for leadership. Cade Cieselski, graduating this spring in Philosophy and Modern Languages, is being recognized by Leadership Studies with a Pat J. Bosco Outstanding Leadership Studies Award. Congratulations, Cade!
  • Philosophy major wins cancer research award. Indera Coffel, working with Shay Logan as a mentor, has secured a Cancer Research Award from the Johnson Cancer Research Center to investigate ethical aspects of RTCs with cancer drugs. Congratulations Indera!
  • Suan Sonna has just had a paper accepted by Oxford’s Heythrop Journal, an interdisciplinary journal in philosophy and theology. Suan’s paper “Roman and Catholic”, offers a deep dive into early Christian history and theology in responding to Jerry Walls on the issue of papal primacy. Congratulations Suan!
  • Kate Brull, a double major in Life Sciences and Mathematics (Pre-Med), has won the Grand Prize in the Freshman category of the Kirmser Undergraduate Research Award. Kate’s research project is on the ethics of antibiotic prescription. Completed during the Fall of 2019 in Dr. Amelia Hicks's PHILO 130 (a First Year Seminar), Kate's research project produced an illustrated bullet journal, exploring ethical dilemmas from the perspectives of both patients and physicians. Congratulations Kate and Amelia!
  • Suan Sonna to publish a paper in LOGOS. The paper is entitled "In Defense of the Innocence: The Legal and Social Justification for Adopting the Presumption of Innocence". Sonna outlines a conception of moral epistemology as more demanding that mere identification of responsible agents, and uses this to argue for a norm requiring the presumption of innocence not only in legal settings, but in public discourse as well, grounding a moral obligation to avoid public shaming, gossip and mob retaliation. Well Done, Suan!
  • Congratulations to Sean McGimpsey (philosophy minor) for his piece "Paternalism in Academic Advising: A Student Perspective", published in NACADA's Academic Advising Today. The piece is available here.

Faculty Awards

  • Professor Amelia Hicks has been named a 2021-22 Philosophy in the Media Fellow by the Marc Sanders Foundation. This award will support travel to Washington DC to work with professionals from NPR to develop public-facing philosophy podcasts. More information can be found at the Marc Sanders Foundation Website. Congratulations, Professor Hicks!
  • Professor Amelia Hicks was recognized at the 2020-2021 KAWSE award ceremony. Professor Hicks is the recipient of the Commerce Bank and W.T. Kemper Foundation Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award in introductory and advanced eithics courses. Congratulations, Amelia!
  • Professor Amelia Hicks has been named one of the Teaching and Learning Center's highlighted teachers of the month. Congratulations, Amelia!
  • Professor Shay Logan named as a Visiting Faculty to Vita-Salute San Raffaele University. As part of his role there, Shay will be working with Professor Francesca Boccuni on plural quantification in relevant logics, and will also give a series of guest lectures. Congratulations Shay!
  • Professor Graham Leach-Krouse has received the Munson-Simu Faculty Star Award. Congratulations, Graham!
  • Carnap.io, Professor Graham Leach-Krouse's open framework for logic instruction, is now employed at more than 30 colleges and universities across North America. It's been used by over 14,000 students, to grade over 1,200,000 logic problems! Congratulations, Graham!
  • Philosophy Department Professor Emeritus John Exdell has been commended for his work on equitable policing by the Riley County Police Department. John was instrumental in establishing the Fair and Impartial Policing Working Group, a collaboration between the Manhattan Coalition for Equal Justice and the Riley Co. Police Dept. John has been an enormously strong voice for social justice in the Philosophy Department, the University as a whole and the wider Manhattan community for decades, and it is wonderful to see him recognized in this way. Good for you, John, and thanks for your many, many contributions to a better Manhattan.