02/27/19
K-State Current - February 27, 2019
K-State Current is a weekly news update for the Kansas Board of Regents to apprise the Regents on a few of the many successes and achievements made by K-State faculty, staff and students.
President James McCain ushers Martin Luther King Jr toward Ahearn Fieldhouse for his Convocation Lecture in 1968; Memorial Stadium in the background
K-State News
A new partnership will enhance the care and welfare of shelter animals in Manhattan while providing more educational opportunities for veterinary students. The shelter medicine program at the Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine has teamed up to help enhance and expand medical capabilities at the T. Russell Reitz Animal Shelter.
According to Brad Crauer, assistant professor of clinical sciences, the shelter medicine program has completed more than 16,000 surgeries for more than 20 partner organizations since its start in 2015.
"Through the partnership at the T. Russell Reitz Animal Shelter, we believe there is significant opportunity to help the shelter save more lives and improve the level of care provided," Crauer said. "Students will get regular, firsthand surgical and medical experience locally."
Deborah Watkins, director of animal services for the city of Manhattan, said the animal shelter placed 1,398 animals in 2018. She is optimistic that number will grow with increased involvement from the university.
"Our mission at the shelter is to return pets to their owners and rehome homeless pets," Watkins said. "Partnering with K-State students will increase the level of quality care for homeless animals to be ready for adoption."
Bonnie Rush, interim dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine, also acknowledge the benefits the partnership would bring to both pets in the community and the students.
"Our goal is to enhance the health and adoptability of each animal we encounter through the shelter medicine program," Rush said. "Occasionally, there are relatively inexpensive interventions — beyond spay/neuter — that will improve the likelihood of adoption. True to our motto, 'Future Vets Helping Future Pets,' senior veterinary students appreciate the opportunity to strengthen their skills. Even more so, they appreciate using their skills to improve the lives of unwanted and abandoned pets."
The university's shelter medicine mobile surgery unit, which is currently outreach-based, visits regional animal shelters to provide spay/neuter and medical triage service on-site. While the mobile surgery unit is only able to visit any given shelter once per week, the partnership with the T. Russell Reitz Animal Shelter will allow an opportunity for Kansas State University to have a day-to-day presence and increase the overall level of animal welfare in the Manhattan community.
Crauer said the partnership will occur in two phases. Initially, the mobile surgery unit will be stationed at the animal shelter on a weekly basis. Students will perform surgical services and address any medical cases during these visits, including exam and diagnostic- and therapeutic-plan development and implementation. Faculty from the university also will work with shelter leadership to develop best practices and standard operating procedures.
The second phase promotes a more consistent Kansas State University presence at the T. Russell Reitz Animal Shelter by utilizing the shelter medicine intern for at least one additional day each week for medical, surgical and operational expertise.
Additionally, the shelter is in the process of building a surgery suite that can also serve as a fully functioning dental unit. The suite would allow the mobile surgery unit to be deployed elsewhere while students, interns and faculty could operate at a high level on-site. The intention is to expand capabilities at the shelter beyond what can be provided on the mobile surgery unit. However, funding is still needed to complete the surgical suite.
"The city of Manhattan and the T. Russell Reitz Animal Shelter are very pleased to partner with the Kansas State Veterinary shelter medicine program," said Eddie Eastes, director of Manhattan Parks and Recreation. "This partnership will help the animal shelter fulfill its mission to protect public health through the sheltering of homeless companion animals and promote humane treatment and responsible pet ownership. We are confident this partnership will benefit the community by ensuring animals at the shelter have the best care possible as we help reintroduce them into the community through our adoption program."
K-State Faculty Highlights
De Noble named American Institute of Architects fellow
The 2019 Jury of Fellows from the American Institute of Architects, or AIA, elevated professor and dean Tim de Noble to its prestigious College of Fellows, an honor awarded to members who have made significant contributions to the architecture profession. The fellows will be honored at a ceremony on June 6 at the AIA Conference on Architecture 2019 in Las Vegas.
De Noble has served as dean of the College of Architecture, Planning & Design, or APDesign, at Kansas State University since 2009.
"To be recognized as a fellow, to be elevated to a level populated by so many architects I have long held in high esteem, is a true 'pinch yourself' moment," de Noble said, "As an educator, I realize that this honor is a reflection of the quality of students, faculty and staff I have had the pleasure of teaching, mentoring and leading."
The AIA fellowship program was developed to elevate those architects who have achieved a standard of excellence in the profession and made a significant contribution to architecture and society on a national level. Prospective candidates must have at least 10 years of AIA membership and demonstrated influence in at least one of the following categories:
- Promoted the aesthetic, scientific, and practical efficiency of the profession.
- Advanced the science and art of planning and building by advancing the standards of architectural education, training or practice.
- Coordinated the building industry and the profession of architecture through leadership in the AIA or other related professional organizations.
- Advanced the living standards of people through an improved environment.
The stringent requirements result in only three percent of the AIA’s more than 91,000 members being recognized as fellows. Currently, there are 3,425 living fellows globally. Out of all the fellows, five live in Kansas and of those, three are at APDesign.
Before arriving at K-State, de Noble served as head of the architecture department at the Fay Jones School of Architecture at the University of Arkansas. He also taught at Syracuse University. In addition to teaching studio and technology courses, de Noble has extensive teaching experience in Italy and Mexico.
De Noble received a Master of Architecture from Syracuse University and a Bachelor of Science in architecture from the University of Texas at Arlington. In private practice throughout his teaching career, he founded deMX Architecture in Fayetteville, Arkansas, in 1999, building an award-winning practice focusing on housing combining the socially liberating potency of modernism with the intuitive rationality of vernacular building to generate regionally specific responses to built-form and site.
Recently, de Noble was cited as one of the 25 Most Admired Educators for 2016/17 and 2017/18 by Design Intelligence magazine, named an Icon of Education by Ingram's magazine, received the chapter artist award from the K-State chapter of the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, and was named 2016 Architecture Advocate of the Year by the American Institute of Architects Kansas City chapter.
Founded in 1857, the American Institute of Architects consistently works to create more valuable, healthy, secure, and sustainable buildings, neighborhoods and communities. Through more than 200 international, state and local chapters, AIA advocates for public policies that promote economic vitality and public well-being. Members adhere to a code of ethics and conduct to ensure the highest professional standards. AIA provides members with tools and resources to assist them in their careers and business as well as engaging civic and government leaders and the public to find solutions to pressing issues facing our communities, institutions, nation and world.
Study: Teens need frequent communication with parents to maintain youth resiliency after a divorce
Texting, FaceTime and other popular communication methods among teens may help build supportive parent-youth relationships after a divorce, according to a Kansas State University family studies researcher.
Mindy Markham, associate professor and associate director for Kansas State University's School of Family Studies and Human Services; Jonathon Beckmeyer at Indiana University; and Jessica Troilo at West Virginia University recently published a study about parent-youth relationships after a divorce in the Journal of Family Issues.
The researchers evaluated data from nearly 400 divorced mothers and fathers with a child between 10-18 years old. They identified three types of post-divorce co-parenting relationships — cooperative, moderately engaged and conflictual — and evaluated differences in three key aspects of youth well-being as well as the frequency of communication.
"Parental warmth and closeness, parents' knowledge about their kids and inconsistent discipline didn't differ among three different types of divorced co-parenting relationships," Markham said. "What did make a difference was the contact that the parents had with the youth. Essentially, the more contact that parents had with their kids was better regardless of the parents' relationship with each other."
These findings are contrary to a similar 2008 study, which suggested that divorced co-parenting individuals should be cooperative to maintain children's resiliency to divorce. It also is contrary to the Family Systems Theory — that the quality of a post-divorce relationship spills over to parent-child relationships. According to Markham, these conflicting results may be because older children are more likely to have a cellphone or tablet today and can take a more active role in the parent-child relationship.
"Preteens and teenagers probably have their own devices and are able to text, email or video chat with their nonresidential parent so the child can take more ownership of the relationship," Markham said. "I think frequent communication, whether it is in person or using communication technology, is really critical to making sure that the parent-child contact stays in place."
According to Markham, youth with parents who are warm and supportive have been found to engage in fewer problem behaviors and experience less emotional distress. Also, parents who have great knowledge of their youth's daily lives can respond well to their children's needs and create environments that promote positive youth development. Inconsistent discipline, on the other hand, can lead to youth anxiety, aggression, or threaten a child's sense of security. These three aspects together are critical for youth well-being and may help promote resiliency in youth experiencing parental divorce.
"Parents in a conflictual or disengaged co-parenting relationship with their former spouse who were able to communicate with their child daily or weekly had higher levels of parental knowledge, which makes sense, Markham said. "Parental warmth and support also were higher among parents who had more frequent contact with their child."
This finding may help divorce education programs refocus on individual parenting skills to strengthen parent-youth relationships instead of stressing cooperative parenting if they do not get along, Markham said. If a child is old enough to have their own device, parents should be able to communicate directly and compartmentalize a stressful relationship with an ex-spouse so it does not negatively affect the parent-child relationship.
"If it is possible for parents to cooperate, obviously that would be ideal, but there are situations where they can't and I think this research is saying you can still have a good parent-child relationship even if the relationship with your ex can't work," Markham said.
K-State Student News
Kansas State University's Black Student Union receives best in Big 12 award again
Kansas State University's Black Student Union has been named the best in the Big 12 Conference for the 11th time in 14 years.
The Black Student Union, or BSU, received the Clarence Wine Award for Outstanding Big 12 Council of the Year at the Big XII Council on Black Student Government's annual conference Feb. 21-24 at the University of Missouri. The award is presented annually to an outstanding undergraduate African-American student government or council in the Big 12 Conference for a serious commitment to unity, academic achievement, scholarship, campus programming and community service.
"Our success has everything to do with our members," said Del'Sha Roberts, BSU president and senior in biology,Kansas City. "Without the attendance and participation, we would have no one to help us live out our mission statement."
The Black Student Union's mission is to focus on the development of the Kansas State University community by advancing academic stability, political action and the leadership of black students while promoting black culture across all aspects of life. The award comes as the Black Student Union is celebrating 50 years of work toward that mission at Kansas State University.
Roberts said it is a great honor to be the president of the Black Student Union and will continue her leadership beyond the university to serve as chair for the Big 12 Council on Black Student Government. Three other Kansas State University students were also elected to serve the Big 12 Council: Zanaiya Peebles, junior in biology, Overland Park, was elected parliamentarian; and Jeffrey Matthews, sophomore in open option and BSU parliamentarian, was elected treasurer, and Johari Snell, sophomore in food science and industry, was elected conference management chair, both from Kansas City, Missouri.
"Our BSU is the epitome of what we want all of our K-State students to be: dedicated, hardworking and servant leaders," said Brandon Clark, BSU advisor and student programs coordinator in the department of diversity and multicultural student affairs. "To be awarded this great honor year after year by their peer institutions is something all K-Staters should celebrate. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to advise these incredible students."
In addition to the Wine award, the Legion of Black Collegians and Gaines/Oldham Black Culture Center at the University of Missouri recognized Clark for his 15 years of service and dedication to the Big 12 Council on Black Student Government. Before serving in his current position, Clark worked at the K-State Alumni Association from 2003-2009 and the K-State Upward Bound Program from 2009-2012.
AGC Student Chapter travels to Florida for winter break service project
The Associated General Contractors of Kansas Student Chapter at K-State, from the GE Johnson Department of Architectural Engineering and Construction Science, recently returned from its annual winter break service project. Twenty-one chapter members, including a faculty advisor, participated in Habitat for Humanity's Collegiate Challenge program from Jan. 13-19.
The students, along with faculty advisor, Shannon Casebeer, assistant professor of architectural engineering and construction science, traveled to Palm Coast, Florida, and spent four days building a new Habitat for Humanity home for a local young family. For the 1,500-square-foot home, the group framed all the interior walls of the home, installed interior wood blocking, set pre-engineered roof trusses, installed roof sheathing, installed windows, and sided the exterior of the home.
Kelsey Robinett, sophomore in architectural engineering and AGC student chapter Alternative Break chair, coordinated the group's trip to Florida through Habitat for Humanity's Collegiate Challenge which has provided safe, affordable homes for qualifying families and opportunities for winter school break volunteer work for college students since the late 1980s. This year's trip marks the AGC student chapter's 11th consecutive year of participating in the Collegiate Challenge. Previous service project trips include: 2009, 2010 and 2011 in New Orleans, Louisiana; 2012 in Joplin, Missouri; 2013 in St. Louis, Missouri; 2014 in Goldsboro, North Carolina; 2015 in Mobile, Alabama; 2016 in Taos, New Mexico; 2017 in Birmingham, Alabama; and 2018 in Mobile, Alabama.
Architectural engineering and construction science students who participated were Chance Braun, sophomore, Andover; Eric Peterson, senior, Baldwin City; Alec Coast, sophomore, Cimarron; Nick Wintjen, senior, Coffeyville; Marisol Munoz, junior, Dodge City; Jediah Rose, sophomore, Frankfort; Miguel Chacon, senior, Garden City; Brady Mulroy, sophomore, Holton; Maddison Jarman, junior, Lake Quivira; Aaron Ridder, sophomore, Leoti; Ben Kufahl, sophomore, Onaga; Dawson Borcherding, senior, and Caleb Hughes, senior, both from Overland Park; Tyler Collins, sophomore, Rose Hill; Hannah Stallbaumer, junior, Seneca; Randal Chushuk, senior, Stilwell; Aaron Henke, sophomore, Tipton; Kelsey Robinett, sophomore, Topeka; Sam Wohler, sophomore, Wamego; and Tyler Boss, freshman, Richmond, Missouri.