09/11/19
K-State Current - September 11, 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.
K-State News
Fortune CEO Alan Murray presenting Landon Lecture on Sept. 27
Alan Murray, the CEO of Fortune, the global media company featuring the business magazine Fortune, will deliver a Landon Lecture at Kansas State University at 10:30 a.m. Friday, Sept. 27, in McCain Auditorium. The title of Murray's lecture will be "The Future of Facts: Searching for Truth in the 21st Century."
No tickets are required to attend this free lecture, and students, faculty, staff and the general public are invited.
"Alan Murray has a distinguished background in journalism and public opinion, leading and transforming several of the nation's most distinguished media companies," said Linda Cook, chair of the Landon Lecture Series and the university's chief of staff and director of community relations. "Mr. Murray is committed to quality journalism, innovation and culture change. His Landon Lecture topic is extremely relevant with today's rapid movement of information from an ever-increasing number of communications platforms."
As Fortune CEO, Murray oversees the independent media company's global operations in print, digital and live events. He previously served as editor-in-chief of Fortune magazine, founded in 1929, and was responsible for integrating the print and digital teams, establishing new franchises and platforms, and increasing Fortune.com's traffic. Today, Fortune is one of the world's leading business media brands and comprises a multinational monthly magazine, daily website and conference series. Fortune also is known for its iconic business lists, including the Fortune 500; the Global 500, the listing of the world's top companies; as well as lists for the most powerful women, best companies to work for, best world leaders and more.
Before joining Fortune, Murray was chief content officer of Time Inc. where he oversaw all editorial operations; he was president of the Pew Research Center; and hosted an eponymous show on CNBC. He spent more than two decades at the Wall Street Journal where his experience included overseeing digital operations, conferences, video and the newspaper's Washington, D.C., bureau.
The author of four books, Murray also is a member of the Gridiron Club, the New York Economics Club and the Council on Foreign Relations.
Murray received a bachelor's degree in English literature at the University of North Carolina, a master's degree in economics from the London School of Economics and completed the Stanford Executive Program in 2005.
One of the most prestigious lecture series offered at a U.S. college or university, the Alfred M. Landon Lecture Series was instituted in 1966 by former Kansas State University President James A. McCain. The series is a tribute to Alfred M. Landon, who served as governor of Kansas from 1933-1937 and delivered the first lecture in the series. Murray will be the 191st speaker in the series.
Technology Development Institute assists Heatron with manufacturing automation
A manufacturing company with a facility in Kansas is getting a boost with its production of new products by working with the Technology Development Institute in the Carl R. Ice College of Engineering at Kansas State University.
The K-State institute has worked with Heatron Inc., which has a Kansas plant in Leavenworth and another plant in Erie, Pennsylvania, on more than a dozen projects over the last several years to streamline production and increase labor efficiency in its manufacturing processes. Heatron manufactures custom heating elements and lighting products that serve a variety of markets, including medical, semiconductor, aviation, 3D printing, food service and more.
Heaton most recently engaged K-State's Technology Development Institute, known as TDI, to develop automation for the hemming and cut-to-length process of a material used to make specialized pipe heaters. The institute-developed machine folds and cuts the material to the desired length and unloads the processed piece so the operator can take it to the next step in the manufacturing process. A switch on the machine allows the operator to easily select between a continuous run mode or a set quantity run mode.
"The goal of creating this machine is to increase the production rate of the machine and better utilize the limited labor resources of the company in higher-value production processes," said Jeff Tucker, executive director of the Technology Development Institute. "By accomplishing this goal, the operator can focus on more value-added tasks, such as moving the cut material to the next station to speed up the manufacturing process."
"The engineering assistance from TDI over the years has greatly improved our efficiency," said Ron Lutz, manufacturing engineer manager at Heatron. "They recognize the challenges we face and create technologies to help us overcome them. The development effort regarding the hemming machine has been critical in improving the manufacturing process for pipe heaters."
The Technology Development Institute provides a broad range of engineering and business development services to both private industry and university researchers to advance the commercial readiness of new products or technologies. Additional information can be found at k-state.edu/tdi.
K-State Faculty Highlights
Julia Keen highlighted in United Nations publication
Julia Keen, professor in the GE Johnson Department of Architectural Engineering and Construction Science in the Carl R. Ice College of Engineering, is one of seven U.S. women engineers highlighted in "Women in the Refrigeration and Air-conditioning Industry: Personal Experiences and Achievements," a publication of the United Nations Environment Programme.
The Programme's OzonAction and UN Women booklet shines a spotlight on the largely untold story of women working in the heating, ventilating, air conditioning and refrigeration sector, focusing on their motivation, background, challenges and daily work experience. The publication considers these professionals to be pioneers and role models whose stories should inspire a new generation of young women to enter the field and follow in their footsteps.
The exposes focus on the tremendous contributions to society of each of these women, with Keen's specifically noting her experience as a mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems design engineer, her impact as an educator at Kansas State University, and her role as a trainer of industry professionals through her extensive involvement with the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers. Also highlighted in the publication as another one of the outstanding seven U.S. women engineers is fellow K-State alum Sheila Hayter, mechanical engineering, class of 1990.
One of the United Nation's areas of focus is the appropriate implementation of refrigeration and air-conditioning technology to assist countries in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Specifically, it contributes to achieving food security, improved nutrition and sustainable food systems, ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being, and promoting sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth. Encouraging women to pursue refrigeration and air conditioning careers and facilitating the process for them also contributes to gender equality and empowering women and girls.
Choral professor serves on International Choral Competition jury
Joshua Oppenheim, associate professor of music and co-director of choral studies, was the only American serving on the eight-panel jury for the 16th annual International Choral Competition July 19-21 in Bangkok, Thailand.
Oppenheim was joined by others jurists from Indonesia, Thailand, China, Canada, Singapore and the Philippines. The three-day international competition featured 34 choirs from various Southeast Asia countries including Singapore, Macau, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, Inner Mongolia and China. Each choir was ranked on categories of performance of intonation/tuning, tone and vocal production, expression and musicianship, programming and literature. Seven choirs were selected to compete in the Grand Prix where the top three choirs were chosen and the Grand Prix winner received the $5,000 prize.
In addition to serving on the juried panel, Oppenheim was one of three jurists selected to present a masterclass on "Creating Effective and Efficiency in Conducting Gesture" for the competition performers and attendees.
Faculty in the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance have received Grammy awards and nominations, and Emmy awards; produced recordings on international and national CD labels; published books and journal articles with international and national publishing houses and professional organizations; and performed and presented research in every continent in the world, except Antarctica. The School of Music, Theatre, and Dance is a part of the College of Arts and Sciences. Visit k-state.edu/mtd to learn more about music, theatre and dance at K-State.
K-State Student News
College of Business Jump Start Program eases transition for transfer students
The College of Business Administration welcomed 50 transfer students to campus this week to get a Jump Start on their success at K-State.
Jump Start students came from 30 different institutions from across the state of Kansas. Each participant received a $100 scholarship.
The objective of the Jump Start program is to help transfer students with their transition to K-State, and to get them prepared for the fall semester. The students completed three courses over the span of three intensive weeks: GENBA 105 — Business Orientation, GENBA 205 — Career Accelerator, and GENBA 110 — Business Foundations; or if students have already taken an Intro to Business or Business Foundations class at their previous institution, they had the option to take MANGT 420 — Principles of Management.
The business orientation course was taught by Kevin Moodie, a professional academic advisor in the College of Business, who worked with the students to craft individual long-range plans for each students' program of study and extracurricular activities. Engaging with Wendy Pfeifer, one of the college's career counselors, and completing the required Career Accelerator course also allows students to confidentially attend career related activities and events in their first semester, including the All University Career Fair during the month of September.
Jump Start participants are also treated to special events throughout their time in the program such as a kick-off Bagel Bash, an exclusive networking lunch event with employers, and a Call Hall Ice Cream Social.
"Transfer students who participated in Jump Start last year saw an average GPA that was almost .4 points higher than other first semester transfer students," said Bente Janda, assistant dean for undergraduate student services. "We are very proud of this program and the impact it has on students, and look forward to welcoming another group of students next year."
For more information about the program, visit the program website. Applications for next year will open in February 2020.
Engineering Summer Institute students finish semester at K-State
Nearly 30 students from India made Manhattan their home over the summer for the Engineering Summer Institute, which began in 2012 as a collaboration between Kansas State University and Gujarat Technological University.
More than 25 students from Gujarat Technological University, two from Parul University, and one from Sankalchand Patel University participated in this year's institute, which included the two additional schools for the first time. The institute provides students not only with engineering education outside of India, but also provides them with activities that showcase the culture of the United States. Mo Hosni, Charles and Nona Frankenhoff Chair in Engineering of the Alan Levin Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, serves as the institute's program chair.
The students arrived in mid-June and attended orientation at the International Student Center. Classes began on June 18 and included Power Plant Engineering with associate professor Kevin Wanklyn, as well as Machine Design with assistant professor Maher Shehadi.
Cultural activities for the institute students included trips to the Konza Prairie, Flint Hills Discovery Center and Jeffrey Energy Center. The students played sports through the Chester E. Peters Recreation Complex, as well as having the opportunity to engage in the 2019 Cricket Cup. They attended a breakfast with K-State associate provost Brian Niehoff. Students also experienced Manhattan's many shopping and restaurant options.