K-State Current - November 6, 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

Interior design program continues to be top-ranked by DesignIntelligence

Kansas State University's interior design program, offered by the apparel, textiles, and interior design department in the College of Health and Human Sciences, continues to be one of the best in the U.S., according to the 2019-2020 rankings from DesignIntelligence, an independent company focused on the design and construction industry.

This year, the K-State interior design program ranks eighth among the most admired interior design schools in the nation. Most notably, K-State ranks first in the category of most hired from interior design schools compared to programs with similar-sized graduating classes. Graduates of the university's interior design program are enjoying high post-graduation employment rates at multidisciplinary architecture and design firms.

K-State also ranks in the top 10 in 10 of 12 focus areas surveyed by DesignIntelligence. These areas include transdisciplinary collaboration across architecture, engineering and construction; research; project planning and management; interdisciplinary studies; healthy built environments; engineering fundamentals; design theory and practice; design technologies; construction materials and methods; and communication and presentation skills.

"It is rewarding to receive continued recognition of the excellence of our graduates," said Barbara Anderson, professor and head of the department of apparel, textiles, and interior design. "We are fortunate to have dedicated and talented faculty members who prepare students for successful careers in design."

K-State's interior design program is the only one in Kansas for students who want to earn a four-year baccalaureate degree accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation.

"The College of Health and Human Sciences is proud of the interior design program and the students that it produces," said John Buckwalter, the Betty L. Tointon dean of the college. "We are excited to see them receive this well-deserved recognition."

DesignIntelligence is an independent company focused on the design and construction industry. It publishes DesignIntelligence Quarterly four times per year, including the results of an industrywide survey of design professionals released in its third-quarter edition annually.

K-State Faculty Highlights

Kansas State University cancer research team receives $2 million from NSF From left, Stefan Bossmann, university distinguished professor of chemistry; Chris Culbertson, professor of chemistry; and Bala Natarajan, professor of electrical and computer engineering, have received a $2 million National Science Foundation Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation grant. They will collaborate with researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch on new cancer treatments.

Kansas State University researchers, in collaboration with researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch, have received $2 million in funding from the National Science Foundation Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation program to conduct fundamental studies on new treatments for glioblastoma and other cancers.

Led by Stefan Bossmann, university distinguished professor of chemistry, the group includes co-principal investigators Christopher Culbertson, professor of chemistry and associate dean for research in the College of Arts and Sciences, and Bala Natarajan, professor of electrical and computer engineering in the Carl R. Ice College of Engineering, all from Kansas State University.

The most common and most aggressive form of an adult primary brain tumor, glioblastoma is characterized by a poor prognosis, with patients often surviving for less than 16 months despite surgical, radiation and/or chemotherapeutic treatments. Bossmann said that work on this project is motivated by the awareness that the interaction of tumors with their surroundings, together with metabolic factors, is responsible for altering gene expression patterns, which enable the tumor to adapt and escape treatment.

The researchers seek to develop novel biophotonic methods to recognize genomewide epigenetic mutations in glioblastoma. Bossmann said this methodology will not only permit the early diagnosis of the disease, but will also lead to the identification of both mechanic and metabolic stimuli that lead to cell death in glioblastoma and other solid tumors, and thus can be implemented in new treatments.

The work will have implications that reach far beyond glioblastoma and will apply to virtually all diseases with epigenetic drivers, among them other cancers, neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases, obesity and metabolic syndrome, Bossmann said.

The researchers plan to develop new microfluidic methods for mechanical and metabolic stimulation of cells and a new model to predict the forms of these stimuli that will trigger cell death.

In collaboration with researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch, the researchers also will map the response to metabolic and mechanical stimuli. The work will have implications that reach far beyond glioblastoma and will apply to virtually all diseases with epigenetic drivers, among them other cancers, neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases, obesity and metabolic syndrome, Bossmann said.

"It is difficult for one researcher to have all of the expertise necessary to make rapid progress on such a difficult problem, so we are excited to have recruited an interdisciplinary team from multiple institutions with the broad breadth of expertise to tackle this terrible disease," Culbertson said. "We hope that a better understanding of how the disease develops will lead to not only novel methods for earlier detection but also to effective treatment options as current treatments are for the most part only palliative in nature."

K-State Student News

Kansas State Polytechnic Flight Team second at regional competition, team captain named top pilot Members of the Kansas State Polytechnic Flight Team pose with their awards from the National Intercollegiate Flying Association SAFECON Region VI competition. Back row, from left: Caleb Strahm, Brent Koenigsman, Robert Weesner, Trey D'Amico, Satoru Okada, Cole Thornberry and Charlie Rusco; and front row, from left: Charles Weeks, Zak Kierstein, Logan Klein, team captain Marc Hinnen, Johannes Seberger and Brandon Vu.

The flight team at Kansas State University Polytechnic Campus is advancing to nationals in the spring after placing second in its region and earning several individual honors during an annual collegiate aviation competition.

Along with six other schools, the Kansas State Polytechnic Flight Team attended Region VI of the National Intercollegiate Flying Association Safety and Flight Evaluation Conference, also known as NIFA SAFECON. Conducted Oct. 16-19 at the Council Bluffs Municipal Airport in Council Bluffs, Iowa, the competition consisted of both ground and air events with participants having the opportunity to win individual awards and receive team placings — which mean a guaranteed spot at nationals for the top three teams.

With a second-place overall finish, the Kansas State Polytechnic Flight Team will compete nationally in May 2020. Additionally, Kansas State Polytechnic scored more than 20 top 10 individual placings, and team captain Marc Hinnen, Edwardsville, earned the coveted Top Pilot award.

"We feel really good about our performance at regionals because it demonstrates our commitment and self-motivation," Hinnen said.

Ten ground and flight events make up NIFA SAFECON. They range from participants determining different types of aircraft from ambiguous photos to attempting to hit a ground target from the air to landing a plane as close as possible to a specific line painted on the runway.

Thirteen members competed for Kansas State Polytechnic at regionals and more than half of them scored in the top 10 in various events. The following students, all majoring in professional pilot, are members of the flight team. Included are individual placements if earned:

Marc Hinnen, junior, Edwardsville, Top Pilot award, first in Traditional Navigation, second in Message Drop, second in Power-off Landing, fourth in Computer Accuracy and fifth in Short Field Landing; Brent Koenigsman, junior, Hays, 10th in Power-off Landing and 10th in Short Field Landing; Logan Klein, senior, Hesston; Trey D'Amico, junior, Leawood; Robert Weesner, junior, Leawood, first in Traditional Navigation, fourth in Short Field Landing, fifth in Power-off Landing, and seventh in Aircraft Recognition; Caleb Strahm, senior, Sabetha, fourth in Simulated Comprehensive Aircraft Navigation, fifth in Unlimited Navigation, ninth in Computer Accuracy and ninth in Short Field Landing; Johannes Seberger, freshman, Shawnee, second in Message Drop; Charlie Rusco, freshman, Topeka; and Cole Thornberry, senior, Troy, eighth in Unlimited Navigation.

From out of state: Zak Kierstein, senior, Erie, Colorado, third in Simulated Comprehensive Aircraft Navigation; Charles Weeks, sophomore, Woodstock, Georgia, eighth in Short Field Landing and eighth in Unlimited Navigation; and Brandon Vu, sophomore, Johnston, Iowa.

From out of country: Satoru Okada, junior, Yokohama, Japan, fifth in Unlimited Navigation.

"This is such a close-knit group that truly cares for one another. They push each other, encourage each other, and look out for one another," said Julie Rowe, student programming and career services coordinator at Kansas State Polytechnic who serves as the team's staff advisor. "While aviation is not my specialty, you don't have to be an expert to know they love what they do. It's been inspiring to watch how hard they work."

Along with competing annually, the flight team uses its student organization as a way to connect the community with aviation. Throughout the year, the team is a part of several campus events like Open House and Candy Canes and Airplanes, and conducts two aviation camps for kids and one for high school students in the summer. These events also help raise money for the team's expenses at regionals and nationals.

The other colleges competing at NIFA SAFECON's Region VI were University of North Dakota, University of Nebraska Omaha, University of Central Missouri, St. Louis University-Parks College, University of Dubuque and Minnesota State University, Mankato.

Flight team captain Marc Hinnen was awarded the Top Pilot honor at the National Intercollegiate Flying Association SAFECON Region VI competition and was the second-highest scoring contestant out of 80 participants.

Personal financial planning program shines at annual conference

Kansas State University's personal financial planning program saw success once again at the annual Financial Planning Association's national conference. The conference was hosted in Minneapolis, with more than 1,800 attendees.

This year's undergraduate competition team placed second overall in the Financial Planning Challenge. The team was awarded first in the oral presentation and tied for second in the quiz bowl competition. Out of the last 19 years, this is the 13th time the team has finished in the top three overall.

Team members, all seniors, were Emma Hahn, Wichita; Morgan Ziegler, Junction City; and Thomas Meek, Topeka. The team was advised by Roxanne Martens, certified financial planner and instructor of personal financial planning.

Along with the undergraduate competition team’s success, doctoral students and faculty were also recognized for their work.

Doctoral students Andrew Scott, Wendy Usrey, Miranda Reiter, and Shane Enete, along with program director Martin Seay, were awarded a best research award for their submitted paper.

Two of the nine papers accepted for presentation at this year’s conference were authored by current K-State affiliates, with a third accepted paper written by recent program graduates.

Seay also served as a panelist alongside faculty from three other universities, sharing the work they have done identifying the 12 career paths in the financial planning landscape. He also presented on the main stage in his role of President-elect for the organization.

"We are proud of our students and the legacy they have created as a top program in the country," Seay said. "The sustained success of our undergraduate and doctoral students at the FPA annual conference highlight the role our program plays in elevating the financial planning profession."

The Financial Planning Association is the premier professional organization for Certified Financial Planner professionals, educators, financial services providers and students who seek advancement in a growing, dynamic profession.

K-State students select 2020 Student Ambassadors

Two students have been chosen to represent Kansas State University as the 2020 Student Ambassadors.

Sam Bond, junior in human development and family sciences, Olathe, Kansas, and Chaz Corredor, junior in finance, Lenexa, Kansas, were announced as the ambassadors Oct. 26 during halftime of K-State's Homecoming football game against the University of Oklahoma.

Established by the K-State Alumni Association in 1977, the Student Ambassador program elects one male and one female student each year to represent the student body at Alumni Association events throughout the state and at university activities.

Bond and Corredor will visit with prospective students and alumni; attend Student Alumni Board meetings and activities; assist with programming on campus such as the Alumni Fellows program, All-University Homecoming Committee and other special events; and assist the President's Office as needed

They were elected during Homecoming Week by a student vote from a group of six semifinalists. The ambassadors serve a one-year term, and each receives a $1,500 scholarship, clothing from Manhattan clothing store Borck Brothers and an official K-State ring from the Alumni Association.

Typically, ambassador candidates excel academically and are extensively involved in volunteer and philanthropic activities. Bond and Corredor are role models for these qualities.

Bond is a member of Alpha Delta Pi sorority. She has served her sorority as philanthropy chair and retention specialist. Additionally, she is a certified peer educator for mental health and wellness with the Peer Advocates for Mental Wellness and Success or P.A.W.S., a student senator for the College of Health and Human Sciences, a K-State Orientation and Enrollment leader and a Wildcat Warm-up counselor. She also is involved with New Student Services and the Child Development Center. She is the daughter of Susie and Scott Bond.

"I want to be able to emulate genuine kindness and loving connections for future students and alumni of K-State," Bond said.

Corredor is a member of Delta Sigma Phi fraternity. He has served as the director of philanthropy and vice president for recruitment. Corredor also is involved with K-State Athletics' Student Advisory Committee, the Financial Planners Association and St. Isidore's Catholic Student Center. Additionally, he is involved with New Student Services and is a K-State Orientation and Enrollment leader. Corredor is the son of Mary Bryant and Carlos Corredor.

"K-State has given me the experience of a lifetime, and I can think of no greater gift to my school than to foster this passion for K-State in past, present, and future students," Corredor said.

"Like their predecessors, Chaz and Sam have a strong love for our university," said Alan Fankhauser, assistant director of alumni programs and adviser to the ambassadors. "The Alumni Association is excited to host them at our upcoming events for the year. We look forward to when they have the opportunity to meet more of the K-State family."

For more information on the Student Ambassador program, visit k-state.com/studentambassadors.

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