09/09/20
K-State Current - September 9, 2020
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
Bulk Solids Innovation Center partners with key trade association to boost industry
The Kansas State University Bulk Solids Innovation Center is entering a strategic partnership with the Process Equipment Manufacturers' Association, or PEMA, to improve and assist the industry.
Formed in 1960, the association brings together companies that supply equipment and systems that are used by process industries, including but not limited to food, chemical, pharmaceutical, wastewater treatment, paint and coatings, agribusiness, ceramics, metals, plastics, wood, pulp and paper, environmental, building products and mining/minerals.
"We are excited to establish this partnership with PEMA, the most important trade association dedicated to companies who supply bulk solids equipment for industry," said Todd Smith, business and strategy manager for the Bulk Solids Innovation Center. "The association's members have supported our center since the outset, and its efforts fully match our goals to improve bulk solids technology and assist industry."
Opening five years ago, the Bulk Solids Innovation Center, part of the Kansas State University Polytechnic Campus in Salina, is the only university facility and staff in North America dedicated to helping industrial companies with education, consulting, testing services and research related to bulk solids.
The center's 12,000-square-foot facility includes six laboratory rooms with test bench equipment for measurement and characterization of material properties while providing additional room for client research projects. The center features a full-scale bay with a large variety of equipment for testing and studying hopper flow, chutes, conveying, filtering, flow aids, blending, separating and the like. The facility is filled with the latest equipment and instrumentation, most of it donated by more than 25 companies — many of which are Process Equipment Manufacturers' Association members.
The Bulk Solids Innovation Center provides essential services to industrial companies, including the following:
- Material testing services — Tests are used to evaluate material properties and make recommendations relative to storage, flow, conveying, segregation, mixing, fluidization, air filtration and more. Test examples include flow function, wall friction, particles' size and shape, moisture analysis and wear/abrasion.
- Full-scale research and consulting projects — The center provides facilities and university staff expertise to help companies troubleshoot material or process issues, conduct trial runs, or plan how to scale-up from the lab or pilot plant.
- Education short courses — These short courses, valued for the combination of theory, practical application and hands-on learning are not available at most colleges. They will be offered again in person in 2021. The Bulk Solids Innovation Center also is launching an online Bulk Solids Academy in November. This online academy will be comprised of 50% lecture and 50% demonstrations on real equipment, with discussion and questions and answers.
Through the partnership with the Bulk Solids Innovation Center, Process Equipment Manufacturers' Association members will receive discounted education; access to material testing, consulting, advice and troubleshooting; access to equipment testing facilities; a place where customers can do full-scale testing or scale-up of processes; and information on latest technology or trends. Using the resources provided by the, an independent laboratory, will provide additional credibility for PEMA members.
"PEMA members will have access to unique educational, consulting and testing services through this partnership," said Rod Henricks, PEMA president. "Likewise, PEMA members will be a first-line resource for the Bulk Solids Innovation Center when needs arise."
Contact the Bulk Solids Innovation Center at bsic@k-state.edu with inquiries.
Kansas State University and Stormont Vail Health announce strategic partnership
Stormont Vail has signed an agreement with Kansas State University to form an academic partnership in the College of Health and Human Sciences’ Physician Assistant Program. Stormont Vail will also develop the Cotton O’Neil Manhattan Medical Campus. A 55,000-square-foot medical office building to be completed fall 2022 in the K-State Research Park will increase public access to medical professionals in the Manhattan region.
Kansas State University’s Physician Assistant Program, with its inaugural class starting Spring 2021, will graduate health care providers who provide excellence in medical care and serve the local communities and beyond with uncompromising commitment and compassion.
Stormont Vail relies on the expertise of physician assistants as advanced practicing professionals. Through this partnership with K-State, the organization will be able to provide input on the curriculum using real-world examples and skills. Students of the program, as well as Stormont Vail and Cotton O’Neil physician assistants, will have access to the Stormont Vail Health Simulation Lab located in the adjacent Mary and Carl Ice Hall. This lab will have adult, pediatric, infant and trauma simulators.
“Stormont Vail Health works closely with our physician assistants to provide high-quality care to our patients under the supervision of a physician,” said Robert Kenagy, M.D., president and CEO, Stormont Vail Health. “This partnership with Kansas State University will allow us to have an integral part in developing new physician assistants as well as providing continued education to our providers.”
“The partnership between Stormont Vail Health and K-State’s new Physician Assistant Program is innovative and significant in addressing a critical demand for health care professionals not only in our Kansas communities but around the country,” said K-State President Richard Myers. “This collaborative effort within K-State’s Research Park supports the university’s mission to foster excellent teaching, research and service to develop highly skilled and educated citizens to advance the well-being of Kansas, the nation and international communities.“
“The College of Health and Human Sciences is delighted to establish an academic program at K-State to meet a critical need in Kansas for Physician Assistants,” said John Buckwalter, Betty L. Tointon dean of the college. “We are also thankful for the partnership with Stormont Vail that will help provide clinical training for these future health care professionals.”
“The K-State Physician Assistant Program has collaborated with Stormont Vail to provide a state-of-the-art simulation center that will propel students to a level of excellence and competence unobtainable in the traditional classroom setting,“ said Gwen Ferdinand-Jacob, Physician Assistant Program director in K-State’s College of Health and Human Sciences. “The Stormont Vail Simulation Center at Ice Hall will provide crucial training of a more realistic hands-on experience while maximizing patient safety. The program is thankful for the contribution and commitment that Stormont has made in the area of clinical exposure for our students in most of the required medical disciplines.”
The new medical campus will be located just across the street from the Simulation Lab on seven acres at the K-State Research Park in the university’s Edge Collaboration District — a partnership between Kansas State University, the KSU Foundation, the City of Manhattan and the State of Kansas to attract industry and research to the northern edge of K-State’s Manhattan campus.
“Our partnership with Stormont Vail is a great example of how industry, research and talent can come together,” said Greg Lohrentz, senior vice president, Operations & Finance for the KSU Foundation. “This real estate solution allows us to create meaningful outcomes for Kansas and beyond.”
About Stormont Vail Health: Stormont Vail Health is a nonprofit integrated health system that has been serving the health care needs of Kansas for more than 130 years. Stormont Vail has been recognized as a Magnet® organization since 2009 by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. It is composed of Stormont Vail Hospital, a 586-bed acute care hospital, and Cotton O’Neil Clinic, a multi-specialty physician group with more than 500 providers, which includes more than 250 physicians. Nearly 5,300 employees provide care and support services for patients in the hospital and 35 other locations, including the Cotton O’Neil Heart Center, Cancer Center, Diabetes & Endocrinology Center, Digestive Health Center, Pediatrics clinics and 10 regional primary care clinics. Stormont Vail Health is committed to its mission of improving the health of the community by being a national leader in providing compassionate, high quality and efficient integrated care through collaboration that results in a healthier community. For more information about Stormont Vail and Cotton O’Neil, visit stormontvail.org. For breaking news and videos, follow Stormont Vail on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
As Kansas State University’s strategic partner for philanthropy, the KSU Foundation inspires and guides philanthropy toward university priorities to boldly advance the K-State family. Visit ksufoundation.org for more information.
K-State Faculty Highlights
Distinguished graduate faculty award winners show excellence in research, graduate teaching
Internationally recognized researchers in integrated pest management and biofuels are being recognized as the 2020-2021 Commerce Bank and W.T. Kemper Foundation Distinguished Graduate Faculty Award recipients at Kansas State University.
This year's winners are Tom Phillips, professor of entomology, and Donghai Wang, professor of biological and agricultural engineering.
The award, supported by the William T. Kemper Foundation and the Commerce Bancshares Foundation and coordinated by the K-State Graduate School, honors current members of the graduate faculty who are recognized nationally and internationally for their outstanding scholarly achievements and their contributions to graduate education at the university. Award recipients receive an honorarium and will deliver public lectures on their research to the campus community.
"Drs. Phillips and Wang exemplify why Commerce Bank and the W.T. Kemper Foundation have long supported this award to recognize Kansas State University's most outstanding graduate faculty," said Shawn Drew, market president and CEO of Commerce Bank, Manhattan. "Both are world-class researchers and teachers and we are honored to recognize them for their outstanding work."
As a world leader in research and applications of integrated management of stored product pests, Phillips' expertise in chemical ecology and insect behavior have contributed to his success in designing monitoring and mating disruption systems for insects. Insects account for more than half of human food that is lost postharvest in developing countries. Phillips' development of holistic management systems addresses this critical issue related to food security.
Phillips' research has been supported by more than $9 million in grants and has led to the publication of 164 journal articles and 15 books or book chapters. He has given numerous research presentations, including approximately 80 invited talks.
Among Phillips' significant contributions to graduate education at K-State include advising or co-advising 13 master's and 15 doctoral students who have been successfully employed in academia and industry, with many now national or international leaders in their fields. Phillips promotes graduate student professional development, encouraging students to participate in professional conferences and outreach activities as well as to seek funding and engage in networking activities.
Phillips earned his doctorate in biology with a concentration in entomology from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. He joined K-State's entomology department in 2007. His work has been recognized with numerous awards, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture Certificate of Merit, Wendell E. Burkholder Award for Excellence in Stored Product Protection and the New Product Development Award from the Entomological Society of America. He was named the Donald Wilbur Sr. endowed professor for stored product protection at K-State.
Wang has established an internationally known research program on bioconversion of renewable materials into biofuels and chemicals. He has conducted fundamental and applied research to overcome technical barriers for cost-effective production of biofuels from both starch-based feedstocks such as corn, sorghum and millets, and cellulosic biomass such as grass, crop residues and woody biomass. Wang also collaborates with materials scientists to develop biodegradable protein-based adhesives and oil-based resins.
Wang has served as principal investigator on more than 40 projects and co-principal investigator for more than 30 projects. This funded work has exceeded $23 million, with about $5.5 million in direct support of his research. He has authored or co-authored 199 peer-reviewed journal articles and 15 book chapters and holds three U.S. patents.
Among Wang's contributions to graduate education at K-State include advising or co-advising 11 master's and 21 doctoral students. Eight of his previous doctoral students are employed as faculty at universities or as research scientists or engineers at large industries. Since 2002, Wang also has contributed to graduate education through his service on the biological and agricultural engineering graduate committee.
Wang earned his doctorate in biological and agricultural engineering from Texas A&M University. He joined K-State's Carl and Melinda Helwig Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering in 2001. Wang's research has earned several national and international awards from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers; U.S. Department of Agriculture Certificate of Appreciation Award; and the Frankenhoff Outstanding Research Award from the Carl R. Ice College of Engineering at K-State.
Public lectures for Phillips and Wang to present their research will be announced at a later date.
Migette Kaup, professor in the Department of Interior Design and Fashion Studies, and her co-PI, Margaret Calkins of the IDEAs Institute, have been awarded a $246,000 research grant from the National Institute on Health, NIH, to validate a newly developed tool, the Environmental Audit Screening Evaluation, EASE. The EASE is an evidence-based instrument designed to evaluate the discrete elements of the household design in skilled care settings in a manner no other assessment tool does. This tool was developed from several comprehensive reviews of the research on designs for individuals living with dementia.
This project will assess the validity and reliability of the EASE tool against three validated environmental assessment instruments. This level of specificity is necessary to advance our understanding of the role of different aspects of the designed environment on a variety of quality indicators and outcomes related to clinical care as well as behavioral health. Kaup notes, “This research will address limitations of existing assessment instruments by identifying which elements of the environment are associated with specific outcomes for residents, staff, and organizations.”
Kaup has a background in applied research strategies regarding the relationship between the organizational and environmental factors of person-centered care. The outcomes of this project will be a continuation of her work to contribute to this body of knowledge, and make this information accessible to practitioners who can apply strategies that may make a significant and positive impact for people who live and work in long-term care settings.
Calkins is widely recognized as an expert in the creation and evaluation of long-term care settings, particularly for individuals with dementia. She is President of I.D.E.A.S., Inc., and Chair of the Board of the IDEAs Institute, both of which seek to improve environments for elders through the conduct of rigorous, applied research, dissemination of evidence-based information and resources, and individual partnering with designers and care providers.
K-State Student Highlights
Master's student and former faculty in mass communications recognized with conference award
Master's student Ryan Urban and assistant professor Alec Tefertiller — now at Baylor University — took home the top paper award from the Southwest Education Council for Journalism and Mass Communication, which will host its annual research symposium virtually on Oct. 16.
Their paper "Company Responses in Times of Crisis: A Content Analysis of COVID-19 Emails" examined alert emails sent from various companies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and searched for recurring themes in corporate communications during the crisis.
The full paper is set to be published in the Southwestern Mass Communication Journal in February 2021.
The purpose of the Southwest Education Council for Journalism and Mass Communication is to promote the recognition, welfare and progress of journalism and mass communication education in the Southwest region of the United States. K-State is an institutional member slated to host the conference next year.