K-State Current - February 3, 2021

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

Two K-State graduates to receive 2021 Distinguished Young Alumni Award

Two Kansas State University graduates — Dr. Jamie Ball, Clinton, Missouri, and Kristine Davis, Houston, Texas — are the recipients of the K-State Alumni Association Student Alumni Board's 2021 Distinguished Young Alumni Award.

The award recognizes two K-State graduates who are younger than 35 and are using the scholarship, leadership and service experience they acquired at K-State to excel in their professions and contribute to their communities. The Association and Student Alumni Board are honored to have Ball and Davis give virtual keynote presentations on Feb 23.

"This award simultaneously honors some of our most accomplished young graduates while creating new ties among alumni, students and faculty," said Amy Button Renz, Alumni Association president and CEO. "The Alumni Association is pleased to support the Student Alumni Board in presenting this award."

Ball is a Pediatrician at Golden Valley Memorial Hospital. She earned a degree in biology and a secondary major in gerontology both in 2010.

“I am incredibly honored and humbled to receive the Distinguished Young Alumni Award,” Ball said. “To receive such an honor from my Alma Mater, a place I truly love full well, is such a touching award. The opportunities, education, experiences, mentorships and friendships that K-State provided, are what shaped the path that I have taken and allowed me the chance to pursue my dreams.”

While at K-State, Ball was involved in numerous organizations including Blue Key Senior Honorary, Student Governing Association, Union Governing Board, Chimes Junior Honorary, Silver Key Sophomore Honorary, Quest Freshman Honorary, Women Mentoring Women, Alpha Epsilon Delta Pre-Medical Honor Society, Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society, Alpha Chi Omega Sorority, K-State Proud, the KSU Foundation’s Changing Lives Campaign, and Wildcat Warm-Up.

Davis is a xEMU Spacesuit engineer for NASA’s Johnson Space Center. She earned a degree from K-State in 2015 in mechanical engineering.

As a K-State student, Davis was a member of the Society of Women Engineers, Engineering Student Council, Smurthwaite Scholarship/Leadership House, Women in Engineering Mentoring and Steel Ring Engineering Honor Society.

“I am very honored and humbled to be recognized for the DYA award,” Davis said. “I was a member of the Student Alumni Board when I attended K-State and I remember reviewing all the very impressive DYA applications that were submitted each year. It really inspired me as a student to try to make an impact when I left K-State. I am very excited to be recognized as a DYA recipient, and I look forward to speaking with the students about my journey to hopefully inspire them as well.”

This year's award recipients have special ties to the K-State Alumni Association.

"These selections are especially significant as they were both members of the Student Alumni Board at one time, Jamie even served as president for two years," Renz said. "It is a great testament to the quality of students that are involved in that program to have two honorees as past members."

"Kris and Jamie have had outstanding accomplishments so early in their careers," said Tamie Redding, assistant director of student programs and Student Alumni Board adviser. "We are excited to honor these two amazing young professionals and look forward to hosting them on campus so they will have the chance to meet with and inspire our current K-State students."

For more on the Distinguished Young Alumni program, visit k-state.com/DYA.

K-State gets $1.7 million in CARES Act funds to support Kansas manufacturers coping with pandemic

The U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration is awarding a $1.7 million CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to Kansas State University to modernize and retool the university's Technology Development Institute to better assist manufacturers struggling because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The grant will be matched with $425,000 from the Technology Development Institute for a total project of $2.1 million.

The grant will be used to expand the institute's ability to provide cutting-edge technologies needed to design, fabricate and launch new products. This equipment will also ensure that existing manufacturers have the ability to access equipment that may help them to reduce costs and become more efficient with the limited labor availability in today's current manufacturing environment.

Jeff Tucker, executive director of the Technology Development Institute said, "We are extremely pleased that the Economic Development Administration has chosen to support our efforts to support the growth manufacturers and entrepreneurs across the state of Kansas. We believe that this investment will pay dividends for years to come in helping to develop and launch new products and technologies which have a positive impact on the Kansas economy."

"I want to extend my thanks to the U.S. Department of Commerce for making an investment in Kansas State University during a time when our academic institutions have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic," said Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly. "This grant will also spur local job creation and innovation, and support our efforts to continue rebuilding our state's foundation."

U.S. Rep. Roger Marshall, Kansas, said the pandemic had had a huge impact on manufacturing operations across the state.

"With its wide-reaching network and cohort of industry experts, K-State's Technology Development Institute is uniquely positioned to assist impacted manufacturers as they work to respond and recover from the pandemic," Marshall said. "This grant from the Economic Development Administration will create new opportunities for employment, economic growth, and private investment, helping manufacturers pivot operations and retool their workforce to meet the challenges and demands of today's economy."

The K-State Technology Development Institute, a U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration University Center, 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. The institute is part of the Carl R. Ice College of Engineering. Additional information is available at k-state.edu/tdi.

K-State Faculty Highlights

Don Saucier recognized as Professor of the Week

Don Saucier, university distinguished teaching scholar and professor of psychological sciences, as well as the faculty associate director of the Teaching and Learning Center was recognized as Professor of the Week at the Jan. 23 men's home basketball game.

Faculty Senate, the Office of the President, K-State Athletics and the Division of Communications and Marketing wish to recognize his contributions to K-State.

Saucier came to the university in 2004.

His expertise is in social psychology, particularly in the areas of justification and expressions of prosocial and antisocial behavior, including prejudice, as well as in individual differences in masculine honor ideology, social vigilantism and beliefs in pure good and pure evil. He also examines the engagement of teachers and students in teaching and learning. His numerous awards and honors include the Putting Students First Award for Outstanding Service to Students, University Distinguished Faculty Award for Mentoring of Undergraduate Students in Research, William L. Stamey Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award from the College of Arts and Sciences, Commerce Bank Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award, Dr. Ron and Rae Iman Outstanding Faculty Award for Teaching, College of Arts and Sciences Ronald N. Gaches Undergraduate Teaching Award, Presidential Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, and Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues Teaching Resource Prize.

K-State's Cheryl Grice recognized with MLK community service award

A longtime Kansas State University administrator and Manhattan community service volunteer is being honored for her commitment to her community and serving others.

Cheryl Grice, director of strategic relations at Kansas State University, is the recipient of a 2020 Spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Service Award from the Manhattan Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Celebration Committee. She and the two other recipients of the honor were honored in a virtual celebration on Jan. 16.

Nominees for the award must be current Manhattan residents who are active in the community, have shown demonstrated service and long-term commitment in uniting the diversity of the community for the greater good, and have an established record of bringing people together in a non-polarizing manner.

Grice meets and exceeds all of the criteria for the award, according to Pat Hudgins, a previous recipient of the award. Hudgins, associate director of the K-State Career Center, nominated Grice for the award.

"I have known Dr. Cheryl R. Grice for the length of time she has resided in Manhattan, Kansas, and can attest that she goes above and beyond to give of her time and service to this community," Hudgins said. "She serves on many committees ready to extend a hand and sincere heart to remember our most vulnerable and at-risk citizens in many ways."

A Manhattan resident for more than 25 years, Grice has been a dedicated community volunteer and leader. She has served with many organizations that work to improve the lives of the community's residents, including the Flint Hills Breadbasket board of directors, Konza United Way board of directors, Fairy Godmothers Fund, P.E.O., Manhattan Chamber of Commerce board of directors, Boys and Girls Clubs of Manhattan, Little Apple Pilot Club, Wonder Workshop Children's Museum advisory board, USD 383 Diversity Commission, Mayor's COVID-19 Recovery Taskforce and Manhattan's Social Services advisory board.

One of Grice's most recent community service projects was leading a collaborative initiative with the Riley County League of Women Voters, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and the county's aTa Bus service to provide voters with free rides to the polls during the November 2020 general election.

For her service and dedication, Grice has been recognized with the Be the Change Award from the K-State Campaign for Non-Violence, the Greater Manhattan Community Foundation Volunteer of the Year and the 2019 Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce C. Clyde Jones Volunteer of the Year Award. She is a graduate of Leadership Manhattan and the James Coffman Leadership Institute.

K-State Student News

K-12 students compete in plant growing contest while growing their STEM  knowledge Students in Greater Kansas City recently competed in a leafy greens growing contest at Kansas State University's Olathe campus while gaining STEM knowledge and an awareness of food science careers.

The Willie and the Salad Bonanza Contest challenges students to grow different types of greens, including Space Hybrid spinach, Lacinato kale and Black-Seeded Simpson lettuce in one container for 45 days. The annual contest was set up differently this year, as precautions for COVID-19 were taken. Only elementary schools met in person at the beginning of the contest, so the middle and high school divisions adapted their design and growing strategies to operate from home. Seeds were mailed to the participants, as one of the safety strategies.

Each team determined what watering schedule, container type, lighting, fertilizer and temperature would produce the best results. Some designed and constructed greenhouses out of plastic tubs, while others vigilantly watched the weather and brought in growing trays when frost threatened the plants. Participants documented their efforts throughout the growing period and met during pre-assigned arrival times for judging, wherein industry leaders measured the biomass of the plants and ranked the teams.  

"This competition offers the opportunity to engage students like no other experience," said Martha Nowak, K-12 coordinator at K-State Olathe and contest organizer. "Besides being able to consume greens grown personally, spinoff discussions around the family dinner table and in classrooms may center around GMOs, the application of plant nutrition, the complex process of organic certification, and how we will feed the world in 2050. We hope more will take advantage of this activity next fall."

Along with Nowak's help, the contest was made possible with the help of co-sponsor, Compass Minerals. The winners maximized growth using Spring, a plant nutrition developed by Compass Minerals.

Winners are:

• Elementary: Shirk's Squad (second grade) at Prairie Center Elementary, with sponsor Courtney Shirk; 
• Middle School: Burgraff's 4th Hour Science at Baldwin Jr. High School;
• High School: Sydney McCracken of Olathe North High School, with sponsor Greg Krenke

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