K-State Current - June 30, 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

A web-based data management system built and maintained by the College of Education at Kansas State University has been selected as the national reporting system for SNAP-Ed, a key federal supplemental nutrition education program.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service recently announced that it has licensed K-State's Program Evaluation and Reporting System, or PEARS, tool for national data collection and reporting in its Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Nutrition Education, or SNAP-Ed.

"I applaud K-State's work in producing a quality reporting system for SNAP Education programs and congratulate them on its nationwide adoption," said U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas. "Effective data collection for federally supported programs and their outcomes are critical to making certain legislators can provide essential oversight of federal resources."

PEARS was developed through a collaboration between the Office of Educational Innovation and Evaluation in the K-State College of Education and K-State Research and Extension as a way to help nutrition education professionals and extension administrators manage program data and demonstrate impact. Since that time, 37 states and more than 6,000 users have adopted PEARS to track their SNAP-Ed efforts.

"A better management system will undoubtedly lead to better health for many who participate in SNAP-Ed across the country," said Ernie Minton, dean of the K-State College of Agriculture and director, K-State Research and Extension. "We're proud this K-State innovation was selected for this critical function and excited that its use will improve lives."

Program evaluation data is entered into PEARS in real time, which allows for data-based decision making related to program progress, implementation and impact. PEARS provides extension and nutrition educators the ability to accurately evaluate and report on a program's impact, make improvements and assess progress. This data helps program staff to better understand what works and why, which ultimately allows for better allocation of time and funding to maximize impact as well as to meet the needs of communities.

"The mission of the College of Education's Office of Educational Innovation and Evaluation is to provide evaluation services through technological innovations that work for and with the people," said Debbie Mercer, dean of the college. "PEARS is an example of the outstanding work that comes from their expertise. We are proud to partner across campus to establish this solution that will now impact the entire nation."

Since its creation, PEARS has been recognized for its value in reporting and demonstrating impact and received the Excellence in Extension Program Evaluation Award from the American Evaluation Association's Extension Education Evaluation Topical Interest Group in 2019.

"The ability to take a platform that was originally developed by K-State for use by Kansas extension staff and work collaboratively with K-State Innovation Partners to develop a novel commercialization model and become the national reporting tool for SNAP-Ed within a five-year period is truly remarkable," said Kent Glasscock, Innovation Partners CEO. "This is a prime example of the world-class technical talent that exists at K-State and the uniquely collaborative environment that university leadership and staff have cultivated to make opportunities like this possible."

Study finds reduction in milk production among anaplasmosis-infected cattle Hans Coetzee, professor and head of the anatomy and physiology department, left, and Andrew Curtis, doctoral student in physiology at Kansas State University, works with a cohort of calves for testing an implantable vaccine platform that may provide long-lasting protection against bovine anaplasmosis.

Researchers at the Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine have published new data suggesting a negative effect on a dairy cow's milk production because of bovine anaplasmosis, a globally widespread livestock disease.

The article, "Assessment of within-herd seroprevalence of Anaplasma marginale antibodies and association with decreased milk production in an Iowa dairy herd," co-authored by Andrew Curtis, a doctoral student in physiology, and Hans Coetzee, professor and head of the anatomy and physiology department, appears in the April issue of Applied Animal Science.

The researchers specifically found that 38% of the animals in the herd tested positive for bovine anaplasmosis, which is linked to significant production losses in cattle in the United States.

"Anaplasmosis has been a large part of my doctoral research," Curtis said. "I was fortunate to be able to revisit a dataset collected in Iowa from 2008-2011 while working on my dissertation. Although the original survey was completed a few years ago, the impact of anaplasmosis on dairy cattle and milk production has remained poorly defined in the literature. We recognized the opportunity to describe the relationship that appears to exist between anti-Anaplasma marginale antibodies and dairy production."

"This study demonstrates the need for careful monitoring for anaplasmosis infection across various geographic regions and especially in open herds not having rigorous diagnostic testing protocols," said David K. Beede, editor-in-chief of Applied Animal Science. "Poor biosecurity practices, such as failure to quarantine just-purchased animals or reusing hypodermic needles among animals for routine treatments, are risk factors."

Cows that tested positive for the Anaplasma marginale antibodies produced significantly less milk than cows that tested negative. The authors concluded that by managing risks connected with new additions to a herd and by eliminating circumstances that may support disease transmission, production and herd health at the facility could have been safeguarded.

"This is an important finding, as it demonstrates the need for further study of the effects of Anaplasma marginale in dairy settings," Coetzee said. "The survey results also indicate that freedom from bovine anaplasmosis cannot be assumed for an entire geographic region."

Caused by the hemobacterium Anaplasma marginale, the clinical signs of the disease, which can be fatal, may include anemia, icterus, fever, weight loss, abortion, lethargy and lack of appetite. Anaplasmosis can be spread through ticks, horseflies and blood-contaminated objects, as well as through the placenta from cow to calf during pregnancy.

Curtis is currently working with a set of calves to test for an implantable vaccine platform that has previously been used against bovine anaplasmosis.

"This is a similar platform to one that our research group used to deliver an anaplasmosis vaccine in the past," Curtis said. "As research continues, we hope to have success with the implantable vaccine platform and prove its ability to deliver a variety of antigens — including, perhaps, a future anaplasmosis vaccine — over an extended period of time."

The authors were supported by Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

K-State Faculty Highlights

Craig Harms named interim dean of College of Health and Human Sciences

Craig Harms, professor and head of the kinesiology department in the Kansas State University College of Health and Human Sciences, will serve as interim dean of the college, effective July 11.

Harms was appointed to the position by Charles Taber, provost and executive vice president, following an internal search. Harms will serve while a national search is conducted to fill the deanship following the departure of John Buckwalter to serve as provost of Boise State University. The search is expected to begin in late August or early September, with a permanent dean hired by spring 2022.

"Dr. Harms has an exceptional record of distinguished academic achievement in research, teaching and leadership, making him well-suited to serve as interim dean of the College of Health and Human Sciences," Taber said.

As interim dean, Harms will serve as the chief academic and administrative officer of the college. He will be responsible for providing leadership, strategic vision and direction and support for the college, along with inspiring, guiding and facilitating a strong and diverse faculty in the advancement of high-quality teaching, research, service and extension.

"I am honored and excited to be named interim dean of the College of Health and Human Sciences and want to thank Provost Taber and the search committee for this opportunity," Harms said. "The college has benefited tremendously from the leadership of Dean John Buckwalter. I look forward to continuing working with our talented faculty, staff, students and alumni to further the mission of our college."

For his teaching and leadership, Harms has been recognized with many university and professional honors, including the 2021 American Kinesiology Association Jerry R. Thomas Distinguished Leadership Award, K-State's 2019 Presidential Award for Outstanding Department Head, 2016 Professorial Performance Award, 2014 Myers-Alford Teaching Award from the College of Human Ecology, 2002 William L. Stamey Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching from the College of Arts and Sciences and K-State's 2000 Presidential Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching

An active researcher, Harms' interests include human stress physiology, cardiopulmonary responses/interactions/limitations to exercise and the environment; factors affecting oxygen transport during exercise and physical training; physiological sex differences; pediatric exercise physiology, inactivity physiology and aging. His work has been supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Army and Department of Defense, American Heart Association, American Lung Association and more. He has authored or co-authored more than 100 refereed publications, book chapters and manuals, and he has presented his work nationally and internationally.

For his work, Harms was named a fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine, served as its vice president in 2017 and on its board of directors for multiple terms. Students under Harms also have excelled, with many of the graduate and undergraduate students he has mentored and supervised earning top research awards for their work.

Harms joined K-State in 1997 as an assistant professor of kinesiology. He was promoted to associate professor in 2001 and to full professor in 2010. He served as associate head of kinesiology from 2013 to 2014 before being named head of the department in 2014. He earned a bachelor's in biology from Nebraska Wesleyan University, a master's in exercise physiology from Colorado State University and a doctorate in physiology from Indiana University. He served as a postdoctoral fellow in cardiopulmonary physiology at the University of Wisconsin before joining K-State.

K-State honors two faculty members as 2021 university distinguished professors

Kansas State University has named Eduard Akhunov, professor of plant pathology, and David Yetter, professor of mathematics, as 2021 university distinguished professors.

The title of university distinguished professor is the highest honor the university bestows on its faculty members and recognizes their outstanding contributions to teaching, research and service to their professions and communities.

"Dr. Akhunov and Dr. Yetter are both extraordinary leaders in their research fields, well-deserving of the highest faculty honor at Kansas State University," said Charles Taber, university provost and executive vice president. "I am delighted that they were selected by a committee of university distinguished professors to join their ranks, and I know that they will continue to bring great credit to K-State as UDPs."

University distinguished professors are appointed following a universitywide nomination and evaluation process conducted by the provost. Akhunov and Yetter will receive a personalized plaque and medallion at the university's fall 2021 commencement ceremonies.

Akhunov specializes in bread wheat genetics and developing new resources and tools for improving this vital crop. In his research, he uses next-generation sequencing technologies, bioinformatics, high-throughput phenotyping, molecular genetics and genome editing to develop germplasm with improved disease resistance, grain quality and yield potential.

Akhunov serves as the director and principal investigator of the International Wheat Yield Partnership's Winter Wheat Breeding Innovation Hub, which was established at K-State in 2020. The hub is a public-private partnership among national and international wheat breeding programs, government organizations and industry and is funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture. The partnership's main goal is to translate research findings into improved wheat varieties for U.S. growers.

His research group led the development of major open-access technological platforms for characterizing the wheat genetic diversity and creating a worldwide catalog of genomic variation in wheat to establish public resources for breeding and genetic applications. The Akhunov Lab's work advanced understanding of the mechanisms of wheat resistance against a stem rust disease that could cause devastating epidemics severely reducing crop production. This research opened new opportunities for designing resistant wheat varieties using biotechnology and developing strategies for predicting the virulence of emerging strains of rust pathogens. His team leads efforts to deploy the CRISPR genome-editing technology for improving disease resistance, yield and quality traits in wheat germplasm.

Akhunov joined K-State in 2007 and has advised 25 graduate students and postdoctoral scholars. His research has been supported by nearly $40 million in funding from organizations such as the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, the National Science Foundation, the Kansas Wheat Commission and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. His work also has resulted in more than 90 peer-reviewed papers, four book chapters, one patent and more than 100 speaking invitations. He serves on the editorial boards of two scientific journals.

Akhunov was noted as the Highly Cited Most Influential Researcher by Web of Science Group in 2018. He received the 2016 Outstanding Papers in Plant Genetics Resources award from the Crop Science Society of America and the 2014 USDA NIFA Partnership Award for Program Improvements Through Global Engagement. He is a member of the American Association for Advancement of Science, the American Association of Plant Biologists and the Crop Science Society of America.

Akhunov earned a doctoral degree from the Institute of Genetics in Moscow. Before joining K-State, Akhunov was a researcher at the Institute of Biochemistry and Genetics of the Russian Academy of Sciences and a project scientist at the University of California, Davis.

Yetter's primary area of research has been the application of category theory to low dimensional topology, including knot theory and topological quantum field theory, but he also has published papers in deformation theory, geometry, graph theory, logic and functional analysis.

Yetter's work has been supported by research grants totaling more than $1.5 million from the National Science Foundation. He has received five Faculty Development Awards from K-State to support travel related to professional development. In 2018, Yetter delivered a two-week short course at Nanjing Agricultural University in Nanjing, China. During the spring of 2020 he was a research professor with the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute.

He has given more than 45 talks as an invited speaker or presenter and published 47 journal or refereed proceedings articles. He has advised five doctoral students, served as editor of two conference proceedings volumes and written 11 widely distributed unpublished manuscripts and the monograph "Functorial Knot Theory."

Yetter is a graduate and undergraduate student advisor as well as a member of the K-State President's Committee on Religion, Spiritual and Nonreligious Diversity. He serves on numerous departmental committees. He is the co-director of K-State's mathematics Research Experiences for Undergraduates, or REU, program called SUMaR. He is a member of the Phi Beta Kappa national honor society and serves as associate editor for Applied Categorical Structures and the Journal of Knot Theory and its Ramifications.

Before coming to K-State in 1991, Yetter taught at Ohio State University, Clark University and the University of Pennsylvania. He also held research positions with the Institute for Advanced Study and with McGill University and the Groupe Interuniversitaire en Études Catégoriques in Montreal. He was a visiting fellow in mathematics at Macquarie University in North Ryde, Australia.

K-State Student News

Women in K-State Polytechnic's pilot program are proving the sky is the limit Piper Wasinger, Macy McMillan, Karen Morrison, Heather Thummel and Cristina Duron Tabora are part of the growing number of women in K-State Polytechnic's professional pilot program.

Many pilot students have fellow aviators to look up to and seek advice and support from, but for women in the aviation industry, this kind of camaraderie can be harder to find. Kansas State University Polytechnic Campus is changing that.

K-State Polytechnic's interim chief pilot Brandy Shaw and assistant chief pilot Karen Morrison are both accomplished female pilots and are in rare company. According to the Women in Aviation International, only 7.9% of pilots are female.

It is because of this leadership, in part, that K-State Polytechnic has seen a rise in women joining its professional pilot program.

From the start of the 2019 academic year, the professional pilot program has seen the number of female students nearly double. Twelve percent of all professional pilot students on the campus, located in Salina, are female. The number of women passing check rides — where students prove they understand and can perform specific maneuvers and pass a challenging written exam — has set a record for the campus and shows great promise for increasing the impact of women in the aviation industry as a whole.

"In spring semester completions alone, from February to June, we saw eight women complete successful check rides," Shaw said. "It's an incredible impact on our campus and I'm excited to see the future of the aviation industry."

The uptick in the number of female pilot students, who come from around the world, at K-State Polytechnic can be attributed to a more diversified recruitment strategy and positive, supportive mentorship from other female pilots, according to Shaw and Morrison.

Along with her role as assistant chief pilot, Morrison is also the advisor for the K-State Polytechnic chapter of Women in Aviation, an organization dedicated to the encouragement and advancement of women in all aviation career fields. She is excited to see both men and women passionate about the cause and becoming active chapter members.

"It's been an exciting adventure advising Women in Aviation," Morrison said. "My favorite part is when we show younger kids all the different sides to the aviation industry and hopefully inspire them to dream big."

Having women in leadership roles at K-State Polytechnic also is beneficial for students when looking at their future careers. Heather Thummel, sophomore in professional pilot from Topeka, said it paints a picture of the future.

"It's inspirational to see women in leadership roles and it shows me that I can do that one day, too," Thummel said.

Thummel wants to be part of the new Wildcat Mentor program, created by fellow professional pilot student Trey Varner, to let future female pilots know they are not alone and can pave their own way.

"Being involved in the Wildcat Mentor program can show younger students that, as upperclassmen, we've been where you are and you can do this too," Thummel said. "There's a camaraderie that is shared among the female pilots to let each other know you support them."

Morrison said a common desire of her students is to serve as mentors for incoming students.

"All of our successful pilot students are driven and aspirational," Morrison said. "They have a desire to show younger kids interested in aviation that your dream is possible — we're doing it, so can you, and we're here to support you."

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