March 16, 2015
K-State nominates four students for national Udall Scholarships
Submitted by Communications and Marketing
Kansas State University has nominated four students for the $5,000 Morris K. Udall Scholarship Competition: Brenden J. Armstrong, Robert J. Scharping, Margaret J. Spangler and Jordan C. Thomas.
The Udall scholarship is awarded to students who demonstrate a commitment to a career related to environmental protection, or to students who are Native Americans or Native Alaskans seeking careers in tribal policy or health care.
Armstrong is a junior in horticultural sciences from Lawrence. He is co-chair of the Ag Council's Ag-Fest Committee and a member of the Horticulture Club and Throckmorton Greenhouse Renovation Committee. As an undergraduate, he has researched sorghum utilization for biofuel and currently is researching phytochemical variation in response to climate change.
Scharping is a junior in biodiversity and conservation biology from Wichita. He is president of the student chapter of the American Fisheries Society and a member of the Gamma Theta Upsilon geography honor society. As an undergraduate, he has researched whale sharks and coral reefs in the Caribbean, ecology of grassland and desert streams in Kansas and New Mexico, and the composition of modern and ancient landscapes.
Spangler is a senior in biological systems engineering from Overland Park. She is the second chair for open house for the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, and a member of Students for Environmental Action, Engineers Without Borders and K-State Orchestra. As an undergraduate, she is researching how carbon dioxide levels will affect cyanobacteria blooms.
Thomas is a junior in anthropology from Atchison. He is the secretary of the Anthropology Club, chair of the Student Review Board and an anthropology teaching assistant and tutor. As an undergraduate, he has researched the community cohesion on a volunteer fruit farm in Costa Rica and is currently researching an innovative community garden project in Kansas City. In addition, Thomas rode his bicycle from Kansas to Guatemala and hitch-hiked/hiked to Colombia to experience life on the underside of our global economic system.
To learn more about competing for future Udall Scholarships or other scholarships while a student at K-State, contact Jim Hohenbary at jimlth@k-state.edu.