Kansas State University

Graduate students recognized at K-State's Research and the State poster forum

Submitted by Taylor Witt

Kansas State University graduate students showcased a diverse range of research and scholarly work at the annual Research and the State graduate student poster forum. Presentations addressed topics such as crop science, food science and safety, animal health and welfare, sustainability, renewable energy, human health and well-being, machine learning, education, and environment and ecology.

The forum took place Oct. 30 in the K-State Student Union courtyard, with 84 graduate students participating — 34 master's and 50 doctoral students. Seven colleges and 25 academic programs were represented, including five graduate students from the K-State Olathe campus.

"The Research and the State forum showcases the incredible impact of graduate research on the Kansas community and beyond," said Claudia Petrescu, vice provost for graduate education and dean of the Graduate School. "This event not only highlights the depth of our students' expertise but also fosters meaningful connections across fields, inspiring collaborative efforts that can lead to innovative solutions for societal challenges."

Graduate student participation in Research and the State has been increasing over the last three years. This year's participation is a 180% increase from 30 participants in 2021. The increased student participation is thanks in part to the graduate faculty members who encourage and support their students' involvement in professional development experiences like this. Sixty-four graduate faculty had at least one graduate student participating in the forum. Of these faculty, 19 had two or more students participating, including two faculty who each had five students presenting.

The success of this forum is also attributable to the involvement of the faculty, staff, postdocs and Donoghue Scholars who volunteered their time as judges. Four members of the Manhattan community, including Mayor Susan Adamchak and Rep. Sydney Carlin, also served as judges. Community judges shared positive feedback, noting how much they enjoyed interacting with the graduate student presenters and were impressed by the quality of their research.

Ten graduate students were selected to represent K-State at the Capitol Graduate Research Summit in March 2025, where they will present their research poster to state legislators alongside graduate students from other Kansas Regents institutions. Each of these students received a $250 award for their outstanding presentation at Research and the State.

• Roselle Barretto, doctoral student in biological and agricultural engineering, for "Sticky solutions: Hemp proteins for sustainable wood adhesives" Barretto's faculty mentor is Donghai Wang, professor of biological and agricultural engineering.
• Kathy Gehl, doctoral student in agronomy, for "Dryland grain sorghum for ethanol production: Establishing accurate carbon intensity scores." Gehl's faculty mentor is Peter Tomlinson, associate professor of agronomy.
• Pedro Henrique Goncalves Pereira de Souza, master's student in grain science, for "Exploring the impact of xylanase sources and dosage on dough and baked product quality." Goncalves Pereira de Souza's faculty mentor is Elisa Karkle, assistant professor of grain science.
• Maryam Kazemidemneh, doctoral student in environmental design and planning, for "Perception of safety at night." Kazemidemneh's faculty mentor is Anne Beamish professor of architecture.
• Nathan Kenney, master's student in kinesiology, for "Running to a better life, combatting exercise intolerance in pulmonary hypertension." Kenney's major professor is David Poole, university distinguished professor of kinesiology and anatomy and physiology.
• Madison Kessler, doctoral student in plant pathology, for "Influence of row spacing, plant population, and variety selection on sudden death syndrome of soybean in Kansas." Kessler's faculty mentor is Rodrigo Onofre, assistant professor of plant pathology.
• Noah Renken, master's student in couple and family therapy, for "An exploration of intimate partner violence, dog abuse, and cat abuse perpetration." Renken's faculty mentor is Chelsea Spencer, research assistant professor of applied human sciences.
• Zahirul Islam Saddam, doctoral student in chemistry, for "Developing next generation Li-S battery by tuning the active sites of MoS2/rGA catalysts." Saddam's faculty mentor is Jun Li, university distinguished professor of chemistry.
• Conrad Schelkopf, doctoral student in pathobiology, for "Electronic nose differentiates healthy cattle from cattle experimentally infected with bovine respiratory disease." Schelkopf's faculty advisor is Brian Lubbers, associate professor of clinical sciences.
• Nishadini Widanagamage, doctoral student in agronomy, for "Using biochar and soil wetting bacteria for soil moisture retention." Widanagamage's faculty advisor is Gaurav Jha, assistant professor of precision agriculture.

Additionally, three graduate students received a $100 award from K-State's chapter of Sigma Xi, a scientific research honor society.

• Oluchi Alaribe, doctoral student in microbiology, for "Role of cyclic diguanylate monophosphate in Clostridioides difficile physiology and virulence." Alaribe's faculty mentor is Revathi Govind, associate professor of biology.
• Vidya Nadar, doctoral student in chemistry, for "Maximizing Drug Transport in Cancer and Related Bacterial Infections." Nadar's faculty advisor is Ryan Rafferty associate professor of chemistry.
• Emmanuel Nwachukwu, master's student in horticulture and natural resources, for "Knowledge on how germination sped of Kentucky bluegrass cultivars influence establishment differences." Nwachukwu's faculty advisor is Ross Braun, assistant professor of turfgrass and landscape management.

Congratulations to the award recipients, and great job to all of the graduate students who presented their research at this year's Research and the State forum.