November 20, 2014
Agricultural honorary society inducts new student, faculty leaders
The Eta chapter of Gamma Sigma Delta recently welcomed 21 new members. These high-achieving students and faculty were recognized at the chapter's annual fall initiation banquet this past month.
Gamma Sigma Delta focuses on scholarship, research and service to challenge those engaged in agriculture and related sciences to advance the agricultural industry.
"I have been emphasizing the rallying call of feeding 9 billion people by 2050, and the need for really smart and innovative people to commit themselves to helping meet that challenge from a variety of disciplines," said Eta chapter President Barry Bradford.
To receive an invitation to join Gamma Sigma Delta, faculty members, alumni, graduate students and undergraduate students must be outstanding in their specified fields or achieve high scholastic standings. Areas of focus include all areas of agriculture, as well as statistics, human ecology, biochemistry, biology and chemistry.
Grain science and industry department head Dirk Maier spoke to the members and initiates at the banquet with his address, "Global Food Security and K-State's Contributions through the Feed and Future Initiative."
Initiates included faculty members Jonathan Aguilar, Isaya Kisekka, Luis Mendonca, Travis O'Quinn, Peggy Shaw-McBee and Praveen Vadlani; graduate students Matti Kuykendall and Michelle Pavlick; and undergraduate students Julie Bitter, Amanda Dainton, Suzy Fowler, Amelia Govert, Alicia Hampton, Theresa Jardine, Kaitlin Morgan, Roxann Steinlage, Garrett Stevenson, Amanda Stricker, Lisa Tenny, Elizabeth Wilk and Candice Wilson.
Additionally, 26 students received the First Year Performance Award, recognized for scholastic achievement in their first two semesters at Kansas State University. Recipients included Kyle Anderson, Brenden Armstrong, Rebecca Biswell, Heidi Brees, Anna Brokesh, Izabella Carmona, Joseph Coonrod, Allison Fisher, Blake Foraker, Garrison Gundy, Courtney Hess, Emma Kelly, Lara Kerner, Mi Kim, Bailey McClelland, Connor McClelland, Riley Mickelsen, Michael Moore, Olivia Orth, Rachel Proteau, Joseph Prudhomme, Kenan Reeh, Adam Schieferecke, Elizabeth Stietzle, Renae Tokach and Rachel Zimmerman.
This international honorary society of agriculture was founded in 1907, and the Kansas State University's chapter was the sixth to be chartered. In addition to celebrating the annual fall initiation banquet, the chapter partners with the College of Agriculture to host the Undergraduate Research Showcase.