Kansas State University

Inaugural Donuts and Research Series presentation April 20

Submitted by Adriana M. Ortiz Aquino

The Kansas State University Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science chapter, a registered departmental student organization, hosts the inaugural Donuts and Research Series for interdisciplinary research presentations from 5:30-6:30 p.m. April 20 at the Morris Family Multicultural Student Center in Room 204.

Donuts and Research is an eclectic array of research from STEM fields that everyone is welcome to attend, including undergraduate and graduate students and researchers. Students from all fields of study are encouraged to attend. Donuts, coffee and snacks will be provided.

Speakers for this session include:

• Jack Sytsma and Kori Howe, biology, present "Saving the Prairie from Drought, One Grass at a Time." The duo cross-transplanted the dominant prairie grass, big bluestem, across the Midwest to study local adaptation to rainfall. Characterizing plant adaption on the local level helps plan for future restoration and conservation efforts in anticipation of subsequent droughts.
• Ramona Weber, kinesiology, presents "Novel Therapeutics Targeting Skeletal Muscle in Heart Failure Oxygenation." The biggest arm of therapy for heart failure patients is exercise, yet there is decreased blood flow to the skeletal muscle at rest and during exercise, which creates a barrier for the heart failure population. Weber's research assesses skeletal muscle oxygenation in heart failure following the administration of various pharmaceuticals.
• Nicholas Vega Anguiano, biology, presents "Does grazing by bison and cattle have a similar impact on tallgrass prairie N-cycling?" The nitrogen cycle is a global microbial-mediated biogeochemical cycle that supports soil fertility and plant growth, and the digestion of plant nitrogen by grazing animals also promotes recycling of nitrogen into plant-available forms in the soil. The extent to which bison and cattle support this terrestrial consumer-driven nitrogen recycling is unclear. He hypothesizes that bison and cattle will have different impacts on tallgrass prairie nitrogen recycling due to differences in management, physiology and behavior. During testing, he sampled upland mineral soils and vegetation in annually burned bison-grazed, cattle-grazed, and ungrazed experimental watersheds at the Konza Prairie.
• Adriana M. Ortiz Aquino, mathematics, presents "An Introduction to Network Theory and the Modulus Problem." Network theory, also known as graph theory, studies mathematical objects, or graphs, which are used to model pairwise relations between objects. The concept of modulus comes from complex analysis and is used to describe the size of a family of curves. This idea was extended to discrete graphs to provide a method to describe the size of a family of objects on a graph. Aquino's research focuses on defining special families of graph objects and calculating the p-modulus of the family.

For more information on upcoming events, follow the K-SACNAS OrgCentral page. For any questions or comments, contact adrianaortiz@k-state.edu or jimenezb@k-state.edu.