K-State Research Forum award winners
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
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The following students were selected as the top presenters in the various presentation sessions of the 19 annual K-State
Research Forum (KRF). For each presentation session listed below, the first place winner received a $500 scholarship award,
and his or her name was engraved on a perpetual plaque to be displayed in the student's respective department until the next
year's K-State Research Forum. Second and third place winners received scholarships in the amounts of $250 and $125,
respectively. Unless otherwise stated, awards were funded by the Graduate Student Council with funds provided by the Kansas
State University President and Provost offices.
Agricultural Sciences Oral Session
The following awards were funded by Dow AgroSciences
Place
1
st
2
nd
3
rd
Name
Joshua Craver
Jonathan Wilson
Leonardo Bastos
Degree Program
Horticulture, MS
Grain Science, PhD
Agronomy, MS
Faculty Advisor
Presentation Title
Kimberly Williams
Effects of UVB Radiation on
Intumescence Development in
Ipomoea Batatas
Praveen Vadlani
Nutritional Enhancement of Dried
Distiller’s Grains with Solubles Via
Sporobolomyces Roseus
Fermentation
Charles Rice
Nitrogen Fertilizer Source and
Placement Effects on N2O
Emissions And Grain Yield in No-Till
Corn
Biological Sciences Oral Session 1
The following awards were funded by Dow AgroSciences
Place
Name
Degree Program
Faculty Advisor
Presentation Title
1st
Joshua Urban
Entomology, PhD
Yoonseong Park
Investigating Prostaglandin E2
Synthase in the Blacklegged Tick,
Ixodes scapularis
Brian McCornack
A Comparative Study on the
Distribution of Adult Dectes Texanus
in Continuously Planted Soybean
Fields
2nd
Alice Harris
Entomology, PhD
Biological Sciences Oral Session 2
The following first place award was funded by Dow AgroSciences
Place
Name
Degree Program
Faculty Advisor
1st
Sherry Haller
Microbiology, PhD
Stefan Rothenburg
2nd
Chen Peng
Microbiology, PhD
Stefan Rothenburg
Molecular Mechanisms of Host
Range Genes in Vaccinia Virus
3rd
Cameron Hunter
Plant Pathology, PhD
Richard Todd
Multiple Nuclear Localization Signals
Mediate Nuclear Localization of the
GATA Transcription Factor AreA
Presentation Title
Host Species-Specific Inhibition of
Protein Kinase R By
Leporipoxviruses
Engineering, Math, and Physical Sciences Oral Session 1
Place
Name
Degree Program
Faculty Advisor
1st
Mohamed Ismail
Nuclear Engineering,
PhD
William Dunn
2
nd
3rd
Presentation Title
X-Ray Interrogation of Materials
Using Dense Plasma Focus for
Homeland Security
Logan Kelly
Geology, MS
Matthew Totten
An Investigation into the Effects and
Implications of Gamma Radiation on
Organic Matter, Crude Oil, and
Hydrocarbon Production
Amgad Mohamed
Nuclear Engineering,
PhD
William Dunn
Using D-D Fusion Neutrons for
Material Interrogation for the
Homeland Security Purposes
Engineering, Math, and Physical Sciences Oral Session 2
Place
Name
Degree Program
Faculty Advisor
Presentation Title
1st
Mary Harner
Physics, MS
Brian Washburn
Mid-IR Optical Fiber Transmission
for Gas Filled Photonic Crystal
Lasers
2nd
Neda Dadashzadeh
Physics, PhD
Kristan Corwin
Demonstrating a Mid-Infrared
Optically Pumped Gas-Filled HollowCore Fiber Laser
3rd
Fatemah
Shirmohammadi
Civil Engineering,
PhD
Asad Esmaeily
A Software to Capture the Real
Performance of RC Columns
Social Sciences, Humanities, and Education Oral Session
The following first place award was funded by Dow AgroSciences
Place
Name
Degree Program
Faculty Advisor
Presentation Title
1st
Donka Milke
Animal Science, MS
Randall Phebus
Impact of Food Safety Messages on
Consumer Food Handling Behaviors
2nd
Taylor Wadian
Psychology, PhD
Mark Barnett
Examining The Role of Various Fault
Attributions in Children’s Anticipated
Response to Hypothetical Peers with
Undesirable Characteristics
3rd
Brock Ingmire
Communication
Studies, MS
Sarah Rigorgiate
The Role of Frames and Talk in
Public Deliberation: A Roadmap of
Deliberative Dialogue
Interdisciplinary Research Oral Session
Half of the first place award for this session was funded by the K-State chapter of Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Association.
The third place award was funded by Dow AgroSciences.
Place
Name
Department
Faculty Advisor
Presentation Title
1st
Tharanga Kumudini
Wijethunga
Chemistry, PhD
Christer Aakeroy
Stabilizing Liquid Chemicals Using
Co-Crystallization Technique
2nd
Kyleen Kelly
Geography, MS
Kendra McLauchlan
Paleoecological Reconstruction of a
Modern Subalpine Whitebark Pine
(Pinus Albicaulis) Community in
Grand Teton National Park,
Wyoming, Usa
3rd
Kyle Probst
Grain Science, PhD
Praveen Vadlani
Utilization of Hemicellulose-Rich
Biomass Feedstocks for the
Production of Single Cell Oils
Faculty Advisor
Presentation Title
Agricultural Sciences Poster Session
The following awards were funded by Dow AgroSciences
Place
Name
Degree Program
st
Nathanial Dorsey
Agronomy, MS
Nathan Nelson
Variation in Nitrogen Use Efficiency
And Nitrogen Response in Winter
Wheat Varieties Common to the
Central Great Plains
2nd
Jennifer Frederick
Grain Science, PhD
Bhadriraju
Subramanyam
Characterizing the Effectiveness of
Commercial Heat Treatments
1
Biological Sciences Poster Session
Place
Name
Degree Program
Faculty Advisor
Presentation Title
1st
Clark Holdsworth
Physiology, PhD
Timothy Musch
Blockade of ATP-Sensitive
Potassium Channels Impairs
Vascular Control in Exercising Rats
Engineering, Math, and Physical Sciences Poster Session
Place
1
st
2nd
Name
Kaley Oldani
Joshua Weese
Degree Program
Civil Engineering, MS
Computer Science,
PhD
Faculty Advisor
Presentation Title
Natalie Mladenov
Evaluating the Contributions of
Atmospheric Deposition of Carbon
and Other Nutrients to Nitrification in
Alpine Environments
William Hsu
Predicitve Analytics in Digital Signal
Processing: A Convolutive Model for
Polyphonic Instrument Identification
and Pitch Detection Using Combined
Classification
Social Sciences, Humanities, and Education 1 Poster Session
Place
Name
1st
Mitchel Loring
2nd
Yijing Li
3rd
Kelsie Doty
Degree Program
Regional and
Community Planning,
MS
Faculty Advisor
Presentation Title
Jason Brody
Designing Civic Spaces with Social
Media
Human Ecology, PhD
Tandalayo Kidd
Measurement Of Built Environment
That Support Physical Activity In
Low-Income Communities
Sherry Haar
Exploration of Natural Dyes from
Native Kansas Walnut, Osage
Orange, and Cedar Sawdust on
Ccotton Yarn for Use in a HandWoven Garment
Apparel and Textiles,
MS
Social Sciences, Humanities, and Education 2 Poster Session
Place
Name
Degree Program
Faculty Advisor
Presentation Title
1st
Erika Smith
Marriage and Family
Therapy, PhD
Sandra Stith
Risk Factors for Spouse Abuse in the
Military: A Meta-Analysis
Mary Cain
The Effects of Enrichment and Social
Isolation on Fluoxetine-Induced
Forced Swim Test Behavior in Male
Rats
Mark Haub
The Seated Inactivity Trial (S.I.T):
Physical Activity Outcomes
Associated with Eight Weeks of
Imposed Sedentary Behavior
2
nd
3
rd
David Arndt
Brooke Cull
Psychology, PhD
Public Health, MS
Undergraduate Oral Session
Place
1
st
Name
Jeffrey Murray
Degree Program
Physics
Faculty Advisor
Presentation Title
Sanjay Rebello
Visual Cueing and Feedback
Influencing Undergraduate Students’
Reasoning Resources on
Conceptual Physics Problems
2nd
Matthew Galliart
Biology
Loretta Johnson
How Does Phenology and Seed
Production of Big Bluestem
(Andropogon Gerardii) Vary across
the Climate Gradient of the Great
Plains? A Reciprocal Garden
Approach to Distinguish Roles of Site
and Ecotype
3rd
Brooke Harshaw
Agricultural
Communications
Lauri Baker
Assessing And Developing
Departmental Recruitment
Processes
Undergraduate Poster Session 1
Place
1
st
Name
Alexander Fees
Degree Program
Human Nutrition
Faculty Advisor
Presentation Title
Timothy Musch
Impact of Nitrate Supplementation
Via Beetroot Juice on Capillary
Hemodynamics in Skeletal Muscle of
Rats in Chronic Heart Failure
2nd
Obdulia
Covarrubias
Biochemistry
Dorith Rotenberg
Investigating the Effects of Elevated
Temperature on Tomato Spotted Wilt
Virus Accumulation and Expression
of Putative Heat-Shock Protein
Genes in the Insect Vector,
Frankliniella Occidentalis
3rd
Jazmin Zeledon
Biology
Anna Whitfield
Characterizing the Insect Vector
Response to Rhabdovirus Infection
Undergraduate Poster Session 2
Place
Name
Degree Program
Faculty Advisor
Presentation Title
1st
Laura Walker
Family Studies and
Human Services
Briana Goff
Trauma Disclosure: A Comparison of
Trauma Symptoms and Relationship
Quality in Military Couples
2
nd
3rd
Christy Peterson
Psychology
Mary Cain
The Effects of Fluoxetine and
Environmental Enrichment on the
Expression of Depressive-like States
in Male Rats
Blake Johns
Kinesiology
Katie Heinrich
Affective Responses To Various
Exercise Training Modalities