http://www.k-state.edu/geography/ News stories featuring the events, research, and accomplishments of the students and faculty in the Department of Geography at Kansas State University. http://www.k-state.edu/today/announcement.php?id=1602 Climate change will be the topic when the 2011 distinguished alumnus of Kansas State University's department of geography presents a lecture Friday, Oct. 28. Kay Weller, associate professor of geography at the University of Northern Iowa, will speak at 3:30 p.m. in 132 Seaton Hall. Her topic will be "Farm Adjustments to Climate Change: A Farmer Perspective." At that time, Weller will also be honored as the department's 2011 distinguished alumnus. KSU Communications and Marketing 2011-10-17 http://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/jul11/ysi72111.html Papers and posters authored or co-authored by K-State geography faculty made a strong showing at the Great Plains/Rocky Mountain regional meeting of the Association of American Geographers meeting Oct. 8 in Denver. KSU Communications and Marketing 2011-10-17 http://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/jul11/ysi72111.html A Kansas State University doctoral student has earned national recognition for her research focusing on river environments and ways to improve stream restoration. Katie Costigan, doctoral student in geography, Glocester, R.I., has received the first YSI Graduate Student Scholarship and Equipment Loan, which includes a $10,000 scholarship, a $1,000 travel stipend and a loan of river monitoring equipment to use for her research. The award is the first of its kind from YSI Inc., an international Ohio-based company that develops water-monitoring equipment. Jennifer Tidball, KSU Media Relations 2011-07-21 http://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/jul11/brazildeforestation71411.html A Kansas State University geographer is part of a research team out to prove what environmental scientists have suspected for years: Increasing the production of soybean and biofuel crops in Brazil increases deforestation in the Amazon. Although this cause-and-effect finding seems fairly straightforward, the issue of deforestation in the Amazon is more complex and more devastating than previously believed, said Marcelus Caldas, an assistant professor of geography at K-State. Greg Tammen, KSU Media Relations 2011-07-14 http://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/may11/harrington53111.html A Kansas State University climate expert attributes the increase in the number and severity of tornadoes and severe storms in 2011 to a change in weather patterns. John Harrington Jr., professor of geography, is a synoptic climatologist who examines the factors behind distinctive weather events. He credits the increased tornado production this year to jet stream patterns in the upper atmosphere. The patterns have created synoptic events such as the April tornado outbreak in Alabama and recent tornado in Joplin, Mo. While these events are not unprecedented, they are significant, he said. Tyler Sharp, KSU Media Relations 2011-05-31 http://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/may11/rivermapping52311.html The Kansas River has countless habitats within its banks, but examining them has been problematic because of the river's size, which stretches 170 miles from Geary County to Wyandotte County. The river's size is no longer a hindrance. Thanks to a special camera and a collaboration by several Kansas State University departments on the Manhattan and Salina campuses, researchers are getting a clearer image of the river's habitats than ever before. Melinda Daniels, associate professor of geography, was awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation in August 2009 to conduct habitat assessments on the Kansas River. Tyler Sharp, KSU Media Relations 2011-05-23 http://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/apr11/weather41211.html Natural disasters like hurricanes, tornadoes and floods occur every year, but are they getting worse? A Kansas State University expert says not yet -- but they could soon. Bimal Paul, professor of geography at K-State, researches, among other interests, natural hazards and human-environment interactions. Although Paul does not believe that weather severity has significantly increased in recent years, he thinks that may change in the next 20 years. Calin Cooney, KSU Media Relations 2011-04-12 http://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/mar11/marston33011.html A Kansas State University geographer will spend the 2011-2012 school year as a Jefferson Science fellow assisting the U.S. government with foreign policy. Richard A. Marston, university distinguished professor and head of the K-State department of geography, begins his 12-month fellowship in mid-August. The Jefferson Science Fellowships allow tenured academic scientists and engineers from institutions of higher learning in the U.S. to help form and implement national foreign policy. The program is administered by the National Academies and supported through a partnership with the science, technology and engineering academic community, professional scientific societies and the U.S. Department of State. 2011-03-30 http://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/jan10/beavers10310.html When engineers restore rivers, one Kansas State University professor hopes they'll keep a smaller engineer in mind: the North American beaver. Beavers are often called ecosystem engineers because they can radically alter stream or valley bottom ecosystems, said Melinda Daniels, an associate professor of geography who recently studied the connection between beavers and river restoration. Beaver dams create diverse river landscapes, she said, and can turn a single-thread channel stream into a meadow, pond or multichannel, free-flowing stream. Jennifer Torline, KSU Media Relations 2011-01-03 http://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/nov10/carbon112310.html Soil that was once thought to be the least vulnerable to decomposition is actually the most sensitive to increasing temperatures, making it more likely to release carbon into the atmosphere as the climate warms, according to researchers at Kansas State University and a colleague in Colorado. Joseph Craine, K-State research assistant professor of biology; Kendra McLauchlan, K-State assistant professor of geography; and Noah Fierer, assistant professor of ecology at the University of Colorado at Boulder, are the authors of "Widespread Coupling between the Rate and Temperature Sensitivity of Organic Matter Decay," published recently in the journal Nature Geoscience. Their data will be used to develop a model for more accurately predicting future global warming. Stephanie Jacques, KSU Media Relations 2010-11-23 http://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/nov10/joern110310.html Scientists at Konza Prairie Biological Station have received major funding for research on critical questions about the underlying decisions made by grazing animals and the effects on grassland dynamics. Konza is jointly owned by Kansas State University and The Nature Conservancy and managed by K-State's Division of Biology. The National Science Foundation recently awarded Tony Joern, university distinguished professor in biology at K-State, and collaborators John Briggs, director of Konza Prairie Biological Station; Douglas Goodin, professor of geography; Adam Skibbe, information manager in biology; and Gene Towne, research associate in biology, $750,000 to study how and why grazing animals choose certain feeding locations, and the impact of the grazing on the tallgrass prairie ecology. Stephanie Jacques, KSU Media Relations 2010-11-03 http://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/nov10/walker110110.html A geographer who has traveled Amazonia extensively for his research will take part in Kansas State University's Distinguished Lecturer Series. Robert Walker, professor of geography at Michigan State University, will present "Biofuels and the Green Energy of Amazonia" at 2:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 12, in the Cottonwood Room at the K-State Student Union. The lecture is free and open to the public. Sponsors include the provost's office; the department of geography and Marcelus Caldas, assistant professor of geography; Ben Champion, director of sustainability at K-State; the department of agronomy; the Division of Biology; and K-State's chapter of Gamma Theta Upsilon, the international honor society in geography. KSU Media Relations 2010-11-01 http://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/sept10/climatechange91510.html A newly formed partnership will enable Kansas State University to help rural communities identify ways to adjust to future climate scenarios that may affect their families and livelihoods. The Central Great Plains Climate Change Education Partnership will include both agricultural and rural education stakeholders, as well as K-State Research and Extension and the Center for Instructional Innovation at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. It is supported by a two-year, $1 million National Science Foundation grant. Jennifer Torline, KSU Media Relations 2010-09-15 http://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/aug10/oilspill83110.html Matthew Hosey says he's had lots of jobs, but none has been as stressful or chaotic as his last one: helping keep tabs on the massive Gulf oil spill. Hosey, who earned his bachelor's in geography from Kansas State University in May, put his degree and skills in geographic information systems to work as a GIS analyst at an oil spill incident command post in Mobile, Ala. His job was collecting and distributing data related to the spill, including making maps. The maps were used daily by the top people making tactical plans for dealing with the spill. "I also was in charge of presenting maps every day in the situation unit briefings to the highest personnel in the response, including British Petroleum senior executives, the captain of the U.S. Coast Guard and many others," said Hosey, a graduate of Goddard High School. Beth Bohn, KSU Media Relations 2010-09-01 http://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/jun10/geoggrant62310.html A Kansas State University geography professor and graduate student will study mass movement of rock and cross-valley profiles in Grand Teton National Park. Their work could enhance park safety. K-State's Richard Marston begin_of_the_skype_highlighting end_of_the_skype_highlighting, university distinguished professor of geography, and Brandon Weihs, graduate student in geography, Crescent, Iowa, will conduct their research July 6-Aug. 5 in Grand Teton National Park in northwestern Wyoming. The pair received a $5,000 grant from the University of Wyoming's National Park Service Research Station for the project. Rosie Hoefling, KSU Media Relations 2010-06-23 http://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/jun10/hantavirus60710.html If a picture is worth a thousands words, several pictures may hold the key to combating a deadly disease, one Kansas State University researcher believes. Since 2004, Doug Goodin, professor of geography, has been using remote sensing in Paraguay and Brazil to study the effects of the hantavirus in relation to changes in the physical landscape. Specifically, Goodin said he is examining how these physical changes are affecting mice and other small mammals that are the reservoirs of the virus, and in return how these hantavirus varieties are affected by changes in the reservoir species. A reservoir is host organisms in which the virus can replicate. Greg Tammen, KSU Media Relations 2010-06-07 http://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/may10/burning52710.html When farmers and ranchers burn grassland each spring, it's difficult to track just how much grass is burned and the impact of that smoke. That's why Rhett Mohler, a Kansas State University doctoral student in geography, Wakeeney, is developing a new technique to accurately track the burning of tallgrass prairie in Kansas and Oklahoma. Mohler's project also could enable the modeling of smoke plumes, which could help predict the effects of burning's byproducts downwind. Katie Mays, KSU Media Relations 2010-05-27 http://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/may10/vailwells51010.html Two Kansas State University doctoral candidates have received grants to help further research for their dissertations. David Vail, doctoral candidate in history, Manhattan, has received two travel research grants from the Chemical Heritage Foundation in Philadelphia, Pa., while Jim Wells, doctoral candidate in geography, Averill Park, N.Y., has received a grant from the Charles Redd Center for Western Studies at Brigham Young University. Beth Bohn, KSU Media Relations 2010-05-10 http://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/may10/mclauchlan50310.html To understand how global change is happening today, a Kansas State University professor is looking back 10,000 years at nitrogen availability in forest and grassland ecosystems. Kendra McLauchlan, assistant professor of geography, is receiving a nearly $440,000 National Science Foundation CAREER Award to examine contrasts in vegetation history among three sites and to reconstruct past changes in nitrogen cycling and other ecosystem properties. McLauchlan is the sixth K-State professor this year to receive the award. Erinn Barcomb-Peterson, KSU Media Relations 2010-05-03 http://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/feb10/winegis21710.html Using geography, a Kansas State University professor and his colleague are working to back up what wine-lovers already know to be true. That is, the difference that soil, weather and location make in the taste of a vintage. The French refer to it as "terroir," and the researchers' goal is to scientifically identify and map terroir categories that will benefit the producers who make wines and the connoisseurs who enjoy drinking them. Shawn Hutchinson, a K-State associate professor of geography on sabbatical in France, is working with Michael Gay, a professor at the University of Toulouse-Ecole d'Ingenieurs de Purpan. They are using geographic information systems -- known as GIS -- to quantify the impact of place on the quality of grapes and the wine that is produced. Erinn Barcomb-Peterson, KSU Media Relations 2010-02-17 http://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/feb10/mexlarson20210.html Jeffrey S. Smith, associate professor of cultural geography at Kansas State University, will present the spring semester's first Vernon Larson International Luncheon Lecture, "Three Types of Migrants Out of Rural Mexico," at 12:20 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 16. The lecture, which is free and open to the public, will be preceded by a luncheon at 11:45 a.m. Both events will be at the Holiday Inn at 17th Street and Anderson Avenue. The luncheon costs $15 and reservations, which are required, may be made by Friday, Feb. 12, at 532-5990. Katie Mayes, KSU Media Relations 2010-02-03 http://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/feb10/smithnwstip20110.html For news coverage related to the 2010 census that gets underway in March, Kansas State University has a researcher available to discuss cultural and ethnic change in Latino communities throughout the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains. Jeffrey Smith is an associate professor of cultural geography, and his research includes Topeka's Oakland neighborhood and communities in southwest Kansas. KSU Media Relations 2010-02-02 http://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/dec09/unharrington120709.html John Harrington Jr., professor of geography at Kansas State University, is serving as an official observer at the U.N. Conference on Global Climate Change, Dec. 7-18, in Copenhagen, Denmark. Harrington will represent the American Association of Geographers and will be one of approximately 15,000 observers from across the globe. He said that his experience will provide valuable perspective to energy and climate projects affecting Kansas. Katie Mayes, KSU Media Relations 2009-12-08 http://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/oct09/geobowl100909.html Knowing such facts like destinations along the Silk Road and the position of the sun on the winter solstice has helped a team from Kansas State University win the GeoBowl at the recent annual meeting of the Association of American Geographers Great Plains-Rocky Mountain Division. "We were very excited to win the division tournament," said Tyra Olstad, a K-State team member and doctoral student in geography from Tonawanda, N.Y. Olstad tied for first place in individual scores for the GeoBowl. She will be on the select team representing the Great Plains-Rocky Mountain Division at the World Geography Bowl, a part of the national meeting of the Association of American Geographers, April 14-18, 2010, in Washington, D.C. The division team is selected from the top individual scorers at the event. Beth Bohn, KSU Media Relations 2009-10-09 http://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/sept09/sistblty92209.html From book titles to real estate developments, it's easier to find things claiming to be sustainable than it is to define it. That's why a Kansas State University geographer is trying to pin down exactly what sustainability means to those who might be trying to work toward it. Her goal is to better understand what is important to people who have to make decisions about what to sustain with the hope that this will later help civic and business leaders in rural communities make more informed decisions about sustainability. Lisa Harrington is a K-State professor of geography whose interest is in rural geography. She is teaching a K-State class in sustainability science and said one of the big issues in teaching such a course is developing a good sense of what sustainability means and communicating that to students. Erinn Barcomb-Peterson, KSU Media Relations 2009-09-22 http://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/april09/nwayant43009.html Kansas State University senior has received a Science and Mathematics Research for Transformation scholarship through the U.S. Department of Defense for graduate studies in geography, and is the recipient of K-State's 2009 Presidential Award for Distinguished Undergraduate Student in Research for her work to predict disease outbreaks. Nicole Wayant, senior in geography and mathematics, Topeka, received the Department of Defense scholarship, which includes payment of full tuition and employment placement through department. The scholarship recruits civilian scientists and engineers to work for the department and is for students that demonstrate potential for a successful career in research and development. Kristin Hodges and Katie Mayes, KSU Media Relations 2009-04-30 http://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/april09/presawards41509.html Six Kansas State University faculty members are receiving a 2009 Presidential Award for their compassion, dedication and creativity as teachers, advisers or administrators. The Presidential Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Advising is going to Charles Martin, associate professor of geography, and William Meredith, director of the School of Family Studies and Human Services, will receive the Presidential Award for Outstanding Department Head. Katie Mayes, KSU Media Relations 2009-04-15 http://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/april09/meade40809.html A Kansas State University master's student and graduate teaching assistant in geography has earned the Graduate Student Paper Award from the American Association of Geographers' Geomorphology Specialty Group. The award to K-State's Ben Meade was presented at the national meeting of the American Association of Geographers, March 22-27, in Las Vegas, Nev. Meade, from Amherst, N.H., earned a $250 cash award for his paper, "Spatial Extent, Timing and Causes of Channel Incision: Black Vermillion Watershed, NE Kansas." The paper is based on a research project Meade has been involved with since January 2008 as part of his thesis in geography. Beth Bohn, KSU Media Relations 2009-04-08 http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/mar/26/one-nation-seven-sins/ The question of evil and where it lurks has been largely ignored by the scientific community, which is why a recently released study titled “The Spatial Distribution of the Seven Deadly Sins Within Nevada” is groundbreaking: Never before has a state’s fall from grace been so precisely graphed and plotted. Geographers from Kansas State University have used certain statistical measurements to quantify Nevada’s sins and come up with a county-by-county map purporting to show various degrees of lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy and pride in the Silver State. Abigail Goldman, Las Vegas Sun 2009-03-26 http://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/feb09/crops21709.html Agriculture in the United States is critical to global food security, but new pests and diseases threaten production. Ten such pests are estimated to enter the country every year, and the federal government spends more than $1 billion annually on research, emergency response and education related to crop pests. That's why Kansas State University scientists have used an analysis of connectivity to evaluate the vulnerability of U.S. agriculture to the spread of pests and diseases in four major crops: maize, soybean, wheat and cotton. Their work was published in the February issue of the journal BioScience and is available at: http://www.aibs.org/bioscience-press-releases/resources/Margosian_0902.pdf. The K-State team included: Margaret Margosian, U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Science Fellow in the department of geography; Karen Garrett, associate professor of plant pathology; Shawn Hutchinson, associate professor of geography; and Kimberly With, associate professor of biology. Karen Garrett, KSU Media Relations 2009-02-16 http://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/jan09/wayant12809.html Kansas State University's Nicole Wayant, senior in geography and mathematics, Topeka, is the inaugural recipient of the $1,000 Abraham Anson Memorial Scholarship from the American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. The scholarship was created to encourage undergraduate students who have an exceptional interest in pursuing scientific research or education in geospatial science or technology related to photogrammetry, remote sensing, surveying and mapping to enter a professional field where they can use the knowledge of their discipline to excel in their profession. Wayant received the scholarship based on her course work, letters of recommendation from faculty or professionals, work experience and her plans for continuing studies toward becoming a professional in a field related to the discipline. Beth Bohn, KSU Media Relations 2009-01-28 http://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/nov08/geogrank111708.html Kansas State University's geography department is No. 1 among small, less expensive institutions, according to the Web site PhDs.org, available at http://www.phds.org. The site has compiled rankings of doctoral programs across the country. Users can see how programs rank by specific traits like educational quality and outcomes, faculty reputation and activity, tuition and expenses, funding and student support, student demographics, program size and undergraduate selectivity. Erinn Barcomb-Peterson, KSU Media Relations 2008-11-17 http://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/oct08/zurick102808.html David Zurick, a visiting geography scholar at Kansas State University, will present "Landscape and Imagination in the Himalaya" at 3:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31, in the Big 12 Room at the K-State Student Union. The lecture, sponsored by the K-State department of geography and the K-State chapter of Gamma Theta Upsilon, the international honor society in geography, is free and open to the public. Richard Marston, KSU Media Relations 2008-10-28 http://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/oct08/rundquist102108.html Brad Rundquist, associate professor and chair of the department of geography at the University of North Dakota, has been named Kansas State University's 2008 Geography Distinguished Alum. Richard Marston, KSU Media Relations 2008-10-21 http://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/oct08/reddy100108.html Sumanth Reddy, a K-State doctoral student in geography, Manhattan, has been awarded a Gamma Theta Upsilon Buzzard Scholarship for 2008. "Sumo is the 18th K-State geography student to be awarded this scholarship, the most of any university in the country,” said Richard Marston, university distinguished professor of geography and head of the department. The scholarship provides a $1,000 award. Katie McCaffrey, KSU Media Relations 2008-10-01 http://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/sept08/geogawards92408.html Several Kansas State University students in geography have received awards for papers or posters they presented at the 2008 meeting of the Great Plains-Rocky Mountain Division of the Association of American Geographers. The meeting was Sept. 12-13 in Grand Forks, N.D. Richard Marston, KSU Media Relations 2008-09-24 http://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/sept08/geogpresent91908.html Several Kansas State University graduate and undergraduate students in geography presented their work at the 2008 meeting of the Great Plains-Rocky Mountain Division of the Association of American Geographers. Richard Marston, KSU Media Relations 2008-09-19 http://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/sept08/timothy91808.html An expert on tourism and other aspects of human geography will be an ADVANCE Distinguished Lecturer at Kansas State University. Dallen J. Timothy, geographer and professor of community resources and development at Arizona State University, will present "Tourism and Political Boundaries: Stagnation and Change in a Transforming World" at 3:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 26, in the Big 12 Room at the K-State Student Union. The lecture, which is free and open to the public, is sponsored by K-State's ADVANCE Program, a National Science Foundation-supported effort at the university to attract, retain, support and advance women in the disciplines of science, engineering and mathematics; the K-State department of geography; and the K-State chapter of Gamma Theta Upsilon, the international honor society in geography. Deborah Che, KSU Media Relations 2008-09-18 http://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/sept08/geogconf91708.html Kansas State University's chapter of Gamma Theta Upsilon, the international geography honorary society, will help host the annual Kansas Geography Conference Saturday, Sept. 20, at the K-State Student Union. The conference, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the K-State Student Union, is to help teachers in grades K-12 learn more about teaching geography. "Part of the conference will be devoted to information delivery and a discussion of available teaching resources for Geography Awareness Week/Geography Action! This year we will celebrate the 20th anniversary of Geography Awareness Week, Nov. 16-22, and the theme is 'Mapping the Americas,'" said John Harrington, K-State professor of geography. John Harrington, KSU Media Relations 2008-09-17 http://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/aug08/plants82808.html The protection of plant resources from pests and disease will be the topic of a National Agricultural Biosecurity Center Forum at Kansas State University. Dan Fieselmann, National Science Program leader for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's Plant Protection and Quarantine, will present "Strategies for Safeguarding American Plant Resources" at 3 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 4, in Room 213 of the K-State Student Union. Shawn Hutchinson, KSU Media Relations 2008-08-28 http://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/may08/stamey51508.html Kansas State University's College of Arts and Sciences is recognizing six faculty members for their common ability to reach students, whether as a teacher or as an adviser. The college is presenting its William L. Stamey Awards for Excellence in Teaching to Robert Bear, an instructor of biology; Nora Ransom, an instructor of English; Sumanth Reddy, a graduate teaching assistant in geography; Sue Williams, an associate professor of sociology; and Wei Wu, an assistant professor of Chinese." Andy Badeker, KSU Media Relations 2008-05-15 http://www.k-state.edu/media/k-statement/vol30/42408gis.html Whatever you want to know about wherever, the staff at K-State's Geographic Information Systems Spatial Analysis Laboratory probably can track it down. "The projects we do are all over the place thematically, but they all use geospatial technology," said Shawn Hutchinson, director of the lab and an associate professor of geography. "Many of our projects deal with natural resources, agriculture, public health, ecology or biology. We have a multi-disciplinary lab and we work with an array of people at K-State and from outside organizations." KSU Media Relations 2008-04-14 http://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/april08/cloke41408.html Rural geography will be the topic of an ADVANCE Distinguished Lecture at Kansas State University. Paul Cloke, professor of geography at the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom, will present "Rural Turns? The Search for New 'Rurals' in Geography" at 4 p.m. Tuesday, April 22, in the K-State Student Union's Big 12 Room. Beth Bohn, KSU Media Relations 2008-04-24 http://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/april08/udall40808.html Kansas State University students Iris Wilson, Manhattan, and Nicholas Long, Topeka, are among the 80 students nationwide who are receiving $5,000 Morris K. Udall Scholarships. Wilson is a junior in geography and natural resources and environmental sciences, and Long is a senior in architectural engineering. Beth Bohn, KSU Media Relations 2008-04-08 http://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/march08/wheatproject33108.html By this fall, if all goes as planned, wheat producers and buyers will be able to access information about the quality of hard red winter wheat harvested in the Great Plains region through a collaborative project at Kansas State University. The program is a joint effort between K-State's grain science and industry department, K-State Research and Extension, K-State's international grains program, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service and its Grain Marketing Products Research Center, and K-State's Geographic Information Systems Spatial Analysis Laboratory. Jessica Grant, KSU Media Relations 2008-03-31 http://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/march08/walsh32608.html Steve Walsh, a professor of geography at the University of North Carolina, will present "Land Use Dynamics and Drivers of Change Along the Equator" at 3:30 p.m. Friday, March 28, in the K-State Student Union's Little Theater at Kansas State University. The presentation is free and open to the public. Richard Marston, KSU Geography 2008-03-26 http://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/march08/gisuser31308.html The next meeting of the Kansas State University Flint Hills Environmental Systems Research Institute Users Group will be 3-5 p.m. Tuesday, March 25, in Room 207 of the K-State Student Union. The primary topic of discussion will be "Geographic Information Systems Services and Applications for the Web." The group was formed on International Geographic Information Systems Day in November 2007. The new campus and regional organization seeks to promote geographic information systems' applications in university research, extension and teaching; facilitate interaction among users of the technology at K-State and in surrounding communities; and provide an arena for discussing common issues such as data, methods and hardware. Shawn Hutchinson, KSU Geography 2008-03-13 http://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/march08/udall31108.html Five Kansas State University students have been nominated for $5,000 Morris K. Udall scholarships. The nominees are Anneliese Byram, senior in interior architecture and product design, Council Grove; Iris Wilson, junior in geography and natural resources and environmental sciences, Manhattan; Thomas Prebyl, junior in biology, Oketo; Nicholas Long, senior in architectural engineering, Topeka; and Kate Herzog, senior in economics and French, Wichita. Megan Moser, KSU Media Relations 2008-03-11 http://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/march08/sylvester31008.html Ken Sylvester, a quantitative environmental historian at the University of Michigan, will present the lecture "Footprints of Settlement: Making Agricultural Landscapes in the American Grasslands" at Kansas State University. His lecture will be at noon Thursday, March 13, in Room 212 of the K-State Student Union. The lecture is free and open to the public. It is sponsored by the K-State department of geography and its student honorary society, Gamma Theta Upsilon. Jessica Grant, KSU Media Relations 2008-03-10 http://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/jan08/advance12408.html A Canadian environmental management expert will present an ADVANCE Distinguished Lecture at Kansas State University. Maureen Reed, acting director of the School of Environment and Sustainability and a professor in the department of geography at the University of Saskatchewan, will present "The Geography of Environmental Care: Management Regimes in Canadian Biosphere Reserves" at 3:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 1, in the K-State Student Union's Big 12 Room. Beth Bohn, KSU Media Relations 2008-01-24 http://media.www.kstatecollegian.com/media/storage/paper1022/news/2007/11/15/TodaysNews/Leaders.Discuss.Effect.Of.Spatial.Literacy-3103644.shtml Students often are taught the "three R's" in school - reading, writing and 'rithmetic. However, Shawn Hutchinson, associate professor in geography, said spatial literacy should be added because it is a basic skill. It is important to know where we are, if we need to describe our surroundings, what road we should take, getting from point A to point B, to find where crime is, and why it is where it is," Hutchison said. Emily Sterk, Kansas State Collegian 2007-11-15 http://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/nov07/gisday111307.html The Kansas State University geographic information system steering committee is hosting a number of activities open to the public in celebration of GIS Day, Wednesday, Nov. 14. The National Geographic Society’s GeographyAwareness Week is Nov. 11–17. GIS Day is a global event that celebrates geographic information system technology, the innovative technology that uses geography to bring countless benefits to the world, said Rick Chubb, GIS application development manager in K-State's office of mediated education. Rick Chubb, KSU Office of Mediated Education 2007-11-13 http://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/nov07/newfac111207.html More than 90 new faculty have joined Kansas State University for the 2007-2008 academic year. Although some of the faculty members joined K-State earlier this year, most started their new positions at the beginning of the 2007 fall semester. New faculty members include Dr. Kendra McLauchlan, assistant professor, geography. Andy Badeker, KSU Media Relations 2007-11-12 http://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/oct07/geogwins101507.html Several geography students from Kansas State University earned honors at the recent meeting of the Great Plains-Rocky Mountain Division of the Association of American Geographers. At the meeting, Sept. 28-29 in Denver, one K-State student received the $100 first prize for best doctoral paper, while two K-State students received the $100 top prize for best poster. Based on individual scores in the meeting's Geography Bowl competition, two K-State students qualified to be on the Great Plains-Rocky Mountain Division Geography Bowl team. A third K-State student qualified as an alternate. The national competition will be in April 2008 at the annual meeting of the Association of American Geographers in Boston. KSU Media Relations 2007-10-15 http://www.mediarelations.k-state.edu/newsreleases/oct07/bangladesh101207.html American students will soon find out what the South Asian country of Bangladesh and the Midwestern state of Iowa have in common. Bimal Paul, a Kansas State University professor of geography and a published expert on natural disasters, said Bangladesh and Iowa are both prone to flooding and tornados, have similar geography when it comes to size and rivers, and that agriculture is the dominant economy in both places. Paul, a native of Bangladesh, traveled with a dozen American K-12 teachers and two professors from the state of Iowa, in July on a 28-day trip to Bangladesh. Their aim was to develop U.S. geography standards and curricular materials on how the nation copes with natural disasters. The three professors were awarded a $64,000 Fulbright-Hays grant for their project, "Natural Hazards and Related Health Issues in Bangladesh: Standards and Issues based Geography Curricular Projects for Grades K-16." Sheila Ellis, KSU Media Relations 2007-10-12 http://www.mediarelations.k-state.edu/newsreleases/oct07/disaster100407.html When a tornado hits or a hurricane strikes, engineers and scientists are among the first on the scene to help return life to normal. To demonstrate to young women the role they can play in such a response, the GROW, or Girls Researching Our World, program at Kansas State University will host "Engineers and Scientists to the Rescue." The popular workshop, presented in 2005 and 2006, will be 10 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 20. Sessions will focus on how scientists and engineers help prevent, prepare for and respond to disasters. "We are very excited to be offering this workshop for the third time," said Susan Arnold Christian, K-State's Women in Engineering and Science program outreach program coordinator. "Response to our previous 'Rescue' workshops was so positive that we wanted to offer another group of young women the opportunity to take part in the experience." Mary Rankin, KSU Media Relations 2007-10-04 http://www.mediarelations.k-state.edu/newsreleases/sept07/defries91807.html Ruth DeFries, a geographer from the University of Maryland at College Park and a member of the National Academy of Sciences, will present "Land Use Dynamics in Tropic Landscapes" as part of the Provost's Lectures on Excellence in Scholarship at Kansas State University. The free lecture, which is open to the public, will be at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 20, in Fiedler Auditorium. The Provost's Lectures on Excellence in Scholarship is a venue that K-State has to bring in some of the best minds, said John Harrington, K-State professor of geography. Speakers for the series are selected by K-State's university distinguished professors. DeFries' lecture will showcase her research with the application of satellite remote sensing to examine changes in global land use. She will discuss her global and regional scale research and the implications of changes in land cover on important ecosystem services, such as carbon cycling, biodiversity and climate regulation, Harrington said. Sheila Ellis, KSU Media Relations 2007-09-06 http://www.mediarelations.k-state.edu/newsreleases/sept07/larsonlect90607.html The first Vernon Larson International Luncheon-Lecture of the 2007-2008 school year will be by Kansas State University's Richard Marston, university distinguished professor and head of the department of geography. Marston will present "Land, Life, and Environmental Change in the Himalayas" Wednesday, Sept. 12, at the Holiday Inn, 17th Street and Anderson Avenue. The lecture will start around 12:20 p.m. and last until 1 p.m. A luncheon starting at 11:30 a.m. will precede the lecture. Cost for the luncheon is $12. Reservations should be made by Monday, Sept. 10, with K-State's office of international programs, 785-532-5990. The lecture is free and open to the public. Megan Wilson, KSU Media Relations 2007-09-06 http://media.www.kstatecollegian.com/media/storage/paper1022/news/2007/04/16/News/KState.Researcher.Says.Colorados.Mountains.Above.14000.Feet.Becoming.More.Popula-2843623.shtml The 14ers, Colorado's 54 mountains that exceed 14,000 feet above sea level, culturally influence what Americans think is important, said a K-State geographer. "With increased technology and better access, the uprising in mountain recreation and extreme sports puts more renewed emphasis on the 14ers, and this influences what people see as important," said Kevin Blake, an associate professor of geography at K-State. Patrick Werick 2007-04-16 http://www.mediarelations.k-state.edu/newsreleases/jun07/grow61107.html How do roller coasters stay on their tracks? How does combustion provide useful energy? These topics, plus a robotics competition, introduction to global positioning system technology, experiments to discover what causes allergies, exploring the wonders of geometry and more, are the sessions planned for sixth- and seventh-grade girls taking part in the eighth annual Girls Researching Our World -- or GROW -- Summer Workshop on the Kansas State University campus, June 18-20. Young women from across Kansas and surrounding states interested in the sciences and engineering will participate in hands-on activities offered by K-State faculty, graduate students and staff members representing 16 different science and engineering departments. Several K-State undergraduate students will assist in the workshops and serve as mentors for the girls while they are on campus and living in the dorms. Mary Rankin 2007-06-11 http://www.mediarelations.k-state.edu/newsreleases/may07/aaghometown50907.html Students from the geography department at Kansas State University presented posters and papers recently at the 103rd annual meeting of the Association of American Geographers in San Francisco. Megan Wilson, KSU Media Relations 2007-05-09 http://www.mediarelations.k-state.edu/newsreleases/may07/marston50807.html Richard Marston, university distinguished professor and head of the department of geography at Kansas State University, has been honored by the Association of American Geographers and by the department of geosciences at Oregon State University. Marston received the Distinguished Career Award from the Association of American Geographers' Mountain Geography Specialty Group and presented the Past President's Address at the association's annual banquet. According to the association's executive director, Doug Richardson, the banquet attracted the largest paid audience in recent memory to hear Marston's address "Land, Life and Environment Change in Mountains." The annual meeting, April 17-21 in San Francisco, was the 103rd for the association. Megan Wilson, KSU Media Relations 2007-05-08 http://www.mediarelations.k-state.edu/newsreleases/may07/fbgrant50307.html One professor from Kansas State University will use a notable geography grant to head straight for disaster. Bimal Paul, K-State professor of geography, along with two professors from other schools, has been awarded a $64,000 Fulbright-Hays grant for the project, "Natural Hazards and Related Health Issues in Bangladesh: Standards and Issues Based Geography Curricular Project for Grades K-16." Additional project leaders include Kay Weller, University of Northern Iowa, and Rex Honey, University of Iowa. As part of the project, 15 teachers from schools and universities across the United States will visit the People's Republic of Bangladesh in July to study flood-, cyclone-, tornado- and drought-affected areas. The team will then develop U.S. geography standards and issues-based curricular materials focusing on how people living in Bangladesh cope with their many natural hazards and the influence such disasters have had on health issues in the area. Sara Shellengerger, KSU Media Relations 2007-05-03 http://www.mediarelations.k-state.edu/newsreleases/may07/ngaintern50107.html Nicole Wayant, Topeka, a junior in mathematics and geography at Kansas State University, has been selected for a summer internship with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, headquartered in Washington, D.C. Wayant will work at the agency's facility in St. Louis, Mo., this summer. According to Max Lu, associate professor of geography at K-State, the agency's primary function is to collect, analyze and distribute geospatial intelligence for combat support. The agency defines geospatial intelligence as the merging of imagery, maps, charts and environmental data. Lu said the agency's internship program is highly selective. Lu is Wayant's adviser and wrote her a letter of recommendation as a part of the internship's application process. The process also included a cover letter explaining the program that Wayant was applying for, a transcript, a writing sample and an online application. Megan Wilson, KSU Media Relations 2007-05-01 http://www.mediarelations.k-state.edu/newsreleases/feb07/pvstdngr22307.html Jack Dangermond, a pioneer in Geographic Information System technology, will speak at the next event in the Provost's Lecture Series at Kansas State University. Dangermond will present "GIS Vision and Enabling Technology" from 1:30-3 p.m. Thursday, March 8, in the Fielder Hall Auditorium. He is the founder and president of ESRI, a company that designs and develops GIS technology. ESRI is known for GIS software development, training and services. Dangermond fostered the growth of the company from a small research group to an organization with more than 3,100 employees. With headquarters in Redlands, Calif., ESRI has the largest GIS software install base in the world, with more than 1 million users in more than 300,000 organizations worldwide. Dangermond also has seven honorary doctorates. Erinn Barcomb-Peterson, KSU Media Relations 2007-02-23 http://www.mediarelations.k-state.edu/newsreleases/feb07/udallnoms21907.html Five Kansas State University students have been nominated for the Morris K. Udall Scholarship, a congressional scholarship honoring the former Arizona congressman for his legacy of public service. James Hohenbary, assistant dean for scholarship development, said the nominees are Brad Lutz, senior in electrical engineering and computer engineering, Andover; Ella Todd, junior in marketing, and Iris Wilson, sophomore in geography and natural resources and environmental sciences, both of Manhattan; Sally Maddock, fifth-year senior in architecture and natural resources and environmental sciences, Lakewood, Colo.; and Megan Bindel, senior in biology, geography and natural resources and environmental sciences, Lee's Summit, Mo. Keener A. Tippin II, KSU Media Relations 2007-02-19 http://www.mediarelations.k-state.edu/newsreleases/jan07/alderman11207.html Naming a street after Martin Luther King Jr. has become a popular way to honor the slain civil rights leader. But it's a practice that can be fraught with controversy, and that's why a cultural geographer set to speak at Kansas State University says it is crucial to advance public understanding of the larger context of naming streets for King, the common issues and struggles that emerge within the naming process, and the various strategies employed by communities honoring King with a street name. Derek H. Alderman, associate professor of geography at East Carolina University, will present "Naming Streets for Martin Luther King Jr.: A New Geography of Memory in America," at 3:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 19, in Forum Hall at the K-State Student Union. The lecture is part of Martin Luther King Jr. Observance Week at K-State and is sponsored by the geography department and Gamma Theta Upsilon geography honor society. Erinn Barcomb-Peterson, KSU Media Relations 2007-01-12 http://www.mediarelations.k-state.edu/newsreleases/nov06/Nellis112306.html M. Duane Nellis, provost of Kansas State University, has been elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He is among a select group of members receiving the honor this year because of their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications. Beth Bohn, KSU Media Relations 2006-11-23 http://www.mediarelations.k-state.edu/newsreleases/nov06/solis110906.html Patricia Solis will present "Heuristics, Serendipity and Enlightened Opportunism: Making a Difference Through Geography" at 3:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 17, in the Kansas State University Student Union Little Theatre. The lecture is part of the department of geography's colloquia and is the first Kansas State University Distinguished Alumnus Lecture in Geography. The lecture will take place during national Geography Awareness Week. Megan Wilson, KSU Media Relations 2006-11-09 http://www.mediarelations.k-state.edu/newsreleases/oct06/geopres102506.html Graduate students in Kansas State University's geography department presented various research projects and competed in the GeoBowl event at the recent Great Plains-Rocky Mountain Division Regional Association of American Geographers meeting in Lincoln, Neb. Megan Wilson, KSU Media Relations 2006-10-20 http://www.mediarelations.k-state.edu/newsreleases/oct06/geography102006.html The Kansas State University department of geography and the office of the vice provost for academic services and technology will sponsor a lecture as part of the Geospatial Technology Lecture Series. The lecture will feature Dawn Wright, professor of geography and oceanography at Oregon State University, and will be at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 25, in the K-State Student Union's Little Theatre. Megan Wilson, KSU Media Relations 2006-10-20 http://www.mediarelations.k-state.edu/Web/News/NewsReleases/Christo92506.html The author of several leading physical geography textbooks, Robert W. Christopherson, will present a lecture at Kansas State University. Christopherson's lecture, "The Power of Geographic Science in a Time of Global Change," will be at 7:05 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 28, in 63 Seaton Hall. The lecture is free and the public is welcome. It is sponsored by K-State's department of geography and chapter of Gamma Theta Upsilon, the international geographical honor society. Deborah Che 2006-09-25 http://www.mediarelations.k-state.edu/Web/News/NewsReleases/methlabs90806.html It seems like a strange combination: geography and methamphetamine, also known as meth. But a Kansas State University geography professor is using geography and geospatial technology to describe the spatial patterns of seized meth labs in an area of Colorado and parts of Kansas, and to analyze their association with geographic and socioeconomic characteristics. Keener A. Tippin II, KSU Media Relations 2006-09-08 http://www.mediarelations.k-state.edu/WEB/News/NewsReleases/Sowers90706.html Wind farms can't be successful just anywhere there is a strong breeze. On the other hand, they don't have to face bitter opposition any time they are proposed. It just takes the right type of community to welcome the technology, said Jacob Sowers, a doctoral student in geography at Kansas State University. Michelle Hall, KSU Media Relations 2006-09-07 http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20060817-111626-8612r Kansas State University scientists are helping find appropriate sites for a potential emergency disposal of a large number of livestock carcasses. The researchers, using Geographic Information Systems technology, are collaborating with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to find sites that would be used in the event of a disease outbreak or bioterrorism attack. UPI 2006-08-17 http://www.earthsky.org/shows/show.php?date=20060805 This is Earth and Sky, with a scientist who uses satellites to study the spread of a virus. Doug Goodin of Kansas State University is scrutinizing satellite images to learn more about the reemergence of hantavirus in Paraguay. Earth and Sky 2006-08-08 http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060706095415.htm A trio of Kansas State University researchers, using Geographic Information Systems technology, is collaborating with the state Department of Health and Environment and other state agencies to help find appropriate sites for disposing of a large number of livestock carcasses in the event of a disease outbreak or bioterrorism attack. Science Daily 2006-07-04 http://www.mediarelations.k-state.edu/Web/News/NewsReleases/scienceforpeace60106.html Two Kansas State University geography professors were among the presenters at the Karakoram Science-for-Peace Workshop in Islamabad, Pakistan, May 29-31. Chloe Bos 2006-06-01 http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060705182426.htm A Kansas State University geography professor is using satellite imagery to research how land use and land cover changes affect human health and food security. Science Daily 2006-07-06 http://www.mediarelations.k-state.edu/Web/News/NewsReleases/wilson51506.html At first glance, Kansas State University's Iris Wilson looks like a typical college student: youthful appearance, jeans, T-shirt, sneakers, etc. Keener A. Tippin II 2006-07-04 http://www.mediarelations.k-state.edu/Web/News/NewsReleases/sensor50906.html A Kansas State University research team is prototyping a small, inexpensive remote-control plane as a sensing tool, also known as an unmanned aerial vehicle, to collect environmental data. The team plans to test it over the Konza Prairie Biological Station near Manhattan this summer. Kay Garrett 2006-05-09 http://www.mediarelations.k-state.edu/Web/News/NewsReleases/udp41806.html Career excellence in ecology, geography and physiology have resulted in three Kansas State University faculty members being designated as university distinguished professors, a lifetime title that represents the highest honor K-State can bestow on its faculty. Cheryl May 2006-04-18 http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060414/NEWS04/604140340 Gridlocked highways. Families stranded roadside under darkening skies because gasoline pumps are dry. Thousands of angry people stuck in the path of a storm because they refused to evacuate or did not have the means to leave. John Kelly and Jim Waymer 2006-04-14 http://www.mediarelations.k-state.edu/WEB/News/NewsReleases/Betapsi12706.html The Beta Psi chapter of Gamma Theta Upsilon at Kansas State University, has been named the 2005 Gamma Theta Upsilon Chapter of the Year. Chloe Bos 2006-01-27