The 16th Capitol Graduate Research Summit on Tuesday, Feb. 26, will feature 10 Kansas State University graduate students who research topics with important implications for issues in the state of Kansas, including agriculture, ecology, human nutrition, animal health and sustainability.
The event will be on the second-floor rotunda of the State Capitol Building in Topeka. The statewide summit includes current research from graduate students at Kansas State University, Emporia State University, Fort Hays State University, Pittsburg State University, University of Kansas, the University of Kansas Medical Center, and Wichita State University. Graduate students will present their research posters from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and interact with legislators and the public. Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly has proclaimed Feb. 26 as Graduate Research Day.
A university professor and an industry representative will judge the student poster presentations. The top presenters from each university will be awarded a $500 scholarship. In addition, BioKansas will select a winner from each university whose research has the greatest potential for commercialization. Each winner will receive a $500 award from BioKansas.
The 10 K-State presenters were chosen based on their research presentations at Research and the State, an annual on-campus event, in November 2018:
• Sylvester Badua, doctoral student in biological and agricultural engineering, “Potential of soy protein as an environment-friendly seed lubricant for pneumatic row crop planters.”
• Niloy Barua, doctoral student in chemical engineering, “High throughput screening of microbial interactions with microwell arrays.”
• Kent Connell, doctoral student in biology, “Plant-soil history has lasting effects on soil organic matter decomposition.”
• Obdulia Covarrubias Zambrano, doctoral student in chemistry, “Liquid biopsy: The simplest technique for pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer detection.”
• Rory O’Connor, doctoral student in biology, “The future of woody plants in the great plains.”
• Balaji Aravindhan Pandian, doctoral student in agronomy, “Genetic basis and inheritance of mesotrione tolerance in grain sorghum.”
• Emily Pascoe, doctoral student in apparel, textiles, and interior design, “The Development of textile products in respect of multi-skill level artisans: A practical case study on socially responsible production in Kerala, India.”
• Chandrima Shyam, doctoral student in agronomy, “Rapid metabolism of 2, 4-D increases the resistance in common waterhemp (Amaranthus tuberculatus) under high temperature.”
• Ana Stoian, doctoral student in pathobiology, “Survival of African swine fever virus (asfv) in feed ingredients under transboundary shipping conditions.”
• Erin Ward, master’s student in nutrition, dietetics, and sensory sciences, “Soy protein is an efficacious alternative to whey protein in fortified blended foods.”
