Excellence in research has earned several Kansas State University students, including one from Salina, recognition through the 11th annual Kirmser Undergraduate Research Awards from K-State Libraries. Karsyn Arnold is among those being recognized for her research.

The awards recognize the use of library resources to complete research for projects. The awards committee, composed of faculty from varying disciplines, recognized outstanding undergraduate research in topics ranging from flash flooding in developing countries to the effect of production design in Indigenous film.

Grand prize awards were given in two categories: individual non-freshman and group. The individual grand prizewinners received $1,500 each, and the group grand prizewinners shared a $6,000 award. Honorable mentions were granted $100 each.

The awards are made possible through a gift from the Philip and Jeune Kirmser estate.

Both grand and honorable mention prizewinners are invited to archive their projects in the university’s institutional repository, the K-State Research Exchange, so they will be available online to the public.

The following students were recognized as recipients of individual grand prizes through the Kirmser Undergraduate Research Awards:

• Mandy Henshaw, master’s student in interior architecture, Leawood, grand prize in the individual non-freshman research category for her project, “Indigenous Film: The Effect of Production Design,” completed in spring 2023 for the Indigenous Film class taught by Lisa Tatonetti, professor of English and Coffman Chair for University Distinguished Teaching Scholars.

• Caleb Stelk, senior in industrial engineering, Lawrence, grand prize in the individual non-freshman research category for his project, “Optimization Models for Flash Flooding in Developing Countries,” completed for the Written Communications for Engineers class taught by Roger Friedmann, instructor in the English department.

The grand prize in the group research category was for the project “EcoBrew Design Group: Collection and Implementation of Trüb into Animal Food Products.” The project was completed for the Biological Systems Engineering Senior Design class taught by Edwin Brokesh, assistant professor of biological and agricultural engineering.

The group research grand prize was presented to the following students:

Caden Searcy, senior in biological systems engineering, Linwood; Zachary Molitor, graduate in biological systems engineering, Sydney Tumberger, senior in biological systems engineering, and Emma Worthington, senior in biological systems engineering, all from Overland Park.

The following students received honorable mentions:

Morgan Olmstead, senior in social work, Hays, honorable mention in group research project; Campbell McNorton, junior in social transformation studies and global food systems leadership, Manhattan, honorable mention in individual non-freshman research category; Karsyn Arnold, senior in social work, Salina, honorable mention in group research project; and Alyssa Wedlock, senior in social work, Wichita, honorable mention in group research project.