K-State Scholar Development and Undergraduate Research-SDUR

11/04/2025

Congratulations to Vaithish Velazhahan who was just awarded the 2025 Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship to pursue an MD in Medicine at Stanford University! Vaithish was born in Manhattan and attended K-State where he found his passion for research in Dr. Schrick’s lab Division of Biology at Kansas State University Kansas State University Johnson Cancer Research Center K-State College of Arts and Sciences
During his time at K-State, Vaithish was also incredibly involved in many leadership and service programs in the Staley School of Leadership. He founded WE SAVE, a nonprofit organization in India that promotes preventative health awareness and develops technology to connect doctors with underprivileged patients. Vaithish is also a Goldwater Scholar, Gates Cambridge Scholar, and a Knight-Hennessy Scholar.

09/04/2025

Applied learning experiences deepen students' learning, connect them to community, and provide real-world application of the skills they need to be prepared for life after K-State. Erin Frenk describes her journey as an undergraduate researcher, her mentor, and how the work guided her toward her passion.

Give to K-State Applied Learning Experiences so students like Erin can keep working toward their goals and ultimately, be better-prepared for their work in our communities. Link in comments.

The Staley School of Leadership at Kansas State University

09/04/2025

Erin Frenk is a phenomenal researcher and last year’s Goldwater Scholar!

The Staley School of Leadership at Kansas State University

07/04/2025

What can the white-footed mouse’s presence on the Konza tell us about zoonotic disease risks for humans? Fantastic profile of Sam Speck’s undergraduate research in Division of Biology at Kansas State University K-State College of Arts and Sciences. Sam was selected for Undergraduate Research Day at the Capitol this semester and he received an SDUR travel award to present his research this summer at the American Society of Mammalogists' annual conference in Purdue, Indiana. Sam exemplifies the power of undergraduate research as applied learning:
"K-State is uniquely situated to provide hands-on research experiences because it prioritizes faculty and teachers who are invested in connecting students to these career-building opportunities," Speck said. "I've had so many of those here, and it's helped me build a resume that is going to set me apart as I pursue my dream."
Staley School of Leadership
Link in comments

03/04/2025

How can we build resilient infrastructure to help communities in Kansas prepare for extreme weather and other challenges? Dr. Rensing is in Garden City, attending the EPSCoR ARISE Symposium, where researchers and community members are presenting on their work.

01/04/2025

Congratulations to Lillianna Lamagna, recipient of the 2025 University Award for Distinguished Undergraduate Student in Research!

27/03/2025

Excitement is building for the Symposium on April 15! Students worked on their poster designs with the help of Dr. Kohn and the today.

26/03/2025

Do you represent a unit on campus that offers undergraduate research opportunities? Reserve a table at the Undergraduate Research Resource Fair on April 15 from 3-4pm!

25/03/2025

Are you an arts, humanities, or social science major working on your poster for the symposium? Join us for bagels, coffee, and design tips at the Chapman Center for Rural Studies on Thursday, March 27, 10:45am-noon.

13/03/2025

How does fire impact Venus flytraps and how can that help us better understand our changing climate? That’s the question that Maddie Baucom is exploring with her mentor, Dr. Allison Louthan in the K-State College of Arts and Sciences Division of Biology. Baucom’s research was supported in part through SDUR's Undergraduate Research Amplification Project, which was funded by K-State Student Governing Association to increase undergraduate research opportunities for students as part of the Next-Gen K-State Applied Learning imperative.

“We want to help students build skills that allow them to achieve their goals, whether that is research, management, or simply learning more about the world around them,” said Dr. Louthan.

By participating in the Venus flytrap research, Baucom is achieving her goal of becoming more involved in data curation and analysis. In addition to the technical skills she’s learning, she will have publishable work that can enhance her post-graduation resume.” To read more about this exciting research, follow the link in the comments.

11/03/2025

Excitement is building for the Spring 2025 Campus-Wide Undergraduate Research Symposium! Registration deadline is March 23 at midnight. You will need your title and a 150 word abstract to register. Follow the link in our Linktree for more info. K-State College of Health and Human Sciences K-State College of Agriculture K-State Engineering

06/03/2025

Dr. Rensing had a great time chatting with undergraduate researchers at the HHS RSCAD Forum this morning.

03/03/2025

Kansas Undergraduate Research Day at the Capitol 2025!!

Last Wednesday, we had the honor of hosting our KBOR peers in celebrating the impacts of undergraduate research across Kansas. 35 research projects were showcased, representing 8 institutions, and 37 students.

Among the group were five K-Staters, who we are so proud of:
Lauren Apprill, Senior
Will Dodderidge, Senior
Andrew Navarro, Senior
Sam Speck, Junior
Isaac Steiner, Sophomore

Our researchers had a great time mingling with peers, legislators, and even President, Richard Linton; Interim Vice President for Research Hans Coetzee; Executive Vice President, Marshall Stewart; and Executive Director for Government Relations, Matt Casey!!

Ad Astra!

01/03/2025

Clemente Jaquez, DSP alum and co-founder of Modus Architecture, was in town for the Design Expo. We are so grateful that he continues to maintain his ties to the Developing Scholars community.

26/02/2025

25/02/2025

SDUR will be at Undergraduate Research Day at the Capitol Wednesday, February 26! Follow along on our Stories to see our adventures.

13/02/2025

SDUR is grateful that Dr. Kastner has developed these Frontier Field Trips as applied learning experiences for students. Such a great example of scholar development and research mentorship in action! Read more about the 43rd Frontier Field Trip to to the National Library of Medicine (NLM) last December (link in comments) Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine Staley School of Leadership K-State College of Arts and Sciences

12/02/2025

Fantastic profile of Lidia Lopez-Vazquez from ! Lidia has made the most of her time at K-State with and the Developing Scholars Program. Link in Stories