MANHATTAN — Fifteen Kansas State University sophomores and juniors in biology, microbiology, and fisheries, wildlife and conservation biology will receive the Division of Biology's 2019-2020 Most Promising Student Awards.
Faculty nominated students for the award. Grades, rigor of academic program, extracurricular activities and performance in an interview were factors used to determine the award winners. Division of Biology faculty sponsor the Most Promising Student Award and consider it to be one of the greatest honors bestowed on biology students at K-State. The winners are an accomplished group of students, representing the breadth of biology in their interests.
The following students are recipients of the 2020 Division of Biology Most Promising Student Award:
Reilly Jensen, junior in biology and Spanish, Buhler. Jensen is doing research with Thomas Platt, assistant professor of biology, on the evolution of pathogens and has co-authored a research article. Jensen is bilingual and he has lived abroad. He actively volunteers with underrepresented groups in STEM, including serving as a 4-H mentor. Jensen is interested in neurobiology and plans to pursue a career in research.
Kale Mills, junior in biology, Clearwater. Mills is a member of the University Honors Program. Mills is involved in Pre-Health Ambassadors and is currently president of the Pre-Medicine Club at K-State. He works with the Boys and Girls Club and Big Brothers Big Sisters. He has pursued research at the KU School of Medicine-Wichita on parental perceptions of vaccinations, resulting in co-authorship on a publication. Mills plans to become a physician.
Adara Warner, sophomore in microbiology, Concordia. Warner works in the laboratory of Kathrin Schrick, associate professor of biology, characterizing plant transcription factors. She won an Outstanding Poster Award for her presentation of her research at the 2020 Kansas-IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence conference in Wichita. The vice president of the Microbiology Club, Warner plans to attend medical school and pursue a career as a pathologist.
Lake Winter, sophomore in microbiology, Concordia. Winter is a member of the University Honors Program and scholarship chair for Smith Scholarship House. Winter conducts research in the laboratory of Zhilong Yang, assistant professor of biology, characterizing regulation of the expression of certain vaccinia virus enzymes during the virus infection.
Abdulrahman Naeem, junior in biology, Manhattan. Naeem is currently conducting research in plant biology in the laboratory of Ruth Welti, university distinguished professor of biology. He previously participated in a research project in entomology. Naeem is a certified nursing assistant and volunteers with patient care. He is interested in a career in teaching and/or research, and is dedicated to the idea of improving the world through his work.
Elizabeth Riforgiate, sophomore in biology, Manhattan. Riforgiate works in the research lab of Nicholas Wallace, assistant professor of biology, where she studies cancer-related cell signaling. She is a co-author of a paper recently submitted for publication. She is a member of the University Honors Program and serves as treasurer of the Unite for Reproductive and Gender Equity Club. She volunteers in the Ascension Via Christi Hospital emergency room, and she is currently is serving as a practicum student — instructional assistant — in introductory biology. Riforgiate is interested in a career in medicine.
Kourtney Rumback, sophomore in biology and psychology, Oakley. Rumback is a member of the University Honors Program and performs in the K-State Choir. She works as an emergency medical technician in Logan County and is also a certified nurse's aide. Rumback is involved in research in the laboratory of Kimberly Kirkpatrick, university distinguished professor of psychological sciences, where she is working on diet-induced impulsivity and another related study. Rumback is interested in a career in medicine and using research to improve medical treatment.
Victoria Gaa, sophomore in fisheries, wildlife and conservation biology, Overland Park. Gaa works for the Konza Prairie Long-term Ecological Research program at K-State as a lab and field assistant. She also works in the entomology department, photographing moth and butterfly specimens for the Lepidoptera database. In addition, Gaa finds time to volunteer at the Kansas City Zoo.
Tommy Herrera, junior in fisheries, wildlife and conservation biology, Shawnee. Herrera participates in evolutionary ecology research with Andrew Hope, assistant professor of biology. Herrera has gained considerable experience in the field and in the lab, where he conducts specimen preparation, preservation and curation. With a strong interest in mammalian conservation, he traveled to Thailand and Cambodia to work with rehabilitated Asian elephants, macaques, gibbons and waterfowl. Herrera is a member of the Developing Scholars Program and a McNair scholar. He plans to pursue graduate studies and a career in academia.
Emma Francis, junior in biology, Topeka. Francis currently works in the laboratory of Rollie Clem, professor of biology, where she is investigating the interactions between the Sindbus virus and its mosquito host. She is a certified peer educator with WellCAT Ambassadors. In this position, she educates K-State students by providing evidence-based health and wellness information. She also is a campus tour guide for New Student Services and is active in her sorority, Alpha Delta Pi. Francis plans to pursue a career in medicine.
Cathryn Haas, junior in microbiology, Wamego. Haas currently serves as president of the Microbiology Club. She conducts research in the lab of Kimberly Kirkpatrick, university distinguished professor of psychological sciences, and in the lab of Lorena Passarelli, professor of biology. In the Kirkpatrick laboratory, Haas conducts behavioral testing and is attempting to manipulate cells in the nervous system with viral vectors. In the Passarelli lab, Haas is determining the subcellular location of an enzymatic reaction that modifies viral proteins. Haas is considering a career in research.
Ryan Donnelly, sophomore in fisheries, wildlife and conservation biology, Los Angeles, California. Donnelly currently is working with Carolyn Ferguson, professor of biology, at the K-State Herbarium. He also has conducted research with David Haukos, adjunct associate professor of biology, and Alice Boyle, associate professor of biology. Donnelly is a member of the University Honors Program and is the organizer of Manhattan's City Nature Challenge for 2019 and 2020.
Elise Hesseltine, junior in biology, Orange Grove, Texas. Hesseltine worked on a research project involving red flour beetles with Alison Gerken at the USDA-ARS Center for Grain and Animal Health Research in Manhattan. She is an assistant in the College of Arts and Sciences' accounting office, vice president of the newly launched Biology Ambassadors group and a member of the University Honors Program. Hesseltine is on track to complete her biology degree, entomology minor and Honors Program requirements in three years and then enter the College of Veterinary Medicine, where she has been accepted through its early admission program.
Miriam Reynaldo, sophomore in fisheries, wildlife and conservation biology, Loyal, Wisconsin. Reynaldo is an avian ecological researcher, working with Alice Boyle, associate professor of biology. Reynaldo spent summer 2019 in the University of New Mexico's Research Experience for Undergraduates at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, working on Scott's orioles. She plans a career in scientific research.
Pranav Savanur, junior in biology, India. Savanur is passionate about health care accessibility. His mission is to transform health care access for women and children in underserved and impoverished areas. He is a member of WellCAT Ambassadors, educating K-State students about wellness. Savanur studied in South Africa in the summer after his freshman year and earned a Gilman Scholarship to study in Liverpool, United Kingdom, during his sophomore year. At K-State, he worked with RESULTS, advocating for bipartisan support in the U.S. Congress on global and domestic poverty-related issues, and heads the local RESULTS effort. Savanur plans to attend graduate school in public health before going to medical school, and also to continue supporting health improvements in communities near and far.