Edgar Chambers IV will become editor-in-chief of the Journal of Sensory Studies beginning in 2010. Currently he is co-editor. He’ll do the job for at least a year, he said.

“My responsibilities as co-editor and as editor-in-chief are to ensure that the journal remains the leading journal in sensory science, to coordinate the review of scientific articles, to ultimately accept or reject articles for publication in the journal, and to enhance the experience of readers of the journal,” he said.

Chambers is the director of K-State’s  Sensory Analysis Center and University Distinguished Professor, Sensory Analysis and Consumer Behavior, in human nutrition.

Kevin Roberts and Kevin Sauer have been named co-editors of the Journal of Foodservice Management and Education. They are assistant professors in the Department of Hospitality Management and Dietetics.

They plan to update the submission process and overall systems, Sauer said.

The journal is published jointly by Foodservice Systems Management Education Council and The National Association of College & University Food Services.

The council’s mission is to advocate for foodservice and dietetic management education, research, and practice and support members in teaching and research efforts.

Walter Schumm, professor in family studies and human services, has been named editor of the Journal of Marriage and Family Review. His term as editor will be 2010 to 2014.

“I will review and obtain peer reviews for dozens of articles a year and decide which ones are the best for this journal,” he explained. The 30-year-old journal is devoted to the study of the family unit and the complex issues affecting today’s families.

Content includes “cutting-edge research, theory, and practice relevant to a wide variety of disciplines such as marriage and family studies, sociology, psychology, education, child development, social work, urban and policy studies, anthropology, public health and communication studies.”

Prepared by Human Ecology communications

She will be a full professor with tenure in the Department of Human Nutrition here.

Mason succeeds M. Duane Nellis, who left K-State in June to become president of the University of Idaho. Associate Provost Ruth Dyer has served as interim provost.

“Dr. Mason brings a wealth of experience to Kansas State, and I am very excited to have her join our leadership team,” said K-State President Kirk Schulz.

“She has been successful in teaching, research and service. She works well with faculty, students and staff members and we believe she will be an excellent provost and senior vice president for Kansas State University,” said John English, search committee chairman and dean of engineering.

Food science, nutrition professor at CSU

Mason has been dean at Colorado State since August 2004. She oversees the operations of six departments and three schools with about 100 tenure track faculty, many special appointment and adjunct faculty, 4,000 undergraduates and 850 graduate students. She also is a professor in the department of food science and human nutrition. Before joining Colorado State, Mason was associate dean for extension and associate dean for discovery and engagement in the College of Consumer and Family Sciences at Purdue University. As a faculty member in foods and nutrition at Purdue, she conducted research in the area of trace mineral availability from plant foods. She also taught in the cooperative extension program at Purdue for 20 years.

She is Colorado State’s representative to the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities’ Board on Human Sciences, where she has been on the executive committee since 2005 and board chair beginning this year.

Mason is author or co-author of 24 refereed publications, 40 published research abstracts and seven book chapters and proceedings. Her research has been supported by more than $12 million in grants in the past 10 years, and includes numerous grants from agencies within the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Research on plant-based food nutrients

Her current research focuses on the availability of key nutrients from plant based food products, which provide critical calories and essential nutrients to a large proportion of the world’s population. She also presents lectures on food safety and food security.

She is a member of numerous academic, professional and scholarly societies including Sigma Xi; American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences; Institute of Food Technologists; American Society for Nutritional Sciences; Epsilon Sigma Phi extension fraternity; and Gamma Sigma Delta.

She attended the Overseas School of Rome in Italy before going on to earn her bachelor’s degree in biology from Mount Union College, Alliance, Ohio. She holds a master’s degree in plant physiology and a Ph.D. in foods and nutrition from Purdue University.

The Closing the Gap award goes to Denis M. Medeiros for an assessment program of assessment of student learning. The Department of Human Nutrition faculty continually revises the assessment plan. They recognized that previously planned longitudinal tracking was less than effective.

The second is for long-range assessment planning and goes to Roni Schwartz. She developed five-year student learning assessment plans to meet the new 2008 Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education Eligibility Requirements and Accreditation Standards.

Stand-up presentations were:

“Exploring Restaurant Managers’ Beliefs about Food Safety Training” presented by Kevin R. Roberts, on research he conducted with Betsy Barrett. Both are in Department of Hospitality Management and Dietetics (HMD).

“Beliefs and Perceptions of School Foodservice Personnel about HACCP Implementation” by Lynn Riggins, University of Central Missouri. Her presentation was based on research she did here with Barrett.

Poster presentations were:

“Food Safety Practices in Ethnic Restaurants in Kansas” from Carol Shanklin, Junelee Kwon and Roberts. All are on the faculty in HMD. Shanklin is head of K-State’s graduate school.

“Multi-institutional Delivery of Internet-based Graduate Education to Dietetics Professionals” from Deb Canter, HMD department head, and faculty from other universities.

“Older Adults Technology Preferences Related to Food Safety Education” from Roberts; Valentina M. Remig, human nutrition; Toni J. Bryant, human nutrition extension; Gerry Snyder, multi-media specialist.

“Discussion Groups with Mature Adults Help Identify Food Safety Issues and Barriers” from Remig, Roberts, Bryant and Snyder.

“Food Safety Training Needs for Evacuation Shelters Operated by Faith Based Organizations” from Kwon and co-authors from Texas Women’s University, D. Ryu, L. Zottarelli and S. Kwon.

HRM interns climb highest mountains

Fifty-three hotel and restaurant management students did professional internships, a requirement for graduation. Courtney Cole, left atop Mt. Healy, Casey Walker and Clayton Connor worked with Aramark in Denali National Park, Alaska. The experience offered career contacts and the chance to explore Alaska, Connor said. And see grizzlies. Also at Denali were Danielle Rodriguez and Anthony Fagan. Amy Armstrong traveled the farthest for her HRM internship. She worked with Maldron Hotels in Dublin, Ireland.

Volunteers in Africa research thesis, project

Courtney Held, left back row, and Valerie Stull, right back row, pose with the youngsters at Good Shepherd Children’s Home in Maai Mahiu, Kenya. The two K-Staters spent the summer working with the non-governmental organization (NGO) called Comfort the Children: Stull, graduate student in public health nutrition, for thesis research; Held, senior in dietetics and public health nutrition, for an Honors Project in which she is helping develop flip charts for nutrition education. In addition to volunteer work with the children’s home, they provided nutrition education to women in the community and spent time at the public primary school in Ngeya. Stull’s thesis work evaluates a community garden project. Both received College of Human Ecology scholarships to help fund their trips, the first to Africa for Held and third to Africa for Stull.

Junior studies Aboriginal families (and Aussie animals) first hand

Kelsey Flickner spent seven weeks in Perth, Western Australia, in the Aboriginal Studies program at Murdock University. Her class, called “Wanju Boodjah,” focused on Aboriginal culture and way of life. “I got first hand accounts of spiritual ceremonies, visited places of significance, and interacted with Aboriginal elders. Also, I learned how gender played an important part in the Aboriginal society,” she said. A junior in family studies and human services, with a minor in leadership studies, Flicker recalled the significance of a half-day hike up Bluff Knoll in the Stirling Ranges: “Bluff Knoll was called Bular Mial (many eyes) or Bala Mial (his eyes) by Nyoongar people, depending on the intent of the speaker. This was because the rocks on the bluff were shaped like the eyes of the ancestral master spirit that are visible on the mountain today. The peak is often covered with mists that curl around the mountain tops and float into the gullies. These constantly changing mists were believed to be the only visible form of the Noyt (meaning spirit).”

Senior, New Zealand “challenge” each other

For Kelcii Peck, senior in nutrition, exercise science and dietetics, New Zealand was an obstacle course this summer. With 17 other North American college students, Peck participated in a 2-week Challenge New Zealand leadership program of GlobaLinks Learning Abroad. The students were challenged physically (climb Mt. Ruapehu on your own); emotionally (keep cool even when you are lost and run out of water); and culturally (learn about the indigenous Maori). “It felt almost as if we’d become a family in that short two weeks,” Peck told program leaders after the trek. “Everybody was on each other’s team and wanted each other to be successful.”

Prepared by Human Ecology communications

The K-State Sustainability web site includes directories, courses, research and projects, ways for people to get involved, and a news blog.

Among the listings are:

• Research in the Department of Apparel, Textiles and Interior Design by Sherry Haar, associate professor, and graduate students Cosette Armstrong and Aditi Shukla.
• Work of Tonatiuh Melgarejo, assistant professor in the Department of Human Nutrition.

“This Web site can help connect people for interdisciplinary research projects, service learning projects and more. For instance, if instructors are wanting to develop class projects, they could tie in with ongoing sustainability efforts by our facilities department,” said Ben Champion, K-State’s director of sustainability.

“What we really want to do is work with other sustainability professionals throughout Kansas,” he said. “We want it to be about the needs of Kansas, not just K-State. This is a way that K-State can provide leadership in sustainability. We can help create a statewide network for sustainability throughout higher education in Kansas.”

The video, written and produced by the college, is available on YouTube and Facebook. Check out other videos on the College of Human Ecology YouTube channel.

They are among the handful of McNair Scholars. The McNair program prepares undergraduates for graduate study.

• Brittany Delaney, senior in communication sciences and disorders and pre-nursing, studied the clinical measurement of voice and speech. Her project adviser is Linda Hoag, professor of family studies and human services.
• Jesus Garcia, senior in premedicine and public health nutrition,  studied the body composition of military combatives participants to learn what nutrition would help their performance. His project adviser is Mark Haub, assistant professor of human nutrition.
• Mary Ohmes, senior in communication sciences and disorders, studied interventions for impaired swallowing in infants. Her project adviser is Jane Garcia, associate professor of family studies and human services.

The honor means that K-State is in the top 15 percent of all colleges, universities and trade schools nationwide, and that the university actively recruits military students and offers programs to meet their needs. G.I. Jobs magazine is a publication aimed at helping those affiliated with the military to continue their education and transition into the civilian work force.

K-State has provided educational opportunities to military personnel and their families for more than 100 years through programs and services for Fort Riley and Fort Leavenworth, on campus and through distance education. In spring 2009, nearly 1,000 members of the military or their dependents were enrolled at K-State, with more than 300 of those students pursuing graduate-level degrees.

Human Ecology offers programs, research

K-State has numerous programs, several of them in the College of Human Ecology, aimed at understanding and supporting the needs of military personnel, including:

* The Institute for the Health and Security of Military Families was recently formed to address the health and well-being of military personnel, veterans and their families “after the battle.” The institute will coordinate a multidisciplinary group of researchers tackling issues such as the effects of trauma on deployed personnel and family, and the effects of deployment on marriage, children, employment and family income. The institute also will provide K-State students with specialized training on working with military families, conduct comprehensive research on military family issues and provide services to the state of Kansas and the nation that address the current and future needs of military families.

* K-State has long had an office at Fort Riley to provide initial information and enrollment advice for K-State classes. In addition, K-State Research and Extension recently opened an office at Fort Riley and is set to offer services and programs to military families later this year. A similar arrangement is being considered at Fort Leavenworth.

* The  School of Family Studies and Human Services and Department of Human Nutrition have worked on several military-related research projects, including one examining the factors families consider when deciding to relocate when their soldiers are transferred to Fort Riley. This project resulted in several substantive changes at the post to encourage relocation. Another project will study aspects of traumatic brain injuries. Several programs also have been developed for military youth and families.

Also on campus and off

* The Saunders Barracks at K-State’s Jardine Complex provides housing for ROTC and other military students.

* K-State has worked with Fort Leavenworth’s Command and General Staff College for nearly 20 years to administer master’s and doctoral degree programs in operations research, adult and continuing education, security studies and history. As of spring 2009, these partnership programs have resulted in nearly 600 master’s and doctoral degrees, with recently added graduate certificate programs reaching more than 130 additional students at Fort Leavenworth.

* K-State’s office of student financial assistance has a dedicated counselor who specializes in scholarship and financial aid opportunities for members of the military and their dependents. In addition, K-State has created a special merit-based scholarship program for college-bound children and spouses of Fort Riley soldiers, and assists with access to other military-specific financial aid opportunities.

* K-State offers a Military and Veterans Campus Visit Day for prospective students with military ties to learn firsthand about the resources available to military personnel and their families.

* K-State at Salina has partnered with the Kansas National Guard to establish the unmanned aerial vehicle program, which will develop training and operational procedures for using unmanned aerial systems when responding to emergencies.

In addition, K-State offers various educational opportunities at both Fort Riley and Fort Leavenworth, such as a class in Arabic language, and through distance education.

This is the second publication that has recognized K-State for being military-friendly. For the last two years, Military Advanced Education magazine has recognized K-State for its commitment to serving military students, ranking it among the top 60 institutions in the nation in 2009.

The increase will help serve the Evening College student demographic as well as on-campus students, according to Dave Stewart, assistant dean of continuing education at K-State.

“Evening College serves nontraditional students in the Manhattan geographical area, but it also serves on-campus students whose schedules are filled with other obligations during daytime hours,” Stewart said.

According to a national survey conducted last spring by Eduventures, a higher education research and consulting organization, adult students are still interested in their continuing or professional education.

“Tough economic times generally increase the interest and response to educational opportunities,” Stewart said. “As of the end of July, K-State Evening College, intersession and distance education enrollments have shown more than a 16 percent increase, which is on the higher end of enrollment increases nationwide.”

Aside from providing more class options, Evening College offers students a chance to get ahead in their programs. Many classes are offered in eight-week and 12-week terms, as well as the full 16-week term, so students may be able to fit more classes into their schedules.

“These additional class offerings may enable students to complete their degree programs at a faster pace,” Stewart said.

Evening College fall term sessions begin Aug. 24 and Oct. 19.

Fall 2009 classes will be offered in the following areas: accounting, Arab studies, Chinese, computer information systems, communications, economics, English, family studies and human services, geology, gerontology, history, hospitality management, dietetics, human nutrition, mathematics, music, philosophy, political science, psychology, sociology, statistics and women’s studies.

The fall 2009 Evening College course offerings are available on the Division of Continuing Education web site. More information also is available by contacting the K-State Division of Continuing Education at 1-800-622-2578 or informationdce@k-state.edu.

(via K-State Media Relations)