The Johnson Cancer Research Center’s multidisciplinary faculty researchers and students are working hard to unravel the complexities of cancer. With the support of many generous donors, the center is taking a leading role furthering the understanding of cancers by funding K-State cancer research and supporting higher education, training, and public outreach. Our goal is to discover the foundational knowledge needed to advance the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer, while striving to improve cancer-related research and education, provide scholarships and fellowships, enrich the student experience, and inform the public about cancer and cancer research.

 

 

 

 

February 12, 2025—Brad Behnke named Betty L. Tointon Dean of the College of Health and Human Sciences

MANHATTAN—Following a national search, the Office of the Provost has appointed Brad Behnke as Betty L. Tointon Dean of Kansas State University's College of Health and Human Sciences, effective Feb. 16. Read more...

 

January 30, 2025—The scientist learning more than she ever imagined

MANHATTAN—It’s understandable that Lidia Lopez-Vazquez was nervous when she came to K-State. She was taking a big step — from community college to a big-time research university. “I think applying to come here was one of the most rewarding things I’ve done,” she said. Read more...

 

January 24, 2025—College of Arts and Sciences students receive research awards

MANHATTAN—Forty-four Kansas State University students in the College of Arts and Sciences have received research awards for the spring 2025 semester. Award recipients conduct faculty-mentored research projects and receive $1,000 scholarships from the college. JCRC students include, Lidia Lopez Vazquez, senior in human health biology, mentored by Brad Olson, associate professor of biology; Ayianna Bailey, junior in medical microbiology and medical laboratory science, mentored by Vanessa Ante, assistant professor of biology; and Bryttan Adams, senior in medical microbiology, mentored by Sonny Lee, associate professor of biology. Read more...

 

December 18, 2024—Inaugural University Outstanding Scholar cohort is future of research, teaching and service

MANHATTAN—Kansas State University has taken a significant step forward in recognizing academic excellence with the launch of its University Outstanding Scholar Awards program. Heather Bailey, associate professor of psychological sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences, is a leader in understanding how prior knowledge influences memory, particularly in relation to aging and Alzheimer's disease. Read more...

 

December 16, 2024—K-State advances biomanufacturing research through interdisciplinary hires

MANHATTAN—The complexity of today’s interconnected world demands innovative, cross-disciplinary solutions. Through its Multidisciplinary Hiring Initiative in Biomanufacturing, Kansas State University is building transformative research capacity to address global challenges. With a broad set of skills and expertise across several biological disciplines, Brandon Garcia, associate professor of biochemistry and biophysics, leads a team of student researchers and trainees exploring the molecular structures of proteins involved in human diseases. Read more...

 

December 13, 2024—K-State advances biomanufacturing research through interdisciplinary hires

MANHATTAN—Thanks to awards from the Johnson Cancer Research Center, 21 Kansas State University students will conduct hands-on cancer research in the spring 2025 semester. The center's Cancer Research Awards will provide the selected students with hands-on laboratory research experience that emphasizes the importance of ethical research practices and effectively communicating science to the public. Read more...

 

November 27, 2024—There’s a new heart risk calculator coming, and K-State physiologists validated it

MANHATTAN—Cardiovascular disease has long been the leading cause of death around the world, but a new set of predictive scores — validated by physiologists in Kansas State University's College of Human Health and Sciences — will equip doctors and patients with the knowledge they need to make early interventions. Britton Scheuermann, doctoral candidate, Perrysburg, Ohio, in kinesiology associate professor Carl Ade's Clinical Integrated Physiology Laboratory, was lead author on a paper in JAMA Network Open validating the American Heart Association's new PREVENT equations to calculate patients' cardiovascular disease risk. Read more...

 

November 26, 2024—K-State engineer developing novel electrical method to create controllable droplets

MANHATTAN—A Kansas State University engineer is developing a new method for creating large quantities of liquid droplets with uniform and adjustable volumes through a novel electrical technique called electrowetting bursting. Shih-Kang "Scott" Fan, professor in the Alan Levin Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, received a three-year grant for more than $450,000 from the National Science Foundation's Division of Chemical Bioengineering Environmental and Transport Systems for the project. Read more...

 

November 11, 2024—Two K-State faculty receive $5,000 Iman Awards for teaching and research

MANHATTAN—Introduced in 2007, the annual Dr. Ron and Rae Iman Outstanding Faculty Awards are sponsored by the K-State Alumni Association and are made possible through the generosity of Ron and Rae Iman. Lisa M. Pohlman DVM, MS, DACVP, professor of clinical pathology, will receive the Iman Outstanding Faculty Award for Teaching. The recipient of the Iman Outstanding Faculty Award for Research is Waithaka Mwangi, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology. Read more...

 

October 22, 2024—K-State engineers sending experiment to International Space Station for condensation study

MANHATTAN — A team of K-State engineers hopes to predict condensation and freezing behavior using data obtained from experiments completed on the International Space Station. Amy Betz, associate professor of mechanical and nuclear engineering in the Carl R. Ice College of Engineering, will lead the four-year project "ISS: Predicting condensation and freezing behavior via a machine learning model" alongside co-principal investigators Melanie Derby, Dr. Charles E. Wilson chair in engineering and professor in the Alan Levin Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, and Hande McGinty, assistant professor of computer science.. Read more...

 

August 2, 2024—Johnson Cancer Research Center raises more than $8,000 at Kaw Valley Rodeo

MANHATTAN — The Johnson Cancer Research Center at Kansas State University raised more than $8,000 during the recent Kaw Valley Rodeo. This achievement was made possible through the generosity and support of the Kaw Valley Rodeo Association, rodeo participants and the attendees who contributed to the cause. Read more...

 

July 25, 2024—K-State Engineers to Develop Neutron Sensors for Improved Control, Safety in Advanced Nuclear Reactors

MANHATTAN — A trio of faculty members in the Carl R. Ice College of Engineering at Kansas State University is developing sensors designed to withstand one of the harshest operational environments ever created within the core of a nuclear reactor. Walter McNeil, Steve Hsu keystone research scholar and associate professor in the Alan Levin Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, has received a nearly $500,000 grant from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to lead a team designing the sensors that will operate within the core of a nuclear reactor and provide new levels of control and safety. McNeil will lead the three-year project, "Enhancement of Miniature In-Core Fission Chamber Technology for Advanced Reactor Applications," alongside co-principal investigators Amir Bahadori, recipient of the Hal and Mary Siegele Professorship in Engineering and associate professor, and Douglas McGregor, Boyd D. Brainard Departmental Faculty Chair in Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering and university distinguished professor. Read more...

 

July 8, 2024—K-State biologist receives $1.87M grant to explore cell interactions that fight inflammatory diseases

MANHATTAN — A Kansas State University biologist has received a grant to study how immune cells and sensory neurons affect tissue inflammation — work that could lead to improved methods of treating inflammatory diseases. Pankaj Baral, assistant professor in the Division of Biology, has been awarded a $1.87 million Maximizing Investigators' Research Award, or MIRA, from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences. Read more...

 

June 26, 2024—K-State faculty mentor McNair Scholars through Summer Research Internship

Scholar Development and Undergraduate Research, housed in the Staley School of leadership, recognizes and celebrates the 2024 McNair Mentors for their contributions to the Kansas State University McNair Scholars’ academic and professional growth as they prepare for graduate education. McNair mentors play a large role in the development of the undergraduate researchers and are helpful in providing a trajectory toward graduate education.Thank you, to the following mentors for the 2024 McNair Summer Internship: Brad Olson & Nicholas Wallace. Read more...

 

June 4, 2024—K-State researchers announce clinical study for improved lung cancer treatment

MANHATTAN — A team of Kansas State University researchers has developed an improved treatment for lung cancer, and project collaborators have completed the first procedure in Australia as part of a clinical study. The phenoWave system's underlying technology was jointly developed by the research team led by K-State engineer Punit Prakash and industry partner phenoMapper LLC under a National Cancer Institute academic-industry partnership R01 grant. Prakash is the recipient of the Paul L. Spainhour professorship in electrical engineering and a professor in the Mike Wiegers Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Read more...

 

May 31, 2024—Global Food Systems Seed Grant awardees announced

The Office of the Vice President for Research announces the recipients of the 2024 Global Food Systems Seed Grant Program. Davood Pourkargar, chemical engineering; and Sajid Alavi, grain science and industry, "A Physics-Informed Machine Learning-Based Predictive Modeling Framework to Enhance Efficiency, Sustainability, and Resilience for Global Food Systems," $199,739. Read more...

 

May 23, 2024—K-State faculty, student recognized for exceptional teaching, leadership with Presidential Awards

MANHATTAN — Kansas State University has honored three faculty members for their excellence in teaching and leadership with the 2024 Presidential Awards. Ray Buyle, professor and head of the GE Johnson Department of Architectural Engineering and Construction Science in the Carl R. Ice College of Engineering, received the Presidential Award for Outstanding Department Head. Endy Kailer, doctoral student and graduate teaching assistant in agronomy in the College of Agriculture, received the Presidential Graduate Teaching Assistant Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. Christian Larson, instructor of kinesiology in the College of Health and Human Sciences, received the Presidential Award for Undergraduate Teaching. Read more...

 

May 15, 2024—Four Kansas State University professors receive top award for undergraduate teaching excellence

MANHATTAN — Kansas State University is recognizing four faculty members for outstanding work in their roles as educators through the Commerce Bank and W.T. Kemper Foundation Undergraduate Teaching Awards. Rafferty has been at K-State since 2014, when he was hired as an assistant professor of chemistry, later earning a promotion to associate professor. Prior to arriving at K-State, Rafferty was a visiting and postdoctoral lecturer at the University of Illinois at Urbana. He earned two bachelor's degrees and a master's from the University of Northern Colorado, as well as a doctoral degree from Colorado state University. Read more...

 

May 1, 2024—K-State students to serve as speakers, musicians at spring 2024 commencement ceremonies

MANHATTAN — Even though some of them are walking across the graduation stage themselves, several Kansas State University students are taking active roles in this spring's commencement ceremonies. Avanelle Stoltz, bachelor's candidate in biological systems engineering, Leawood, will deliver the student address at commencement for the Carl R. Ice College of Engineering. Read more...

 

May 1, 2024—Kaliramesh Siliveru and Emily Tolbert receive K-State research and mentoring awards

Kansas State University is recognizing two for excellence in research and mentoring. Kaliramesh Siliveru, associate professor of grain science and industry, is the recipient of the University Distinguished Faculty Award for Mentoring of Undergraduate Students in Research; and Emily Tolbert, junior in microbiology, Newton, is the recipient of the University Award for Distinguished Undergraduate Student in Research. Read more...

 

April 30, 2024—K-State researcher lands $2.6 million for African Swine Fever research

A K-State researcher has new support to battle one of the biggest global threats to the $57 billion pig and swine production industry in the U.S. The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research, or FFAR, recently awarded a $1 million Seeding Solutions Grant to Waithaka Mwangi, an immunology professor in the department of diagnostic medicine and pathobiology in K-State’s College of Veterinary Medicine. The grant will support Mwangi’s ongoing work to develop safe and rapidly deployable vaccines to prevent African Swine Fever Virus. Read more...

 

April 3, 2024—Bahadori elected to national scientific authority on radiation protection

Amir A. Bahadori, associate professor in the Alan Levin Department of Mechanical Engineering, was recently elected to the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements, or NCRP. Read more...

 

March 29, 2024—K-State doctoral students receive awards for research presentations at Capitol Graduate Research Summit

MANHATTAN — Two Kansas State University graduate students were recognized for their outstanding research poster presentations at the annual Capitol Graduate Research Summit, or CGRS, held at the State Capitol in Topeka on March 21. Ramona Weber, doctoral student in health and human sciences specializing in kinesiology, Hanover, presented "Effect of dietary nitrate supplementation on tumor oxygenation." Weber's major professor is David Poole, university distinguished professor of kinesiology. Read more...