June 23, 2015
 Summer Events:
June 24
Kansas State University Bulk Solids Innovation Center Open House | 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.

July 15
Inside Out Service in College Center | 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

July 29
Discover You | 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

August 22
uBelong Experience | 8 a.m.

August 24
Fall Class Begin

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Wildcat Weekly Editor's Note

During the summer months, Wildcat Weekly will be published every three weeks. Please make your submissions for the newsletter by Monday at noon before each date listed below. 
  • July 14
  • August 4
  • August 25
Wildcat Weekly will resume its normal weekly schedule in the fall when classes begin, the week of August 24.
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Blanks joins representatives from Google and Amazon on international unmanned vehicle systems board
Kansas State University Salina's unmanned aircraft systems program continues to demonstrate its leadership in the industry with the election of one of its staff members to the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, or AUVSI, board of directors.

Mark Blanks, UAS program manager, joins representatives from such companies as Google, Amazon and Textron Systems on the board.

The association is the world's largest nonprofit organization devoted exclusively to advancing the unmanned systems and robotics community through education, advocacy and leadership. Blanks is the only UAS-focused director to be selected from a university this year and will contribute his expertise of precision agriculture and other applications of unmanned systems during his term.

"With K-State's extensive history in agriculture and our UAS program's world-class researchers and educators, I'm excited about the impact our university will have within this organization," Blanks said. "AUVSI is undoubtedly influencing the future of UAS technology, which will revolutionize industries across the globe. Along with K-State's contribution, this new connection to AUVSI will, in return, open doors for the university."

As a member of the board, Blanks will be responsible for collaborating with other members to determine the association's strategic direction and goals, setting policies for the conduct of its business, approving budgets and monitoring finances, increasing unmanned systems advocacy on Capitol Hill, and developing education and outreach for the public on the benefits of UAS. Blanks' term officially started on May 5 after his elected position was announced at the association's annual conference in Atlanta. He will serve on the board of directors until 2018.

"The university highly values its relationship with AUVSI, and this is a great way for K-State to give back to the organization while we're able to continue building strategic external relationships in the UAS industry," said Kurt Barnhart, K-State Salina's associate dean of research and engagement. "We are proud of Mark and his accomplishments and for how his leadership is taking the K-State Salina UAS program to the next level."

"Mark is such a strong advocate for our UAS program, whether it's building partnerships with industries during research, mentoring our students or educating the community on UAS technology," said Verna Fitzsimmons, CEO and dean of K-State Salina. "I am delighted he is representing the university and this honor is well deserved."

Blanks currently leads multiple federally funded research projects at K-State Salina, including validating UAS industry consensus standards and refining natural resource management applications of unmanned systems.Blanks also serves as the chair for the ASTM F38-02 subcommittee on unmanned aircraft systems flight operations. He has been with the university since January 2013.

The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International has 21 members serving on the board of directors with six of those directors being newly elected this year, including Blanks. The association has 7,500 individual members and more than 625 corporate members worldwide.
Airport management students go beyond the classroom
This summer, students in the airport planning and management class have had the opportunity to learn outside of the classroom in something called the field lab experience. Students are fully engaged with staff from the Salina Airport Authority, where they are assigned industry problems and projects each week. Students also go out into the field with these employees, working side-by-side with them on 'real world' scenarios.

Featured in the photos to the right, airport management students learn how to manage an airport fuel farm.

K-State Salina professors present at Atlanta conference
K-State Salina professors, Siny Joseph, Jung Oh, and Pat Ackerman recently authored a paper entitled "Transforming Teaching Culture through an Interdisciplinary Faculty Teaching Exchange Program." Joseph and Oh then presented the project at the end of May at the Teaching Professor Conference in Atlanta, Georgia.


A high-five is one of the most recognizable ways two people can share excitement or celebrate a job well done. K-State Salina's CEO and Dean Verna Fitzsimmons awards her high-five each week to honor faculty, staff and students for their dedication to the university.
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Congratulations Pat Ackerman!

Professor Pat Ackerman has recently been named to the Kansas Humanities Council board of directors. Congratulations and well done on this honor!

Congratulations Mark Blanks!

Mark Blanks, UAS program manager, was recently elected to the board of directors for the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International. This demonstrates once again how he is leading the campus's efforts in being recognized as a world authority for unmanned systems. Great job!

Summer Financial Aid

Summer Financial Aid - If you will be attending summer school and are needing financial aid, you will need to complete the Summer 2015 Financial Aid Application. You must be enrolled in all the summer classes before you can submit the application. The application can be found here.
Loan Repayment Option for Graduating Students

The state of Kansas is offering up to $15,000 in student loan repayment and up to a 5 year state tax waiver for graduates who establish residency in one of the 77 Kansas counties designated as a rural opportunity zone. For more information, visit the link below:
Aviation Scholarships

1.  National Aircraft Resale Association is offering scholarships up to $5,000 to students interested in aviation management, aerodynamics, aircraft systems, aviation safety. Must have a 3.0 GPA.
DEADLINE: October 31. Applications can be picked up on Room 105 Welcome Center.  https://www.naraaircraft.com/scholarship

2.  National Business Aviation Association is offering a number of different scholarships to students majoring in aviation related fields. There are scholarship for students majoring in any aviation field and some scholarship specifically for students in airport management and AVM.   http://www.nbaa.org/prodev/scholarships/

3. The Ninety-Nines and EAA will award a $3,000 Karen Johnson Solo Scholarship to provide a young woman (age 16-20 at any time during 2015 calendar year), who wants to learn to fly or has just begun flight training, with financial support for flight training through her first solo and beyond.  The application should include the name, address, email, cell phone and birthdate of the applicant along with a 500 word essay describing why the candidate wants to learn to fly, how she will apply her training, and her goals for the future.  Proof of financial need is not required. Applications must be submitted by email by July 7 to [email protected].

The scholarship will be awarded during the WomenVenture activities at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh on Wednesday, July 22. The winner will be expected to provide a 400-1000 word essay to the scholarship committee at [email protected] after her solo, sharing her training experiences and goals she has met. The scholarship is funded by the Ninety-Nines Inc. with support from the Ventura County Chapter of the Ninety-Nines and a grant from the 2014 Lightspeed Aviation Foundation Grant Competition. The scholarship funds must be used by Sept 1, 2016.

4. The Ninety-Nines Amelia Earhart Memorial Scholarship Fund (AEMSF) is a $6 million trust fund dedicated to providing scholarship assistance to women pilots, student pilots and women interested in aviation.

5. Fly Now Scholarships are awarded semiannually to women who want to learn to fly. For more information, visit: http://www.ninety-nines.org/index.cfm/Fly_Now.htm

Applications for the 2015 Fly Now fall scholarships will be available in August 2015. Applicants will need to join the 99s as an Associate (student) member to submit an application.

6. The AEMSF also offers fully paid scholarships to complete an additional pilot certificate, rating or pilot training course, including instrument, multi-engine, commercial, ATP, flight instructor, emergency maneuver training and all kinds of type ratings. What is unique about these scholarships is that they cover the full cost of the training. Most of the scholarships in this group require prior membership in the 99s. Additional information about these scholarships can be found at: http://www.ninety-nines.org/index.cfm/scholarships.htm

The fund also offers scholarships for college students majoring in aviation-related fields.

All jobs, both part-time and full-time as well as internship opportunities, are listed on the Kansas State University CES account. Access your CES account by logging into: 

 

https://www.myinterfase.com/kstate/Account/LogOn?ReturnUrl=%2fkstate%2fstudent

 

For more information about this resource or additional employment resources, or for CES search assistance, please contact Marva Morgan by email at [email protected]u, by phone at (785) 826-2659, or in person at the K-State Salina Welcome Center.

 

To post a position on the CES system, please send your job descriptions and employer contact information by email to Marva Morgan at [email protected] for immediate posting.