Kennesaw State University

Lyric Gordon found life-changing research at Kennesaw State University - twice. After launching her student research career in an organic chemistry lab, she has shifted her focus to a biochemistry lab where she works with protein blockers that can help patients with dementia-related brain maladies, a major change in the final year of graduate study.

Jacob Erasmus wasted no time getting involved on campus, finding a laboratory and research project through KSU's First-Year Scholars program and parlaying that work into a summer internship at a nature-based ingredient company. Now he has continued his research and has shown no signs of slowing down as a Sophomore Scholar.

As a 12-year-old, David Madrigal-Giraldo arrived in the U.S. speaking no English. Fast forward a decade, and he's an information technology student at Kennesaw State University actively shaping his future. Madrigal-Giraldo has become involved in clubs and held numerous internships that have enriched his learning experience.

Adamina Bilbrey leveraged her participation in the Birla Carbon Scholars program to study the conservation of an endangered plant native to Georgia. The KSU environmental science major studied a beneficial native plant called the royal catchfly in a field in Dade County, Georgia, and discovered the plant flourishes best in areas that experience both sun and shade.

Lucile Duncan was introduced to engineering at a young age, which ultimately led her to pursue mechanical engineering at Kennesaw State. At KSU, she has gained valuable classroom experience and has leveraged that into high-impact internships at Gulfstream Aerospace, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and Delta Airlines.

After becoming a construction management student at KSU, Maria Benitez Blanco earned three years' worth of credits in just two years with near perfect grades. She was nominated to be one of Kennesaw State's 2024 Outstanding Student Scholars and participated in the 2024 Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia's Academic Recognition Day.

Kennesaw State University congratulates the nearly 1,100 students named to the Dean's List in recognition of their academic achievement during the Summer 2024 semester. Undergraduate students enrolled in at least nine credit hours and with a term grade point average of at least 3.5 were named to the list.

Looking to grow his engineering skills and career, Joachim James took the advice of his cousins who attended Kennesaw State University and enrolled in the Master of Science in Civil Engineering program. Today, he plays a critical role in research that could change the way engineers address lighting inside tunnel systems.

Kennesaw State University has named more than 1,100 students to the President's List in recognition of their academic excellence for the Summer 2024 semester. To achieve this honor, each undergraduate student must have completed at least nine credit hours with a term grade point average of 4.0.

The Birla Carbon Scholars Symposium marks the completion of an intensive summer research program in which students apply their studies toward sponsored projects under the guidance of Kennesaw State faculty scholars. The 12 students were chosen based on faculty recommendations, an undergraduate research project abstract, and a GPA of 3.0 or higher.

Kennesaw State junior Emily Manqueros knew in high school that she wanted to do research in physics, not just study it. Manqueros said classes in astronomy and physics taught her how physical forces effect everything around her, and she wanted to immerse herself in them. So, she came to KSU for the opportunity to conduct research right away as a freshman.

Computer science major Fernando Orfila is working to create an app to keep people interested in their health and wellness goals through gamification. Physical inactivity, obesity, and Type 2 diabetes cost the United States more than $700 billion a year, according to the CDC, and Orfila believes health and wellness apps could ultimately provide solutions.

What would America without opera look or sound like? Kennesaw State music major Simon Kawasaki shudders at the thought, but his project through KSU's Summer Undergraduate Research Program considers that very possibility, one of a handful of summer projects from the College of the Arts.

When something grabs Toni Kamau's attention, she wants to find out everything about it she can - which serves her well in research. Last fall and spring semesters, Kamau worked with research mentor Chloe Xie and fellow students to examine processes of how DNA is damaged and how it repairs itself.

In just one year of college, Mercy Olaniran already has been immersed in two research projects to positively impact people's lives. The computer science major is currently working to develop a smartphone application that would provide helpful tips to caregivers of people living with dementia.

Participating in the Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP), exercise science major Kayla Anderson is searching for a method of strength training for people who are not able to participate in traditional ways. Those who would benefit include the elderly, people with injuries, and post-stroke patients.

Tommy Brown has been fascinated by the vastness of space and the mystery of faraway stars for as long as he can remember, so it's only natural he chose to pursue engineering. The sophomore mechanical engineering major is working to design a hybrid drone capable of walking and flying while exploring previously unreachable areas of the solar system.

A Kennesaw State University engineering senior design team recently secured a third place finish at the Industrial and Systems Engineering Capstone Senior Design Project competition in Montreal. To complete the project, they partnered with mining and manufacturing company Imerys, which is currently implementing the design team's recommendations.

Mechanical engineering student Ken Kubiak launched a new trek in his life, connected to his lifelong fascination with space travel. Kubiak, who enrolled at Kennesaw State in 2022 to pursue his second bachelor's degree, is involved in reseach to make deep space travel more accessible and easier to achieve.

Kennesaw State University congratulates the more than 7,600 Owls named to the University's Dean's List, which recognizes students for their academic achievement during the Spring 2024 semester. Undergraduate students enrolled in at least nine credit hours and with a term grade point average of at least 3.5 were named to the list.

Freshman biology major Shifa Maherali Jiwani is participating in the Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP), where she is studying arsenic as a potential medicine. As strange as it might sound, arsenic shows potential medicinal applications despite being known as the "king of poisons."

Kennesaw State University has named nearly 5,800 students to the President's List in recognition of their academic excellence for the Spring 2024 semester. To achieve this honor, each undergraduate student must have completed at least nine credit hours with a term grade point average of 4.0.

Elementary education major Betsy Barron's research project aims to engage students based on their cultural background in subjects such as literacy and mathematics. Barron is conducting her project, "Culturally Relevant Math Lessons and Motivation in Elementary Education," through Kennesaw State's Summer Undergraduate Research Program.

William Reed connected his love of soccer with his academic interest in human performance, earning acclaim for his research along the way. Reed earned honors at the Symposium of Student Scholars and at the Wellstar College of Health and Human Service's Research and Engagement Day. He also won the Graduate College's Three-Minute Thesis competition.

The culmination of several months of hard work, Kennesaw State's hydraulic bike team bested nine other universities en route to a first-place finish at the 2024 Fluid Power Vehicle Challenge. The annual competition promotes original thinking by combining two technology platforms not normally associated with one another - human-powered vehicles and fluid power.

Growing up with an interest in space exploration, Casey Hampson knew physics would take him a long way. The Kennesaw State University rising junior has fulfilled that promise, as one of 15 students from the United States selected for a research opportunity this summer at the European Organization for Nuclear Research.

Looking to make a difference for years to come, the Interfraternity Council has established Kennesaw State's first scholarships by students for students. The IFC's contribution - with a match from the KSU Foundation - will result in two $25,000 endowed scholarships providing $1,000 per student annually beginning in Fall 2025.

Sarah Chang achieved the goal of her self-designed academic journey - bachelor's degrees in biology and music performance from Kennesaw State University. "Even though it might not be traditional and it took me an extra year, my professors and advisors were really supportive and helped me out a lot," said Chang, who also was a KSU Journey Honors College student.

Kim Amaya, who came to the U.S. from El Salvador when she was only 3, has worked hard to afford herself the types of opportunities her parents didn't have. Amaya has worked as many as three jobs at a time while attending college, as she prepares for a career as a teacher and becomes the first person in her family to graduate college.

Theatre and performance studies student Lance Avery Brown has appeared in multiple Kennesaw State productions, formed a freestyle improv troupe, and written and workshopped two original hip-hop musicals. Brown also has served as a peer leader for the Juvenile Justice School System, collaborating with students to tell their stories using poetry and songwriting.