02/15/21

HAYS, Kan. – The Capitol Graduate Research Summit, annually held at the Kansas state capitol in Topeka, has been moved to a virtual program for 2021. The summit, in its 18th year, is an annual showcase of research conducted by graduate students from the Kansas Regents institutions.

This year’s summit will be available online by Thursday, Feb. 18, for state legislators, the KBOR, the university community and the general public to view at https://ltblogs.fhsu.edu/cgrs2021. Fort Hays State will be represented by Provost Dr. Jill Arensdorf, who will give a welcoming statement. FHSU presenters will be Viviana Lizarraga, Haley Moon and Jaime Berry. Presentations will be judged by graduate faculty from the participating institutions, and awards will be announced after the 18th.

The summit provides an opportunity for selected graduate students to show state government, education officials and the public the quality of graduate research performed in the state of Kansas. Students selected for this event are involved in research, including physical and natural sciences, engineering, sociology, history and education – all providing a direct impact on the state of Kansas. The Kansas Legislature extends support for basic research funding to these schools, and the summit allows student researchers an opportunity to present the results of this support.

FHSU students participating, in alphabetical order, are:

Jaime Berry, Topeka, graduate student majoring in nursing, will present “Utilization of an OSA (Obstructive Sleep Apnea) Screening Tool in Primary Care.”  Dr. Valerie Yu, assistant professor of nursing, is Berry’s project instructor and mentor.

Viviana Lizarraga, Kansas City, Kan., graduate student majoring in psychology, will present “Sexual violence in rural places: Policy implications for first-responding law enforcement officers.” Dr. April Terry, assistant professor of criminal justice, is Lizarraga’s faculty advisor.

Haley Moon, Wakefield, graduate student majoring in psychology, will present “Jury Decision Making: The Influence of Mock-Juror Demographics on Verdict Outcomes.” Brooke Mann, instructor of psychology, is Moon’s faculty advisor.