The Research Immersion: Pathway to STEM (RiPS) summer research program was conducted for its fourth year by the Kansas Louis Stokes Alliance for 
Minority Participation (KS-LSAMP) program from May 30, 2017 to July 26, 2017. This program paired undergraduate students with research faculty at Kansas State University (K-State). Students from the KS-LSAMP alliance institutions: Dodge City Community College (DCCC), Garden City Community College (GCCC), Seward Community College (SCCC) and K-State applied and were selected to be part of this most recent cohort of RiPS students. During the program, students worked in individual labs on research projects mentored by faculty members, graduate students, and others.
Students attended weekly seminars organized by the Summer Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (SUROP) which focused on topics related to graduate school and career/professional development. As well as another weekly seminar facilitated by the KS-LSAMP Project Coordinator, Dr. Brenee King which helped guide students through their research experience, learn how to write a scientific abstract and create a research poster.
They were also introduced to research areas outside of their individual laboratories through special faculty lectures from Drs. Ryan Hansen (Chemical Engineering), Santosh Aryal (Chemistry), David Cook (Plant Pathology) and Matthew Kirk (Geology).
In addition to research and seminars students also participated in several group activities including picnics, a trip to the Sunset Zoo and a tour of the Konza Prairie.
The RiPS program culminated with a poster session in which each student presented their research to K-State faculty, administrators, staff and family members.
The 2017 RiPS summer research program included the following students from:
DCCC: Carmen Del Real and Vanessa 
Hernandez.
GCCC: Cesar Aparicio, Nhicolas Aponte and Erick Martinez-Rosales.
SCCC: Diana Najera, Richard Carmona, Jose Trejo and Daniel Pivaral.
K-State student: Juan Hernandez.
RiPS 2017 faculty mentors include William Hsu (Computer Science), Pravithra Prabhakar (Computer Science), Prathap Parameswaran (Civil Engineering), Melanie Derby (Mechanical Engineering), Jocelyn McDonald (Biology), Anna Zinovyeva (Biology), Emily McLaurin (Chemistry), Tendai Gadzikwa (Chemistry), Maureen Gorman (Biochemistry) and J.T. Laverty (Physics).
The RiPS summer program is part of the National Science Foundation funded KS-LSAMP grant. The overall goal of KS-LSAMP is to double the number of underrepresented minority students graduating from Kansas State University with baccalaureate degrees in science, technology, engineering or math.
More information about KS-LSAMP can be found at www.k-state.edu/lsamp