June 10, 2026

Kansas State University researchers who want to turn ag innovation into validated businesses are invited to apply for the Ag45 cohort of the National Science Foundation Great Plains I-Corps program.  

The new Great Plains I-Corps: Ag45 cohort is a seven-session program to help teams that are developing agriculture or ag-related technologies to validate their ideas and build a strong foundation for commercialization. The cohort includes several weeks of virtual sessions and an in-person reception and conference Sept. 15-18 in Fargo, North Dakota.  

The program is free to join for any K-State faculty and students. Applications are due Monday, July 13. Learn more and apply at gp-icorps.org/events/ag45. 

Ag45 cohort participants get: 

Up to $3,000 in support funding to use toward customer discovery efforts 

Access to ag industry experts and professionals  

A validated commercialization plan 

The National Science Foundation Innovation Corps, or I-Corps, program equips researchers and innovators with the tools to translate federally funded discoveries into market-ready technologies, startups and industry partnerships. Learn more about the I-Corps program at gp-icorps.org.  

Joyce Baptist, faculty member in Couple and Family Therapy, is looking for participants (18 to 65 years old) for a clinical study aimed at improving treatments for major depression. Volunteers will be randomized into one of two treatment groups, where they will receive 16 sessions of either Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR).

For more information or to volunteer, please contact Tanvi at tgadgil@ksu.edu. IRB approval # 11206.

The 2027-2028 Fulbright U.S. Student Program competition launched on March 31! The Program offers over 1,800 awards to approximately 140 countries each year, allowing award recipients to conduct independent research, graduate study, or an English Teaching Assistantship in a host country of their choosing. U.S. citizens who hold will hold a bachelor’s degree by the award start date, and who will not have a PhD conferred by the application deadline, are eligible to apply. The application will close on October 6, 2026, at 4 p.m. Applicants may visit the website for more information on webinars, eligibility requirements, application components, country award details, and more.  

K-State’s Office of Scholar Development and Undergraduate Research’s (SDUR) staff, Beth Powers and Kyle Padden, will work with students over the summer to meet the internal campus deadline of August 15. Individuals can learn more about the Student Fulbright program and K-State's process here. Beth and Kyle welcome questions from interested students, faculty or staff at sdur@ksu.edu.

NSF webinars & office hours:

This report defines the most pressing technical hurdles in advanced AI adoption today. Developed in collaboration with eight leading frontier AI companies and over fifteen Chief AI Officers from the Department of War (DoW) and the Intelligence Community (IC), it outlines the concrete challenges that the research community must address.

Read the full report here.

Congress appropriated $1.27B in FY26 funding for CDMRP through the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 signed into law on February 3, 2026. CDMRP is releasing its FY26 research program funding opportunities and hosting four webinars for the program areas. These meetings will be recorded. Live attendance as well as the recordings can be viewed using the same links provided below.

June 10, 12-1 p.m. Topic areas: Arthritis, Lupus, Melanoma, Military Burn, Multiple Sclerosis, TBI/Psychological Health, Tick Borne Diseases and Tuberous Sclerosis Complex.
June 24, 12-1 p.m. Topic areas: Autism, Bone Marrow Failure, Combat Readiness, Epilepsy, Hearing Restoration, Orthopedic, Reconstructive Transplant and Spinal Cord Injury.
July 8, 12-1 p.m. Topic areas: Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, Joint Warfighter Medical, Kidney Cancer, Neurofibromatosis, Parkinsons, Prostate Cancer, Rare Cancers and Toxic Exposures.

We are currently recruiting peer reviewers with expertise in agricultural economics, finance and insurance in addition to agricultural resilience, soil science and natural resource management for the Resilient Agriculture Finance and Insurance Research Collaborative, a joint initiative of FFAR, the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability.  

The purpose of this program is to accelerate the development of finance and insurance innovations that enable farmers, ranchers and agribusinesses to invest in practices, technologies and production systems that improve farmer resilience to adverse events that affect their operations.

Qualified reviewers with expertise relevant to the submitted full proposals will be asked to review up to three proposals in August of this year. In appreciation for completing a review, an optional honorarium is available to eligible, non-government employees. 

To participate and receive more information, please complete the following two-minute form by June 26.