As the week comes to an end, students from the landscape architecture and regional and community planning departments wipe the sweat off their brow and prepare a presentation for the mayor of Manhattan.

This week many of the landscape and regional and community planning department students at K-State are participating in 'Design Week.' These departments have partnered with Design Workshop, a planning and design firm based in Aspen, Colo., to create and develop new proposals for the city of Manhattan.

Due to the future changes in Manhattan with the expansion of Fort Riley and the National Bio Agro-Defense Facility, the need for planning and changes is at an all-time high.

"It is projected that Manhattan will have 24,000 new residents in the future and we've decided that the project should be based on that fact," said Kurt Culbertson, chairman of Design Workshop.

Culbertson said this program started at Louisiana State University where students were invited to come in and fix a problem in the community or city.

"We are all assigned different areas of Manhattan to design a strategic plan for the thousands of residents moving to Manhattan," said Patrick Ptomey, sophomore in landscape architecture.

With tension high and creative minds at work, students in Seaton Hall seem to enjoy planning the future of Manhattan during "Design Week."

"Tomorrow we will be presenting ideas to the mayor of Manhattan, President Schulz and the city engineer; we are very excited," said Culbertson.

Culbertson said this is the ninth design week on the road and he has seen many good things come out of the planning and designs of communities.

"We all have different ranges of experience and it works well for all of us to bring together the knowledge we have of Manhattan and work together," said Tony Meyer, senior in landscape architecture.

The "Design Week" teams present to the mayor at 3 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 4.

"One thing that I hope is that this week wasn't in vain, that we did this to help out Manhattan," said Meyer.

Tim Schrag Kansas State Collegian

Students who walked by the bike racks outside Kedzie Hall Thursday were met with smiling faces and scoops of ice cream. The staff members and mentors from the study abroad program handed out ice cream to help promote the their program, as well as the upcoming Study Abroad Fair on Sept. 8 in the K-State Student Union.

Lindsey Brubaker, study abroad adviser for the Office of International Programs, said the ice cream social was to welcome new and returning students involved in the study abroad program. The ice cream social lasted from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

"Study abroad is a lot easier process than I think most students realize," said Brubaker.

Brubaker also said the fair will be a great opportunity for students and faculty to look at different aspects of the study abroad programs, such as the 2-8 week travel sessions with K-State faculty.

Currently, K-State has over 36 students from other countries involved in the study abroad program, and also offers study abroad programs in 300 different areas around the world.

Karli Stukenberg, director for the study abroad program, said the upcoming fair is an opportunity to dispel common misconceptions.

Study abroad staff and mentors put on several events throughout the year, including this kickoff event.

"It's a perfect day to have an ice cream social," said Susan Dolan, senior in apparel marketing and peer adviser in the study abroad program.