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Picture of Dr. Nickolas Solomey.

Nov. 4, 2021 – Reaching for the stars and beyond, a CubeSat Mission Patch contest sponsored by Wichita State University and the Ad Astra Foundation aims to highlight WSU’s science and research programs to prospective students.

NAIR WERX

Nov. 4, 2021 - A $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce will help Wichita State University’s National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) purchase tools and supplies to support Flight Test Research Center and Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul facility at NIAR WERX.

Masks

Nov. 1, 2021 - Helped by six grants from Kansas Leadership Center, Wichita State University’s HEALTH Student Association is working to end the pandemic and support students with information and resources to keep them healthy. HEALTH distributed more than 6,000 free and reusable masks, some with “Shockers United” branding, some plain black and sequined masks for the inauguration of president Rick Muma. It assembled gift boxes for quarantining students with information on COVID-19 vaccines and testing and gifts such as Wichita State water bottles, stickers and lanyards.

Medical Laboratory Sciences students and Dr. Joel Alderson

Oct. 27, 2021 – The Medical Laboratory Sciences department at Wichita State University has received a $280,000 endowed scholarship gift from Southcentral Pathology. Dr. Joel Alderson, president of Southcentral Pathology in Wichita, KS, established this fund to provide two full-ride scholarships each year in WSU’s Medical Laboratory Sciences program.

Debra Pile

Oct. 14, 2021 – The College of Health Professions (CHP) at Wichita State University is pleased to announce Dr. Debra Pile as the chair for the School of Nursing and associate dean for Nursing Practice.

audiology student examines simulation manikin

Oct. 4, 2021 – The Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders has received a gift to create the Audiology Simulation Lab at Wichita State University. The lab contains five state-of-the-art Canadian Audiology simulator for Research and Learning (CARL) manikins and auxiliary equipment.

NIAR MRO

Oct, 1, 2021 - The 777 conversion program will provide unique applied learning opportunities for WSU engineering and WSU Tech students. NIAR’s ability to provide applied learning experience for students will expand with a $2.1 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration for the purchase and installation of equipment for the institute’s Flight Test Research Center and Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility on South Oliver near Spirit AeroSystems.

Shocker Nation graphic

Sept. 30, 2021 -- Enrollment for fall 2021 at Wichita State University and WSU Tech is showing strong growth despite a decline in 2020 caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the loss of thousands of local jobs.

Dr. Bill Groutas

Sept. 23, 2021 — A Wichita State University scientist is part of a team that has recently been awarded a five-year, $3.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to further research a treatment for COVID-19.

A physician assistant student practices on a simulation mannequin.

Sept. 20, 2021 -- The College of Health Professions has reorganized its general health science courses into the Scientific Foundations Division. The restructuring is intended to expand student exposure to clinical expertise of the college’s faculty, as well as the unique facilities within the college. The new divisional structure will build on the college’s nationally recognized educational experience for students in the health professions. 

Member of Wichita State police department play dodge ball with children from local community.

Sept. 10, 2021 – Wichita State University Campus Recreation and the University Police Department teamed up this summer to teach more than 200 children from the Wichita community how to swim. The program was made possible by the Michael Phelps Foundation Grant received by Campus Recreation.

Widener Global Leaders Program: Leadership Team

Sept. 8, 2021 — A new, yearlong, interdisciplinary program focused on developing women leaders with a global, innovative mindset will start this fall at the W. Frank Barton School of Business at Wichita State University. The Widener Global Leaders Program, made possible by a gift from Peri Widener, is designed to create a transformational experience and foster an inclusive community for women majoring in business, communication or fine arts.

The Boeing 777 aircraft rests at NIAR facilities.

Sept. 8, 2021 — WERX at Wichita State University’s National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) has received its first Boeing 777-300ER passenger aircraft. As part of its rapidly growing Maintenance Repair and Overhaul program, WSU-NIAR WERX, in conjunction with Kansas Modification Center, will convert the passenger aircraft into a freighter that will be transferred to an external client to meet the growing needs of the e-commerce and express cargo market.

First gentleman Rick Case reads to students.

Aug. 31, 2021 — Wu Crew Reads is a pilot program between Wichita State University and Gordon Parks Elementary School. Members of the Wichita State community spend 20 minutes every week reading to and with third-graders via a virtual platform.

An animation of someone using the Vizling app

Aug. 26, 2021 — The National Endowment for Humanities (NEH) has awarded a Wichita State University researcher $100,000 for his work on developing an app that allows visually impaired people to read comic books and graphic novels.