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College of Engineering graduation, 2019

Oct. 20, 2020 — The Kansas Legislature in 2011 made a commitment to invest $105 million statewide over the next decade with the purpose of increasing the number of engineers available to industry. For its $35 million share of that money – granted under the University Engineering Initiative Act (UEIA) – Wichita State College of Engineering pledged to double the number of bachelor’s degrees it awarded annually. The aggressive goal was surpassed this past academic year as the college awarded 380 bachelor’s degrees.

Darren Defrain

Sept. 23, 2020 - Darren Defrain is the social professor of English and director of the writing program at Wichita State. Defrain has written novels, memoirs and essays, created a graphic novel, teaches on graphic novels/storytelling and is actively working on a graphic novel app.

Moran Center

Sept. 14, 2020 -- Wichita State University’s Advanced Center for Virtual Engineering and Testing will soon have a new name. The building’s renaming is a tribute to Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran’s commitment to provide vital resources and connections that help Wichita State offer impactful student experiences to drive prosperity for the city, region and state.

Kaushik Sinha

Aug. 26, 2020 — Wichita State University has been named a founding member of a newly formed AI Institute for Foundations of Machine Learning (IFML), established by a $20 million grant from the National Science Foundation.

Dr. Ali Eslami demonstrates a prototype of his invention.

Aug. 3, 2020 — If necessity is the mother of invention, it may also be the source of new patents: The story of how Dr. Ali Eslami became the holder of US Patent 10,689,898 – his first – begins with a local company asking for an invention to save it money.

Dr. Vinod Namboodiri

July 16, 2020 — The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded more than $1.1 million to Dr. Vinod Namboodiri, professor of electrical engineering and computer science at Wichita State University, and his team to create a community-wide wayfinding system for people with disabilities.

B-1 Bomber

July 8, 2020 — Wichita State’s National Institute for Aviation Research's Digital Twin program uses insights gained through the digital assembly of aging aircraft to provide valuable data to those who might work to maintain and repair similar aircraft in the future.

Data science graduate certificate

June 4, 2020 — Responding to industry demand for workers with specialized skills, Wichita State is now offering a graduate certificate in computational data science.

Creators of

May 20, 2020 — Jay Price, director of the public history program at Wichita State University, decided to make a series of graphic novels to commemorate the trail."

Black Hawk

May 19, 2020 -- The Army is turning to “digital-twin” technology from Wichita State University to resolve challenges and boost efficiencies for its enduring fleet of Black Hawk helicopters.

May 18, 2020 — COVID-19 might have forced Wichita State’s Ulrich Museum of Art to close its doors, but the museum has found new avenues to shine and thrive: an ambitious public art project and building the Ulrich’s online presence into a teaching and learning resource.

Brian Amos, assistant professor of political science, gives a Feb. 19 talk on gerrymandering at the Ulrich Museum of Art

Feb. 20, 2020 -- Brian Amos, assistant professor of political science at Wichita state, has dedicated numerous papers and conferences to gerrymandering research.

Courtney Powers, courtesy of A New View Photography

Dec. 16, 2019 -- Courtney Powers, music director at South Philadelphia High School, is in the running for a Grammy of her own for her work in music education. She is currently one of 25 quarterfinalists for the award.

Engineer working on a plane

Dec. 5, 2019 -- The National Science Foundation (NSF) has released updated rankings for university research and development (R&D) expenditures, and Wichita State has held its position as the top university in the country for industry-funded aeronautical R&D with a total of $39 million in fiscal year 2018.

Gallery alley in downtown Wichita

Dec. 5, 2019 -- A class project brought color to the sky above Wichita — and helped one student land a job.