WSU News - All Stories

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.

Sept. 23, 2020 - Bill Burch played linebacker for the Shockers in 1970 as a senior. As fate would have it, a knee injury kept him from traveling to Utah State on Oct. 2. He had expected to travel with the team, but instead was forced to stay home and heal. On that day, the Martin 4-0-4 airliner that carried the Shocker starters crashed near Silver Plume, Colorado, killing 31 people – 14 student-athletes, 14 staff and boosters, and three crew members.

Sept. 16, 2020 - Deja Young is a returning Paralympian in track and a Wichita State alumna. Casey Ralzlaff is a first-time Paralympic hopeful in wheelchair tennis and current student at Wichita State. Both of their sports are cancelled due to COVID-19.

Sept. 21, 2020 -- Saying she wants to help build a new generation of business leaders with a world view, Wichita State alumna Peri Widener has pledged $275,000 to her alma mater. A portion of the gift will launch a program to help develop students into global business leaders.

Sept. 18, 2020 - In July, Emily Christensen spent five days on Zoom participating in the National Critics Institute, a program of the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center in Waterford, Conn. Christensen, coordinator of external affairs for Wichita State University’s School of Art, Design and Creative Industries, wrote about food, plays, movies and dance. She, and 16 others in her group, listened to and received critiques from people such as such as Chicago Tribune theater critic Chris Jones, who directs the program, and Helen Shaw of New York Magazine.

Sept. 15, 2020 -- With holiday travel season on the horizon, a just-released annual forecast from Dean Headley, co-author of the Airline Quality Rating and associate professor emeritus at Wichita State University, offers new insights into making travel plans in these extraordinary times.

Aug. 28, 2020 — Dr. Kevin Harrison, a community engagement coordinator for Wichita State, launched the Breathe project, which he says “is an attempt to use art as means of addressing social injustice and racial stereotypes.”

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.

August 25, 2020 - Dr. Joel Suss is an assistant professor in psychology and the director of ACE at Wichita State University. For the past five years, the ACE lab has focused its study on law enforcement.

Aug. 24, 2020 — Building a stronger, more profound connection between the Wichita State main campus and its Innovation Campus, the university is proposing the creation of a privately funded elevated pedestrian bridge that will span more than 300 feet across the pond west of Wayne and Kay Woolsey Hall, which is scheduled to break ground later this year.

Kansas Jason Sudeikis writes and stars in the Apple TV+ series “Ted Lasso,”  which begins streaming Friday (Aug. 14). In the show, Lasso is a fictional former Wichita State University football coach who moves to coach fictional British soccer club AFC Richmond in the Premier League. Lasso's former life as Shocker coach is featured in the first two episodes.

Aug. 10, 2020 — From suburbia to cities across the globe, caffeine and wine are often a source of collective comfort: the first for a morning pick-me-up, the latter to unwind. Now a Wichita State University professor has discovered evidence to suggest that even our ancient ancestors enjoyed these drinks.

August 7, 2020 — Applied computing student Noah Sentry and biomedical engineering student Leah Fisher are part of a student team in ENGR 302. From a list provided by Samantha, Noah and Leah chose to use their skills to help Sutton, a 6-year-old with cerebral palsy. 5/05/20

Aug. 5, 2020 -- In an effort to help diversify and grow the economy – while providing an important platform for creating new academic and applied programs for students – Wichita State University is moving forward on a facility to house the National Institute for Digital Transformation (NIDT) as part of its Convergence Sciences initiative.

Aug. 5, 2020 — Dr. Bill Groutas, Wichita State University medical chemist, is part of a team that has published a study showing a possible therapeutic treatment for COVID-19.