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Isabel Ridpath

May 15, 2020 -- The America Reads Challenge is an initiative started in 1996 by the Clinton Administration. At Wichita State  six students participated in the work-study program during the spring semester. But when the pandemic hit, the students were out of work with no pay so they facilitated a way to move the program virtually.

Madison McCalla, WSU communication graduate

May 15, 2020 -- Madison McCalla knew she could get a great communication degree at Wichita State through the Elliott School of Communication. She made the most of her education by getting involved with a professional student group and stepping out of her comfort zone. And she isn’t going to let COVID-19 get in the way of her career plans.

Theresa Le, a WSU communication grad

May 14, 2020 -- As a first-generation student from Florida, attending Wichita State was a huge step for Theresa Le. She found the balance and resilience necessary to make her college career successful and now plans to start her own business.

Kayla Deines

May 14, 2020 -- Kayla Deines has spent her fair share of time in college but it's allowed her to pursue a path she's passionate about. Skilled in marketing, communications and design, Kayla hopes to land a communication job in higher education.

Claudia Rojo

May 13, 2020 - Claudia Rojo graduates this spring and will begin a graduate research assistantship at the National Institute for Aviation Research while finishing her final season of outdoor track eligibility in 2021. Rojo, like all seniors in spring sports, was granted the option to extend their eligibility after the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled spring sports. In 2019, she finished second in the heptathlon in the American Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships.

From left to right: Morgan Cusick, Quinn Rhodes, Maya (the garden mascot), Madi Laughlin, Ryne Carballo.

May 13, 2020 - Madi Laughlin, president of the Green Group, serves as the supervisor for the community garden. The community garden is a plot of land located northeast of Ahlberg Hall.

Brooke Talbott, senior history major

May 13, 2020 -- Graduating senior Brooke Talbott has been working as an intern at Highland Cemetery for the past semester and has learned that there is more to a cemetery than meets the eye.

Team Wire Pullers advanced to the national competition for the Koch Innovation Challenge.

May 12, 2020 — Wichita State's Team Wire Pullers has advanced to the national competition in the Koch Innovation Challenge. The team — comprised of Braden Botkin, a sophomore in engineering technology; Adam Brown, a freshman in engineering; and Nicholas Ridpath, a freshman in applied computing — created a magnetic device to make pulling wires through walls easier.

Wichita State campus

May 7, 2020 -- As our state begins to implement Ad Astra: A Plan to Reopen Kansas, we too are beginning to develop and implement plans for the university’s short- and long-term future. This plan – Shockers United – is a culmination of seven working groups across campus, each comprised of students, faculty and staff, and each tasked with examining a different facet of university operations that must now be modified to a new normal as we seek to coexist with and thrive in spite of this virus.

Linda Harl, an aerospace engineering junior.

May 7, 2020 -- For the fourth consecutive time, the Wichita State College of Engineering’s NASA in Kansas program has secured a multi-year, multi-million-dollar grant. The latest four-year award is for $2.8 million.

Camille Childers

May 7, 2020 — Camille Childers never thought she’d be leading the charge in Wichita State University’s battle against a pandemic. Nevertheless, she had a plan.

Jade Mursch

May 7, 2020 -- Jade Mursch, a first-generation student, chose Wichita State to be close to family and the affordability. During her time on campus, she has involved herself with her sorority and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. She's excited about the opportunities that are ahead after graduation.

Maddie Harris waves goodbye to campus as she graduates

May 5, 2020 -- Fellow seniors, there's no denying that our senior year ended differently than we planned. While it's okay to be sad and grieve the events that aren't happening, be sure to take time and reflect on the past four years and look toward the future as one door closes an another opens.

From left: Jefferson Vieira and Rafael Bini Leite

May 5, 2020 — Scraping frost from your automobile windshield before you can safely drive can be time-consuming and unpleasant, but a new device called Shiver could make it a little easier. WSU engineering students Rafael Bini Leite and Jefferson Vieira are developing a device that attaches to the windshield and has built-in sensors capable of detecting ice on the windshield, allowing motorists to clean and remove it effortlessly before it builds up.

B-1 Bomber photo

May 4, 2020 -- A new research partnership between Wichita State University’s (WSU) National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) and the U.S. Air Force will create a virtual B-1 Bomber that could help the Air Force predict the future of its supersonic bombers.