ShockerAlert System to be tested on Friday, Sept. 20
There will be a test of the ShockerAlert System around 1:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20, to ensure that campus-wide emergency communication channels are functioning properly.
During the test, you may see messages delivered via digital display boards, TV monitors, the WSU website, email, Alertus, Facebook, and cell phone texting.
All faculty and staff are encouraged to register their cell phone numbers to receive ShockerAlert messages. ShockerAlert will only be used to send emergency messages and to announce campus weather closings. To register your cell phone, go to http://wichita.edu/alert.
Chartwells invites you to catering grand showcase
You're invited to the third annual Chartwells Catering Grand Showcase. Join us from 4:30-6:30 p.m. tomorrow (Thursday, Sept. 19) in the RSC Shirley Beggs Ballroom. This event is free, open to the public, and will feature a preview of our new Carved and Crafted menu. Enjoy hors d'oeuvres, a dessert station and a hosted bar. We'll also have a live disc jockey and photo booth for your enjoyment!
All guests will receive a free drink ticket and a catering coupon to use before Oct. 31. RSVP here.
Register now for Shocker Circles
The time to register is now.
Who? All of the Shocker Nation community are invited to participate.
What? The Circle process is a new method of engagement.
When? Meetings begin Monday, Sept. 23 through Saturday, Sept. 28, with afternoon, evening, and Saturday sessions offered.
Where? The Circles will be held on main campus.
Why? Learn a new technique that can be implemented into any meeting format utilized for faculty, staff, students, and any gathering of the minds.
The time is now. Select a spot in next week’s Shocker Circles. Registration will close on Saturday, Sept. 21. No notebooks, laptops or materials are needed to participate. All that is needed is your registration.
Register online or visit the Shocker Circle table in the RSC between 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesday and Friday in the RSC. Questions, comments, or concerns can be emailed to shocker.circle@wichita.edu.
Fall 2019 Physics Seminar Series today (Wednesday, Sept. 18)
James Ho, WSU emeritus and visiting National Taiwan University professor, will present “Research towards Room-Temperature Superconductors – Experiments and Theories,” at 2 p.m. today (Wednesday, Sept. 18) in 128 Jabara Hall. Refreshments and discussion will follow the presentation.
The Physics Seminar Series is supported by the Eddy and April Lucas Fund.
Funding opportunity from Kansas NSF EPSCoR
Kansas NSF EPSCoR is seeking letters of intent and proposals for First Awards in areas
related to the current Kansas NSF EPSCoR focus of microbiomes as broadly construed
to be aquatic, plant, and/or soil systems. The First Award program helps early career
faculty become competitive for funding from the research directorates at the National
Science Foundation.
Submission Deadlines:
Letters of Intent are due by 5 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 25
Proposals due by 5 p.m. Monday, Nov. 25
*Please note - if you are interested in applying, contact proposals@wichita.edu as soon as possible so a grant specialist may be assigned to assist you. All proposals
for external funding must go through the WSU Office of Research.
The full request for proposals with submission instructions can be downloaded as a PDF at http://www.nsfepscor.ku.edu/funding.html
Join the Office of Academic Affairs for a discussion of current student trends and best practices for student engagement Sept. 20
Eric Wilson
What makes students in Gen Z — and their parents — different than the Millennials who came before them? What are the most effective ways to communicate with today's students? How do transfer students think and act differently when it comes to retention?
Join the Office of Academic Affairs and Trends in Higher Education Fellow Eric M. Wilson for lunch and a discussion of student trends and data-supported best practices from noon-1 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20 in 262 RSC. Wilson, associate educator in the Elliott School of Communication / Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, attended the 34th annual ACT Enrollment Management Summit in Dallas in July. He will lead a discussion of trends based on national ACT data, and best practices insights from the conference, and how they align with WSU’s Strategic Enrollment Management goals. Lunch is provided.
Please RSVP here , or to Lydia Santiago at 978-3987, by noon today (Wednesday, Sept. 18).
Send first-gen students to TRIO Student Support Services
Student Support Services (SSS) is funded by the U.S. Department of Education to provide free academic services to students from First Generation (FG) and Limited Income (LI) backgrounds as well as students with disabilities.
The free services include; individualized tutoring, academic advising; textbook loans; assistance completing financial aid application; and scholarships exclusively for student participants. Please refer prospective students to our program, located on the third floor of Grace Wilkie Hall in Suite 309. For more information, visit Student Support Services or call 978-3715.
Call for entries: Creative Crosswalks
Call for entries: Creative Crosswalks
Submit designs to kristin.beal@wichita.edu by 5 p.m. Monday, Sept. 30.
Four winning designs will be selected by the WSU ShiftSpace Student Group, and will be installed with temporary paint on the crosswalks in front of the Ulrich Museum of Art during WSU Open House weekend Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 5-6.
All entrants will be asked to join the WSU ShiftSpace student group via wichita.edu/shiftspace.
Sponsored by the Ulrich Museum of Art and WSU ShiftSpace Student Gallery.
WSU Weekly Briefing to feature Graduate School dean
The WSU Weekly Briefing will begin at 10 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 19, in the Marcus Welcome Center. The featured speaker will be Coleen Pugh, dean of the Graduate School and associate vice president for Research and Technology Transfer.
Tracee Friess, director of communication for Research & Economic Development, will give the overall university update.
The briefing will be livestreamed and available later that day at WSU Weekly Briefing. There will be time for questions following the briefing.
RSC Unplugged features Ellie Green
Stop by the Rhatigan Student Center from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. every Wednesday for the live music series, RSC Unplugged, in the RSC’s Starbucks Lounge. Ellie Green will be today’s (Wednesday, Sept. 18) featured performer. Grab a cup of coffee and relax with some great music!
Mechanical Engineering Seminar set for Friday, Sept. 20
Hongsheng He
Hongsheng He will present a Mechanical Engineering Seminar from 3:30-4:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20, in 128 Jabara Hall.
Context-Aware Dexterous Grasp Using an Anthropomorphic Robotic Hand
Humans learn to be dexterous by interacting with a wide variety of objects in different contexts. Given object’s physical attributes and tasks, humans can determine a proper strategy to grasp the object.
This talk presents the methods to understand physical characteristics of an unknown object, such as fragility, rigidity, texture, and dimensions, and the learning approach to determine the optimal grasping strategy of the object based on a 10 degree-of-freedom anthropomorphic robotic hand. The context-aware grasping robotic system consists of an AR10 robotic hand, a Sawyer robotic arm, a near-infrared (NIR) molecular sensor, an RGB-D camera, and an inertial measurement unit (IMU).
In this work, NIR spectra of target objects are perceived to recognize materials on a molecular level and RGB-D images are collected to estimate dimensions of the objects. The probability distribution of grasp types for the given object is learned using a deep neural network which takes in the object features. The grasping strategy generated by the proposed approach is evaluated both by simulation studies and execution of the grasps on the context-aware grasping robotic system.
Student-led sustainability initiative to be discussed on Sept. 20
WSU has adopted a new Sustainability Plan! We need input about student priorities
for sustainability. Join us to discuss student-led sustainability initiatives on campus.
Engage with us at 3 p.m. Friday Sept. 20, in 256 RSC.
For more information, email Carolyn.shaw@wichita.edu.
Join WSU’s largest volunteer opportunity!
Are you looking for a way to make a big impact in your community and have fun? Sign up for WSU’s largest volunteer event, Wu’s Big Event from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5.
Join the Community Service Board and 250 of your fellow classmates and community members for a morning of volunteering with local nonprofits. T-shirt, lunch and transportation to volunteer sites provided.
Preregister here for Wu's Big Event.
For questions, email CSB@wichita.edu.
Free Postpartum Exercise Class offered
Free Postpartum Exercise Classes hosted by Jennifer Celso and research students are being offered!
We are testing the effectiveness of two exercises on Diastasis Rectus Abdominis (separation of the abdominal muscles that commonly occurs during pregnancy and often doesn’t close on its own after the baby is born).
If you are 18 years or older and have had a baby in the last two years, you can participate.
You will need your doctor’s approval to join in the exercise classes. We will hold 16 classes on Monday and Thursday evenings from 6:30-7:05 p.m. from Sept. 16 to Nov. 8. We have free childcare available onsite, and would love to have you come!
Please see the image above for more details and to sign up. You can also email Taylor Golay at trgolay@shockers.wichita.edu to register for this study.
Student Involvement hosts Open House
Student Involvement invites you to attend their fall Open House from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. today (Wednesday, Sept. 18) in 216 RSC. Stop by to learn about all the great opportunities to get involved, meet our staff, and engage with our student leaders. You’ll even get a chance to meet our office fish, Swim Shady! Refreshments will be provided.
For more information, call Student Involvement at 978-3022.
Wichita State Blood Drive coming Sept. 19-20
Make your life-saving appointment for the Wichita State Blood Drive from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 19, and Friday, Sept. 20, in the Heskett Center lobby. To schedule your appointment, go to www.redcrossblood.org; enter sponsor code: Wichita State or call 1-800-Red-Cross.
Don’t forget to save time by using RapidPass to complete your pre-donation reading and health history online before you come to your appointment. More information is available at redcrossblood.org/RapidPass.
All presenting donors will receive a coupon for a free Sports Clips haircut following the donation. You must provide a valid email address to receive your Sport Clips coupon. Your coupon will be included in your post-blood drive thank you email from the American Red Cross.
Helping students with disabilities to graduate!
TRIO Disability Support Services is enrolling first-generation and limited-income students with disabilities for the academic year. Students may receive free tutoring, advising, scholarship opportunities, and other free resources to help students graduate.
DIY Day at GoCreate
Want to learn to print design on to T-shirts?
Need to fix that missing button?
At GoCreate's semi-annual DIY Day, you can learn all that and more!
Take a tour of the facility, grab some free refreshments, and enter for a chance to win a free three-month membership.
All at GoCreate's DIY Day from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. tomorrow (Thursday, Sept. 19).
Be aware of parking lot closure this Sunday, Sept. 22
On Sunday, Sept. 22, the Show N Shine car show will be on campus in lot 1 along Hillside between Memorial and Alumni Drive. Police will start We blocking off the lot Friday night Sept. 20, but all vehicles need to be out of the lot by 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21.
Learn 2 Row with Shocker Rowing
Join us for a Learn to Row with Shocker Rowing at 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, at the River Vista Boathouse. You can sign up on the day of the event. Cost is $25 per person for lunch, T-shirt and the opportunity to row.
For more information, contact Rachel Tuck at rachel.tuck@wichita.edu.
Student Activities Council general member meetings
Student Activities Council general member meetings are held at 4:15 p.m. Tuesdays in 233 RSC.
Sold out: KC Chiefs game with Outdoor Adventures
Join us in Kansas City, Missouri to watch this Kansas City vs Texan football throwdown on Sunday, Oct. 13. We will leave Wichita at 7 a.m. and head to the city to arrive with adequate time to get started before the game. We will return to Wichita around 7 p.m. Bring your sunscreen and wear your favorite team's swag.
Explore campus like never before during Late Night Scavenger Hunt
Bring a team of four and come explore campus like you never have before on the hunt for clues, interactive puzzles, and challenges all over WSU -- in the dark! The hunt from 8-11 p.m. tomorrow (Thursday, Sept. 19) on the first floor, RSC, may sound easy, but are you up for this flashlight challenge? The Scavenger Hunt winner will receive some awesome prizes. Free for all to attend.
For more information about SAC-sponsored events, visit wichita.edu/sac or contact us at sac@wichita.edu.