NSF will require two new forms to be submitted in an NSF-approved format starting June 1
National Science Foundation (NSF) update: Upon implementation of the revised Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) (NSF 20-1) on June 1, 2020, all proposals submitted on or after June 1 will be required to submit biographical sketches and current and pending support using an NSF-approved format. Proposals without these NSF approved documents will be blocked from submission.
NSF-Approved Formats for the Biographical Sketch
NSF-Approved Formats for Current and Pending Support
Office signage toolkits available now
Strategic Communications has created a signage toolkit for office and building use. Go to https://wsu.news/signage to download and print signage related to hours of operation, signs and symptoms of COVID-19, how to perform a wellness check, office best practices, and - NEW today - what to do before entering a building. Please remember that all signs should be hung up with painter’s tape only.
If you need assistance printing these signs, including outdoor signage needs, please reach out to shockerprinting@wichita.edu. (Additional fees may apply).
For classroom and occupancy signage needs, the Classroom/Activity Space group continues to work on a plan prior to fall. More will be communicated in the future.
WSU Parking Services will again enforce faculty / staff parking
Starting Tuesday, May 26, WSU Parking Services will again enforce faculty / staff parking on campus. This means that anyone parking in a lot designated as Faculty / Staff parking (signified by yellow signage at the lot entrances) during the hours of 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, must have a valid ePermit registered through the Shocker Parking Management System.
Those who had an epermit for faculty / staff parking before the shutdown and have not requested any changes to their epermit need not take any further action.
Access to the Shocker Parking Management System is through the tab labeled “ePermits” on your myWSU home page. Reserved parking (as signified by red signage) and ADA parking will also continue to be enforced. Parking in student lots (signified by green signage at the lot entrances) and overflow lots (signified by green / yellow-striped signage at the lot entrances) will remain free until further notice.
Should anyone need help in purchasing an ePermit, contact the OneStop office at 855-978-1787. For in-person assistance, the Parking Office located inside the Police Department will be open from 10 a.m.-noon Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays now through May 22, and 8 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays starting Tuesday, May 26.
Faculty and staff who wish to park in lots designated as Faculty / Staff will need to fill out this form for parking payroll deduction.
Protect yourself and others by doing a wellness check before coming to campus
As we prepare for more people to be on campus starting Tuesday, May 26, we all have a personal responsibility to safeguard our health and others' by doing a personal wellness check. This should be done each day before coming to campus. Please do not come to campus if you feel ill.
See a personal wellness checklist and other information for employees and supervisors.
Sign up now for the June 8-12 Academic Resources Conference events
The first half of the new and improved Academic Resources Conference will take place online via Zoom during the week of June 8. Sign up for trainings now via myTraining.
The Academic Resources Conference is Wichita State's largest instructor training event, and this year is greatly expanded and available fully online. All instructors of any rank, student facing staff, and faculty support staff are likely to benefit from this event. If you are interested, you are invited! Zoom events will run the week of June 8 and the week of Aug. 10, and online / on-demand events will be available all summer through the ARC website.
You can see a full list of June events here or browse by topic here.
The June events include:
1) Best practices for online instruction
2) Protecting your mental health
3) Library services and resources
4) Technical training in Blackboard, Panopto, Zoom, and Respondus
5) Tips for creating instructional video
We miss your face! So, this year we are also offering fun, social events each evening from 6-6:50 p.m. These "Cocktail Hour" events include opportunities to discuss classroom engagement, demonstrations of fun online games (yes, attendees will play), and on Friday night a murder mystery night. Sign up for Cocktail Hour events early as their caps are low. No alcohol required for Cocktail Hour, of course.
Sign up for all events through myTraining found in the myWSU portal. Know an adjunct or new GTA who doesn't have myTraining access? Encourage them to come, and we will handle their sign-up. Just email IDA@wichita.edu.
WSU’s Community Engagement Institute partners with Kansas organizations to Respond to COVID-19
COVID-19 creates many challenges, but that hasn’t stopped WSU’s Community Engagement Institute (CEI). Below are examples of Shockers making a difference.
Jaime Gilliland and Jessica Fiscus support the Kansas Health Institute by collecting information on county reopen plans. They help track which counties have additional health and safety measures and the types of measures (e.g., food service, playgrounds, retail/sales activities). Learn more here.
LeeAnne Mullen is facilitating Zoom calls with directors of Kansas Consumer Run Organizations (CROs). While CROs are closed, through the Zoom calls, CRO directors find new ways to support members, including connecting members to food resources, rent and utility support, prescriptions, and necessities.
Lynn Schrepferman, PhD, Jason Vandercreek, and a CEI team created a website for the Kansas Children’s Cabinet and Trust Fund to provide families of children with educational activities. The website has received hundreds of visits from parents and early childhood programs.
CEI staff partnered with KDHE to craft public guidance and support the COVID-19 hotline. Staff supported the Sedgwick County Health Department with disease investigation and contact tracing.
To learn more, follow us on Facebook. If you have questions, contact Scott Wituk, Ph.D., at scott.wituk@wichita.edu.
Wichita State’s CEI partners with Kansas organizations to respond to COVID-19
University Libraries sets new hours for Shocker community
University Libraries is preparing to start welcoming Shockers back into the building on Tuesday, May 26! We have been working diligently to create a safe, welcoming experience for our students, staff, and faculty, while maintaining safety protocols found in the Shockers United plan. While we are staffing the Libraries in order to provide service hours to the Shocker community, please note that many Libraries employees will continue working remotely.
Parking lots near Duerksen Fine Arts Center will be closed next week
Parking lots 16N and 16S on the west end of campus near Duerksen Fine Arts Center will be closed from Tuesday, May 26 through Friday, May 29 so maintenance work can be done on those lots. It will be okay to drive and park on those lots after they are reopened until the contractor returns at a later date to be determined for the asphalt pour.
Shocker Innovation Corps now accepting applications for the online summer 2020 cohort
Wichita State University is a National Science Foundation (NSF) I-Corps site. The Shocker Innovation Corps nurtures and supports Wichita State entrepreneurial teams interested in accelerating their STEM ideas, research and product commercialization. Ideas / projects can originate from student or faculty work, research and institutional/industrial projects.
This summer cohort will be held completely online. With the university continuing classes online for the summer term, we want to offer the flexibility of attending the E-Launch sessions online. Visit www.shockericorps.org to find out more information or to apply.
Summer 2020 E-Launch
E-Launch has been developed to foster entrepreneurial activity that will lead to the commercialization of ideas. This summer training will be held June through July. For more information and registration go to wichita.edu/elaunch.
Wichita State lab gets the scoop on poop, food archaeology
You can tell a lot about people based upon what they eat – culture, preferences, geography and overall health. Food is not only nourishment, but it’s a message to anthropologists, like Wichita State University’s Dr. Crystal Dozier, to help understand the past.
“I imagine that during this pandemic, more people are paying attention to where their food comes from and they've never thought about that before,” said Dozier, assistant professor of anthropology and director of the Archaeology of Food Laboratory at Wichita State. “That’s essentially the kind of research that we're doing in this lab. You can tell so much about ancient societies based on what they're eating, how they're cooking it, who's responsible for cooking, how that food is distributed.”
The Food Research Lab in Neff Hall studies humans’ relationship with food throughout history. A majority of the work that's done there is microfossil analysis of primarily plants that are left on archaeological artifacts.
Pictured above: Dr. Crystal Dozier works with a lab research team at Etzanoa, which is a lost city near Arkansas City and recently discovered by Wichita State professor Donald Blakeslee.
Boats & Bikes is back this Memorial Weekend!
Boats & Bikes is opening this weekend! Spend your Memorial Day weekend out on the water with us. Starting today (Friday, May 22), daily hours are from noon-8 p.m. We provide hourly, full-day rentals, and season passes on our equipment, so no matter if you're pressed for time or you have all day, you have the opportunity to get out and do something fun and physical.
Call or email at 316-265-9359 or boatsandbikes@wichita.edu to make a reservation or with questions. For more information, visit our website at wichita.edu/boatsandbikes.
WSU partners with Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory to lead nationwide star party
Wichita State University has partnered with the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory to lead a livestream star party at 9 p.m. Friday, May 22, in an effort to keep the nation connected to the night sky and to each other.
“Star parties show the accessibility of the universe to everyone. Through Wichita State University’s Cohen Honors College, I’ve been able to share the sky with hundreds of students and teach astrophotography to a core group,” said Martin Ratcliffe, Dorothy and Bill Cohen Honors College Faculty Fellow at WSU. “When someone sees what they can do with today’s technology, their eyes light up. Even if it’s cloudy locally, sites across the nation will be clear and you can join in.”
The star party features astronomers and observatories in every time zone, and participants can expect to learn about star parties and to see the night sky across the country.
The star party can be accessed directly on YouTube. Guests of the event will be able to interact with the panel by writing comments on the live feed.
Save on Shocker gear during the Memorial Day Sale
The Shocker Store is having a sale on Shocker gear for Memorial Day weekend! From today (Friday, May 22) to Monday, May 25, at shockerstore.com, take 20% off Shocker gear; plus, select hats are just $10. Free shipping on orders over $25, or choose curbside pick-up at the RSC location. Sale not valid with other discounts or promotions.
Free shipping is on Shocker gear only, not textbooks / course materials, and will be applied upon order fulfillment.
Shocker Store in Rhatigan Student Center reopening May 26
The Shocker Store (Rhatigan Student Center location) will reopen on Tuesday, May 26 with operating hours of 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Friday. They will also have curbside service available from 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
Within the store, guests are expected to wear masks and maintain 6-feet of social distancing.
Remember, they are also still available to assist you remotely through email, phone calls and online shopping at shockerstore.com.
Wichita State biology students tell COVID stories by turning to creativity
COVID-19 turned Human Organism, Biology 106, into a current events class with art, music and poetry added to help students learn about and deal with the pandemic.
Dr. Mary Liz Jameson wanted her Wichita State University students to tell their COVID-19 story.
“Once class went online, she still had a good way of keeping in touch with us, seeing how we’re doing, how we’re coping and how it’s affecting our lives,” said junior Brooke Smith, a psychology major. “She was open to questions about it, open to class discussions about COVID.”
Meet a Shocker: Andrew Cruz, marketing major and graphic design minor
Andrew Cruz graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration marketing degree and a minor in graphic design. He would like gain work experience at an advertising agency.
"My most helpful learning experiences while attending Wichita State have always been during the internships I’ve had over the years," Andrew said.
Andrew Cruz is one of more than 2,400 students eligible for spring/summer 2020 graduation. Learn more about his time at Wichita State and what is next for the grad.