Training opportunities from Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance
The Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance is offering regular training on “Preventing Sexual Harassment and Discrimination” at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 18 and “Equal Opportunity: Understanding Discrimination and Harassment in the Work Environment” at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 17.
Dates in 2021 have also been set for these trainings. The remaining 2020 sessions will be presented virtually, and the 2021 locations are subject to change if necessary. Please visit the myTraining page for more information and to register for these important and informative sessions!
Students and faculty - get up to $20,000 from the John A. See Innovation Award
The John A. See Innovation Award is to be applied directly to advancing the technology. Ideally, this will support additional investment by others. Examples of supported costs are prototype development, product testing, and marketing analysis. The award cannot be used for faculty salaries but may be used to pay for external consulting fees. Awards typically range from $1,000 to $20,000.
Thanksgiving Holiday Box Lunch on Tuesday, Nov. 24; RSVP by Nov. 18
Interim President Rick Muma and the executive team cordially invite you to a grab-and-go box lunch from noon-1 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 24. Please wear your face covering and respect social distancing. Please select your meal choice by Wednesday, Nov. 18, along with the location you will pick up your meal, by going to the RSVP link.
Activating the University Strategic Plan
Is your unit/department helping to move the university’s mission and resulting strategic plan forward? Has your team engaged in work that drives education, culture, or economic outcomes? If so, report your activity to the Strategic Planning Committee through TeamDynamix. The newly revised form is easier to complete and takes less time. This information is compiled for the annual reporting on the strategic plan and university priorities.
Guidelines for staying safe when decorating offices, rooms this holiday season
Holiday safety is an issue that burns brightest from late November to mid-January, when faculty, staff and students gather for holiday parties and decorate their offices or rooms. Decorating is one of the best ways to get into the holiday spirit, but fires and injuries caused by improper use of electrical decorations, such as lights or the use of candles or other open flame items, injure or kill many people each year. Take some basic precautions to ensure we all remains safe and injury-free throughout the season.
Decorations of all types shall be either non-combustible or adequately treated to render them fire resistant. Decorations are allowed 14 calendar days before the holiday or event. All decorations are expected to be removed no later than seven calendar days after the holiday or event. Artificial wrapped presents kept on the floor are limited to lobby areas. Keep wrapping paper on artwork to a minimum (i.e., less than 10% of the wall). The use of trees or wreaths shall be restricted to artificial types containing a UL or FM tag or seal indicating satisfactory fire resistance. No live or cut trees or wreaths are allowed. Do not use strings of lights on metal trees.
Streamers, garlands, lights and other decorations shall not run along or across halls, obstruct or restrict aisles, passageways, or corridors; be hung from smoke detectors or sprinkler heads or obstruct exits signs, fire extinguishers or other fire equipment. Holiday lighting strings must be double insulated or grounded and have an approval rating from either UL or FM. A maximum of three strands may be connected together. No extension cords shall be used to light strings of lights, only a circuit breaker protected power strip shall be used.
- Decorations may not be attached to doors, walls, or painted surfaces by any methods which would damage the surface or leave behind adhesive residue (i.e., low adhesive masking tape is preferred). Any costs associated with damage caused by installation or removal of decorative materials will be the responsibility of the department.
- Prohibited items include, but are not limited to, the following list:
- Latex balloons, silly-string, bubbles, glitter, confetti, rice, birdseed.
- Fireworks (including sparklers) or weapons of any kind.
- Live animals (except for those assisting individuals with disabilities).
- Any item with an open flame, such as candles or incense.
- Decorative materials may not be placed on fire doors, smoke doors, light fixtures, electrical equipment, electrical outlets, circuit breaker panels, etc.
- Cut trees, tree branches, pinecones, wreaths, mistletoe, and live potted plants. Artificial trees, wreaths, and other seasonal decorations must be fire/flame-retardant. It is the department’s responsibility to save packaging material as proof to the fire marshal that decorative materials have received flame-retardant treatment.
The following list of materials may not be used for decorations under any circumstances because they are inherently combustible or cannot be flame proofed:
- Bamboo
- Cedar Trees or Branches
- Corn Stalks or Shucks
- Cotton or Confetti (loose, in large quantities)
- Dry Moss or Leaves
- Flammable Powders or Liquids
- Hay or Straw (loose or baled)
- Paper Streamers (serpentine)
- Plastic Sheeting or Pellets
- Sawdust
- Tumbleweeds
- Wood Bark or Shavings
If you have questions, please contact the WSU Fire & Safety Office at 978-5803 or 978-5531.
WSU Fire & Safety wishes you a safe and happy holiday season.
Learn about intellectual property and trademarks at virtual SCORE workshops
Get expert advice from the library's Information Services and Research Assistant Jessica Torres in upcoming SCORE Workshops! Contact jessica.torres@wichita.edu or go to libraries.wichita.edu/ptrc.
Thursday, Nov. 19, Intellectual Property Basics - Inventions, designs, original works of authorship, and trade secrets can provide you with economic benefits. Learn the basics of intellectual property protection.
Thursday, Dec. 3, Trademark Basics: Protect Your Business Name - Discover the difference between a trademark, service mark, and registered mark. Then, learn how to search for existing marks and logos and walk through the online trademark application process.
Attention faculty / staff: Did you study abroad?
Did you study abroad while you were in college?
We are looking for faculty and staff that did study abroad programs during college. We need your help. Hearing more about study abroad experiences from mentors is one great way to encourage more students to study abroad.
If you studied abroad, please help us by completing our faculty / staff study abroad form to share about your experiences. We would love to have good representation across campus in the various colleges and departments to showcase and highlight faculty and staff who did study abroad programs.
Please submit your form by Nov. 15.
Questions? Email ann.burger@wichita.edu
No-cost entrepreneurship webinar to help your small business succeed
Give yourself and your business the opportunities to succeed with our no-cost small business webinars.
Register at www.wichita.edu/ksbdcworkshops
Competing for Government Contracts: Basic Training
1:30-4 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 17
Federal, state, and local governments spend more than $800 billion per year buying goods and services. This webinar offers an overview of the critical first steps to becoming a government contractor. Learn to identify opportunities, understand the contracting process, and know the services available to help you.
Undergraduate STEM majors are encouraged to apply for the Goldwater Scholarship
Sophomores and juniors with a strong commitment to a research career in the sciences, mathematics and/or engineering are encouraged to apply to the competitive and prestigious Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship. Visit the Goldwater Scholarship website for more information about the application and who is eligible to apply.
Students interested in applying must notify Dean Coleen Pugh by Monday, Nov. 23. Questions? Email coleen.pugh@wichita.edu.
Call for graduate student abstracts for CGRS 2021
Do you have a student working on research that benefits the State of Kansas? Encourage them to submit an abstract to represent Wichita State University at the 18th Annual Capitol Graduate Research Summit (CGRS).
Abstract submission for WSU consideration closes Nov. 20. The Capitol Graduate Research Summit is a research competition and showcase for Kansas Board of Regents universities to raise awareness of graduate students conducting research impacting Kansas and provide an opportunity to share their work with graduate students and faculty from other Kansas universities, the Kansas Legislature, and the general public.
This year’s summit will take place online with video presentations going live on Feb. 18.
Capitol Graduate Research Summit
Today’s ISME Colloquium features Dr. John Huffman, Senior Technical Fellow from Spirit AeroSystems
John Huffman
“The Approach to Building Analytic Capability in the Enterprise” will be presented from 11 a.m.-noon today (Friday, Nov.13) via Zoom.
Abstract
As a follow-up to a previous colloquium on Enterprise Architecture (EA), this presentation explores the emergent role of analytics as a key practice of EA. Dr. Huffman will present an approach to governing analytics projects across the enterprise based on a continuum of analytic techniques and tools. A capability maturity model for Enterprise Analytics is the focus of the presentation.
Dr. John Huffman is Senior Technical Fellow for Data Sciences and Enterprise Architecture at Spirit AeroSystems, Inc. He also serves as an Adjunct Professor of Industrial, Systems, and Manufacturing Engineering at Wichita State University.
John hired with The Boeing Company at Wichita in July 1981, working in the Structural Engineering group. In 1986, he joined Boeing’s Military Operations Analysis team where he lead military simulation modeling and artificial intelligence applications (AI) efforts. In 1990, he moved to Boeing Commercial as a Lead Engineer for Intelligent Manufacturing Systems. In this capacity, John specialized in the use of optimization, statistics, and computation intelligence methods for Agile Manufacturing. At Spirit, John serves the Enterprise-Architecture/Technology-Innovation functions in a variety of Data Sciences and System Engineering capacities and is a consultant for Digital Transformation efforts.
John has a B.S. in Civil Engineering with an emphasis in Structural Engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology, a M.S. in Engineering Management Science (IE) with an Operations Research specialization from Wichita State University, and a Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering with doctoral research in Artificial Intelligence for Manufacturing Systems from Wichita State University. He also holds a certificate from the WSU Business School in Leadership and Management studies. He is an Adjunct Professor of Industrial, Systems & Manufacturing Engineering at WSU.
John is a Kansas licensed Professional Engineer, a Fellow of the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE), and a Senior Member of the Institute For Operations Research and Management Sciences (INFORMS). He serves as Emeritus President of the Wichita Chapter of IISE. He served as a Reviewer for the National Science Foundation. He represents Spirit on several local and national Industrial Advisory Boards, including the AIA Business Interoperability Technology Committee. He has an extensive record of technical publication and presentations.
Ulrich Virtual talk Tuesday shines spotlight on friendship between Gordon Parks and Muhammad Ali
The bond between Kansas-born photographer Gordon Parks and heavy-weight champion Muhammad Ali is almost as legendary as their respective careers. At 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 17, historian and photographer John Edwin Mason will explore that special relationship in an Ulrich Virtual program that you won't want to miss! The talk, “The Latest and Truest World: Gordon Parks and Muhammad Ali,” is free and open to all, but you have to register to get the Zoom link.
Parks photographed Ali for two separate Life magazine photo-essays. The time that they spent together allowed a friendship to grow. It was built in part on an almost familial bond between Ali and Parks, who was 30 years older. Parks’ unwillingness to accept either the celebrity or the public disdain that surrounded the often controversial boxer was equally important. His words and images described a man, not a cliché.
Historian and photographer John Edwin Mason teaches in the Corcoran Department of History at the University of Virginia. He has written extensively on South African social and cultural history and on the history of photography in South Africa and the United States. As a photographer, he has worked on a number of long-term documentary projects, including a book about Cape Town, South Africa's nearly two-centuries-old New Year’s’ Carnival. He is currently writing a book about Gordon Parks.
Image caption: Gordon Parks, Untitled, Miami, Florida, 2015 (Date of printing), 1966, Photograph. Museum Purchase. Copyright © The Gordon Parks Foundation. Used by permission.
Ulrich Virtual Webinar Registration
Event listing: Part three
This month is full of fun for everyone! Join us for events like Virtual Drag Show, Catalyst, Wichita Clean Streams, Five Days of DIYs and more. Be sure to check out our event listing for all our upcoming programs.
Meet the teams behind ‘Luke the Longhorn’ and ‘Walk With Wu’ graphic novel projects
All students, community members and history enthusiasts are invited to join the Wichita State Society of Public Historians in a virtual meeting at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 17, featuring “History Through Graphic Novels.”
Meet the teams behind the “Luke the Longhorn” and “Walk With Wu” graphic novel projects to learn more about this growing and dynamic way to engage the general public.
Request to join our public Facebook group for the Zoom meeting information.
Learn about Spirit AeroSystems' Micro Internships on Nov. 19!
Join Spirit AeroSystems for a Virtual Micro Mixer from noon-1 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19, via Zoom, and see what Spirit has to offer you!
Wichita State students have an exciting opportunity to participate in Spirit AeroSystems micro internships throughout the month of January.
Some of the internship projects include engineering projects, Wichita's famous B-29 Bomber "Doc," and the curation of the Rosie the Riveter and Women in Industry exhibits. All majors are invited to apply. These micro internships are paid.
Learn all the details, ask questions, and hear from Spirit AeroSystems representatives at this virtual mixer event, which is co-hosted by the Shocker Career Accelerator and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.
Students must register through Handshake to attend.
Wichita State staff and faculty can join the mixer at noon on Nov. 19 directly here.
BSEE senior receives prestigious awards
Mohd Abrar Rahman
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering (IEEE) recognizes high achieving undergraduate students in Electrical Engineering who are committed to the power and energy field through IEEE PES Scholarship Plus initiative. IEEE Power & Energy Society (IEEE PES) is the technical arm of IEEE that creates a forum for sharing the latest in technological developments in the electric power industry, for developing standards that guide the development and construction of equipment and systems, and for educating members of the industry and the general public.
Mohd Abrar Rahman is a senior at Wichita State, expected to graduate with BSEE in May 2021. He is one of the 2020 IEEE PES Scholarship Plus Initiative recipients. Abrar has competed two internships in power and engineering. Abrar is the third student from Wichita State to receive this prestigious award. His first internship was with Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corporation as an Electrical Design Engineering Intern. Then he joined Evergy as a Protection Engineering Intern. He has been actively involved in professional activities. In fall 2019, he served as a volunteer at the 2019 North American Power Symposium, an IEEE PES technically co-sponsored event.
In addition, he was selected as the top-ranked student in IEEE Region 5 (Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, and parts of Nebraska and South Dakota) based on his academic excellence, campus engagement, and service to the professional society. As the top-ranked student in Region 5, he was awarded the John W. Estey Outstanding Scholar Award. He is the first student to hold this honor from an institution in Kansas.
More information about the scholarship can be found here.
More information about the John W. Estey Outstanding Scholar Award can be found here.
Facemasks now available for purchase at the Heskett Center
Facemasks are now available for purchase at the Heskett Center. We have these two designs available. For more information, visit the Guest Services desk at the Heskett Center or call 316-978-3082.
Save the date- $14 sweatpants from the Shocker Store
Mark your calendars for the Shocker Store’s next one-day-only sale!
On Wednesday, Nov. 18 starting at 8 a.m., the Shocker Store will have two styles of sweatpants for $14 each, while supplies last. Sale is in store at the RSC location and online at shockerstore.com.
You can order online and pick up whenever you're on campus! Limit five sweatpants per person. Offer not valid with other discounts or promotions and all sales are final.
Stay up-to-date on the Facebook event page.
Toner program coming Nov. 16
More than a year ago, the offices of Financial Operations and Admissions participated in a pilot program where Staples (now DEX Imaging) put software on our network to monitor toner usage of network printers and automatically send toner when printers were low. The pilot was a huge success - it eliminated the need for toner inventory, reduced costs and eliminated the order process.
The President’s Executive Team approved expansion of the program, and beginning Nov. 16 Central Services will escort DEX Imaging technicians through each building to label network printers for this program.
Average toner spend for the university is around $14,220.40 per month. Under the new DEX contract, the average spend will be reduced to about $9,212.07 per month. This is a 35% savings. There will be additional savings once we take older printers out of service and use newer networked printers instead.
Someone from Central Services will contact your office to make arrangements to get your printers labeled. If you haven't heard from us yet, please contact Ellen Abbey at 978-5864.
Celebrate International Education Week from Nov. 16 to Nov. 20!
International Education Week is Nov. 16-20! Our events are virtual this year, so be sure to check out our list of events at www.wichita.edu/ieweek to find what interests you. Events offered this year include virtual international trivia, career workshops and an immigration information session. Follow our Facebook page @WichitaStateInternationalAdmissions during International Education week for some facts about international students at Wichita State and much more.
International Admissions on Facebook
Student Organization advisors needed
We are in search of full-time faculty and staff who are interested in serving as an advisor for student organizations here on campus.
A little about our community of Recognized Student Organizations (RSOs) here on campus -- there are 300 student organizations ranging anywhere from academic to political to special interest to cultural / international. With more than 5,000 students participating, if you are interested in this role or want more information, please reach out to Maggi Hole at student.orgs@wichita.edu.
American Red Cross Club of Wichita State is hosting an upcoming blood drive!
Red Cross blood donors have the opportunity to help patients fighting COVID-19! If your regular donation tests positive for COVID-19 antibodies, plasma from that donation may now help coronavirus patients in need of plasma transfusions.
*Free COVID-19 antibody testing with blood donation!
Wichita State University Blood Drive: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 18 and Thursday, Nov. 19 in the Heskett Center lobby
To schedule your life-saving appointment, visit RedCrossBlood.org; Sponsor Code: Wichita State or Call 1-800-Red-Cross.
The Salvation Army Angel Tree through the Shocker Store
Provide a Christmas gift for a local child through The Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program, hosted by the Shocker Store! The program will be a hybrid this year, with the angel selection process being online but the gifts being returned in store. If you are interested in sponsoring a child, go to Angel Tree and create an account to select a child from the Shocker Store virtual Angel Tree!
Once you “claim” that angel, purchase a suggested gift listed for that child and bring it back to the Shocker Store (either RSC or Braeburn Square location) by Wednesday, Dec. 2. Gifts should be unwrapped, new and clearly labeled with your angel’s name and angel number. For more information, contact Vanessa Bell of RSC Marketing at 316-978-7008 or vanessa.bell@wichita.edu. Thanks for helping make the holidays a little brighter for others!
All call for The Wheat Shock Leadership Society judges
The Wheat Shock Leadership Society is formerly known as WSU Student of the Year. Student Involvement has rebranded this scholarship competition to become a society in order to increase the prestige and will continue to be a competitive and prestigious opportunity for students who have proven exemplary leadership, involvement, and service both to the WSU and Wichita communities.
Applications and nominations for both graduate and undergraduate students are open for students who wish to participate. We are calling for judges to serve throughout the selection process. The dates and details for each round are below. We are looking for three different sets of judges, so upon indicating interest, please include which round you would be most interested in serving, as well as your second choice.
Round 1: Application Review – Completed by Jan. 11, 2021
- This process would be going through the qualified applicants and meeting to decide on which students move to the next round. We have seen an increase, so we could be sifting through 80-90 applications depending on how many students apply.
Round 2: Interviews – Feb. 4-5, 2021
- Our judges' panel will sit through a series of interviews of those selected to move on through the application round. Deliberation and decision on the final court of 10 undergraduate students and five graduate students and will follow the interviews.
Round 3: Presentations – Feb. 18-19, 2021
- This panel will serve as an audience to our 15 finalists as they present and showcase why they should be a part of The Wheat Shock Leadership Society and receive a scholarship, in addition to induction into the Society. There will be two overall winners this year, one in graduate and one at the undergraduate level.
Please send which round you would like to serve on or any questions to Maggi Hole at lead.grad@wichita.edu or 316-978-3022.
Free tutoring and academic mentoring for diverse Shockers!
The Office of Diversity and Inclusion is offering free tutoring and academic mentoring!
Our tutors help students develop a deeper understanding of class material and gain successful skills that can improve their overall GPA.
Our academic mentors offer biweekly meetings to help you with academic success skills, such as time management, effective studying and note-taking, test preparation and more!
You can drop in any of the listed times or schedule an appointment. See when we are open, what classes are offered, and how to request appointments at wichita.edu/pass!