Join us today for the 2020 Employee Service Recognition events!
Due to rising COVID-19 numbers in Sedgwick County and upon recommendation of the University’s Health and Safety Committee, the employee recognition events will be moved to a virtual format. This was a very difficult decision and was made after much deliberation, keeping our employee’s health and safety at the forefront of our thoughts and in alignment with other large gatherings hosted by Wichita State.
The virtual ceremony will be conducted via a live stream at the designated event time on Thursday, Nov. 19:
- 9:30-11:30 a.m. event celebrating honorees with 5-20 years of service
- 3:30-5 p.m. event celebrating those with 25-50 years of service, Bender of Twigs, and retirees
The event will be broadcast live online; the media link will be available on the service recognition website.
All those being honored for a service milestone should watch the ceremony as it is live streamed at the designated event time. All honorees will be individually recognized during the virtual ceremony. Friends, family, and co-workers can also watch the ceremonies via the live stream.
This is a very unique time for everyone. The university values the dedicated service of our honorees and we want to make these milestone accomplishments a special occasion in a new virtual way.
WSU Foundation 2020 Requisition Holiday Schedule
Thanksgiving:
WSU Foundation will be closed Wednesday, Nov. 23, for the Thanksgiving holiday. Please have all requisitions submitted by noon Monday, Nov. 23. Checks will be processed by Tuesday, Nov. 24.
Christmas:
WSU Foundation will be closed Thursday, Dec. 24 and Friday, Dec. 25. Please have all requisitions submitted by noon Monday, Dec. 21. Requisitions will be processed on Wednesday, Dec. 23.
New Year’s:
WSU Foundation will be closed Friday, Jan. 1, 2021. Please have all requisitions submitted by noon Tuesday, Dec. 29. Requisitions will be processed on Thursday, Dec. 31.
Team of Wichita State students submit proposal to the NASA SUITS design challenge
- A team of eight students worked together to submit a proposal to the NASA SUITS Design Challenge.
- The challenge was to design a heads-up information display within an augmented reality environment.
- This year is the first time Wichita State has participated in the challenge.
Wichita State alumni in the running to win $1 million in XPrize mask challenge
They've advanced to the top 10!
Spencer Steinert, Jared Goering and Maggie Koops — all recent graduates of Wichita State’s Master of Innovation Design program — teamed up to for the Cyfive apparel company to address a challenge created by XPrize: to craft a face mask addressing the obstacles that deter people from wearing them and promote positive mask-wearing behavior.
XPRIZE announced the top 10 finalists on Nov. 9. More than 1,000 teams from 30 countries initially entered the contest. Other to 10 finalists hail from Australia, Nigeria, and Cameroon.
In addition to winning one of two $500,000 prizes, XPRIZE has also a $10,000 People’s Vote Bonus Award. To win this prize, anyone, anywhere can vote on their favorite mask between now and Nov. 25, 2020 at xprize.org/mask.
Pictured above: Wichita State alum Jared Goering models a mask that he and his team created for the XPrize Next Generation Mask Challenge.
Check out ‘Positively Kansas’ on KPTS Friday
The KPTS Channel 8 weekly program “Positively Kansas,” will be airing a story on the 50th Anniversary memorial of the WSU Plane Crash. The story, produced and reported by Chris Frank, airs at 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20, on KPTS Channel 8.
The feature-length story visits the Oct. 2 memorial event at Cessna Stadium on campus. It also includes interviews with those directly impacted by that tragedy.
Elizabeth Wilson-Winterbone was only 10 years old when her parents were killed in the crash. Her father, Ben Wilson was the head WSU football coach. Wilson-Winterbone talks about the sudden change in her life, being placed in the home of distant relatives, who didn’t know and so couldn’t talk about her parents. She talks about how the annual plane crash memorials on campus help in the healing process.
Gary King is one of seven children of Raymond and Yvonne King. Raymond and Yvonne King were WSU boosters, flying in the ill-fated Gold plane, and died in the crash. The “Positively Kansas” story follows Gary, as he visits the Plane Crash Memorial, and includes his memories of the times after the crash, and gets his positive reactions to the new additions to the Plane Crash Memorial on campus.
Mike Bruce was one of the survivors of the Gold plane crash. The former Shocker lineman shares his thoughts about the crash and the way he thinks about the annual memorials, thinking of them as a time to refocus and restart. That interview was done in Cessna Stadium, immediately following the memorial service.
Randy Phillips transferred from Vanderbilt to WSU the year following the crash to be a part of the football rebuilding effort. Phillips, now a Wichita architect, led the design changes to the crash memorial. Phillips talks about those additions and why those changes might not be the end of the story to be told at the memorial.
NOTE: If you do not live in the Wichita area, the Positively Kansas program gets uploaded to the KPTS.org website by Tuesday after the Friday broadcast. To view the Positively Kansas episode if you live outside the Wichita area, by Tuesday, Nov. 24, you can visit www.kpts.org and search for episode “Positively Kansas” episode #802.
Excellence in Research nominations
Nominations for faculty excellence awards in creative activity, research and community research are due to the Office of Research by Friday, Dec. 4. Please go to Excellence Awards for the nomination form and instructions.
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.
Meeting to explore a possible Wichita State University Amateur Radio Club this evening
A Zoom meeting will be held from 7-8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19, about starting a Wichita State University Amateur Radio Club. Students, faculty and staff are welcome.
Amateur radio is a relevant and important way to communicate over very large distances, even many foreign countries or in local emergencies. The Wichita State University Amateur Radio Club will help you get your FCC license through short training sessions, and with the help of the Wichita Amateur Radio Club conduct an FCC examination.
The club will also participate in long-distance radio communications with other clubs, to the International Space Station, and get involved with upcoming projects such as Cube-Sat communications.
All are welcome to attend at the Zoom room 938 6695 1797 password HAMRadio.
If you have questions, contact nick.solomey@wichita.edu.
Learn about Spirit AeroSystems' Micro Internships today!
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.
Spring 2021 Tuition Assistance deadline approaching
The HR Total Rewards team reminds staff and faculty that the deadline for Spring 2021 Tuition Assistance applications is Tuesday, Dec. 1.
Reminder: Tuition Assistance applications for Spring 2021 are submitted through the Online Application Form.
The fillable PDF form will no longer be accepted. Due to the volume of applications received each semester, requests to submit late applications will be automatically denied. There will be no exceptions.
Full program details can be found here.
Questions may be directed to TuitionAssistance@wichita.edu.
Students making news
Wichita State faculty, staff and administrators have a long history of service to first-generation students through direct service,” said Kaye Monk Morgan, Interim Vice President, Regional Engagement and Economic Development. “We have also led the way in developing best practice for educators and institutions. It’s great to see our student leaders pick up the mantle and add their voice to the international discussion about the impact of COVID on gains made by this resilient group of students. It’s easy to be student-centered, when students lead.”
The president of our First Generation Student Organization, Heather Hunter, and one of our campus leaders, Greg VanDyke, Jr. are quoted in Wired and on the Hechinger Report website.
Extra discount on clearance merchandise at the Shocker Store
This week in the Shocker Store, take an extra 10% off their already-marked-down clearance items! Sale is in RSC store only.
Shocker Support Locker Holiday Care Packages
For the upcoming holiday break, the Shocker Support Locker is providing Holiday Care Packages to those who will be needing food and other items during the Thanksgiving Break and upcoming Holiday Closedown. The locker will be packing boxes at a higher item limit for those needing the care package. You will be able to select items they are needing for the care package to get them through the holiday breaks.
Items such as cheese, sandwich meat, bread, eggs, rice (white & brown), Ramen, Instant Oatmeal, hygiene items and many more items will be available. The Shocker Support Locker is wanting to make sure that we can still provide the Shocker Support Locker items to you during the shutdown of campus for the holidays.
Orders for the Holiday Care Packages will start on Nov. 18.
To place your order, go to wichita.edu/sslorder. Please email sga.supportlocker@wichita.edu with any questions.
Please help less fortunate children this Christmas
Our Toys for Tots toy drive is happening now until Dec. 16! We had fantastic support last year ending with a box brimming over with toys. We helped so many underprivileged children in Wichita. Let's shoot to double it this year!
You can stop by the Campus Credit Union lobby between 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, and 9 a.m.-noon Saturday, to donate.
Applied Learning Highlight of the Week!
Shout-out to Wichita State University human resource management major Allison Bergkoetter! All your hard work with Amazon.com is noticed and appreciated. We look forward to seeing your future success.
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Funding opportunity for WSU female entrepreneurs
The Women for Women's Innovation Scholarship Fund is awarded to Wichita State University female students to support innovative ideas showing promise of commercialization. The fund was established in 2020 in order to support women leaders and entrepreneurs in moving their ideas forward by providing recipients a boost to “Shock The World.”
All full- and part-time WSU students are eligible to apply. The deadline for application is Dec. 11.