Wichita State News: College of Engineering

WSU's Center for Entrepreneurship announces Coleman faculty fellows

The Center for Entrepreneurship in the W. Frank Barton School of Business at Wichita State University has announced the new Coleman Faculty Entrepreneurship Fellows awardees.

They are Steven Skinner from the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and Ngoyi Bukonda, Toni Pickard and Ron Stephen from the Department of Public Health Sciences.

The fellows program is sponsored by the Coleman Foundation. The purpose is to increase and build support for entrepreneurship education across the WSU campus.

The faculty fellows will engage in projects that foster self-employment education and strengthen the efforts to grow entrepreneurship education.

They were selected from a number of applicants because of their desire to enhance student learning in their areas as it relates to entrepreneurship. Enhancements may include:

Creating and teaching an entrepreneurship class within their discipline that leads to the course becoming an ongoing offering

Modifying an existing course by incorporating elements of self-employment education to the course, leading to it becoming an ongoing offering

Sponsoring, advising and supervising student-led entrepreneurship educational efforts such as new student businesses

Development of experiential entrepreneurship education programs within their department or college

In addition to the naming of the faculty fellows, Lyn Goldberg has been named the Center for Entrepreneurship Faculty Fellow for 2009-2010. Goldberg is from the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders.

Robots to take center stage at WSU's Koch Arena Nov. 7

The 11th Annual Kansas BEST robotics competition, designed to inspire and motivate high school students toward careers in engineering, science and technology, will be held from 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7, in Wichita State's Charles Koch Arena.

Twenty-nine high schools and organizations from Arkansas and all areas of Kansas will compete in Kansas BEST (Boosting Engineering, Science and Technology) event. This year's game is called "High Octane."

Students will give their robots a trial run on Practice Day from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31, at Towne East Mall.

The sports-like technology contest combines the excitement of a high school football game with the strategy of a chess match and the intellectual challenge of a science fair. Working from identical kits, each team has had six weeks to design and build their robot.

The 2009 game includes an additional competition for the BEST Award to the team that best embodies the concept of Boosting Engineering, Science and Technology.

Following is the list of 25 returning teams and four new teams competing: Ambassadors for Christ Academy, Andale High School, Andover Central High School, Atchison High School, Baldwin High School, Blue Valley High School, Buhler High School, Campus High School, Circle High School, Concordia High School, El Dorado High School, Emporia High School, Goddard High School, Hutchinson CTE, Independence High School, Kapaun Mt. Carmel High School, Lawrence High School, Madison High School, Mulvane High School, Northeast Magnet High School, Olathe South High School, Panther Creek Academy, Rose Hill High School, Topeka High School, Valley Center High School, Washburn Rural, Wichita Southeast High School, Wichita West High School and Wichita Home School.

Winners of Kansas BEST 2009 will travel to Fort Smith, Ark., to compete in the Frontier Trails Regional Competition at the University of Arkansas Dec. 4-5.

Kansas BEST is made possible with the support of the following sponsors: Cessna Aircraft Co., The Boeing Co., Spirit AeroSystems, Bombardier Learjet, Great Plains Ventures Inc., igus Inc., Solid Works, AIAA-Wichita Section, The Hangar, Susan Burdick Graphic Design and Illustration and the WSU College of Engineering.

For more information, visit the Kansas BEST Web site http://www.kansasbest.org.

Wichita State awarded more than $880,000 by National Science Foundation

Wichita State University has been awarded more than $880,000 as part of a $20 million grant from the National Science Foundation that will further establish Kansas as an internationally recognized leader in global climate change and renewable energy research.

The five-year award is for the Kansas NSF EPSCoR (Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research), a statewide program that includes WSU and other major Kansas research universities. It will provide a fresh integrative approach to address climate change and renewable energy challenges.

The grant is a multi-institutional, multi-sector effort that will link four universities: WSU, the University of Kansas, Kansas State University and Haskell Indian Nations University.

It will also include three Kansas-based companies: Abengoa Bioenergy, MGP Ingredients and Nanoscale; and two out-of-state companies: ADM (Illinois) and Netcrystals (California).

The initiative will also be supported by $4 million in matching funds from KU, K-State and Kansas Technology Enterprise Corp.

WSU faculty and staff who are involved in the research project include chemistry professor Francis D'Souza; industrial and manufacturing engineering professor Janet Twomey; chemistry professor Paul Rillema; biological sciences associate professor Mark Schneegurt; mathematics and statistics associate professor Chunsheng Ma; and electrical engineering and computer science assistant professor Bin Tang.

David McDonald

David McDonald, associate provost for research at WSU, said all the projects WSU is involved with revolve around exploring new sources of energy and investigating sustainability.

The project will focus on several critical issues in the development of solar-based renewable energy, with the overall goal to establish a critical energy research infrastructure.

Another goal is to allow Kansas to become a key leader in research that addresses global challenges, said Kristin Bowman-James, principal investigator and project director of Kansas' EPSCoR program.

"This is a tremendous opportunity for the state of Kansas," she said. "With this funding, we will be able to harness the talents of researchers across the state to address two major issues of society today – climate change and renewable energy – under the umbrella of a single integrated initiative."

About 40 scientists are involved in the collaborative consortium, representing a vast array of disciplines, including agronomy, anthropology, computer science, economics, geography, mathematics, sociology, engineering, biology, chemistry and physics.

EPSCoR is a federal program that targets states that have traditionally been underfunded in the sciences and engineering. For more information on NSF EPSCoR, go to http://www.nsfepscor.ku.edu/.

Note to editors: News releases on the NSF EPSCoR grant are being distributed simultaneously by several of the institutions. This release has specific information regarding Wichita State.

Faculty/staff news update, summer 2009

Faculty/staff news update, summer 2009

As the academy of faculty and the staff at Wichita State University engage in externally supported research, training and service activities consistent with the university's mission and vital to its growth, this column will recognize grants, honors, awards, presentations and publications, new appointments, new faculty, sabbaticals, retirements and the deaths of our current and former colleagues.

AWARDS, HONORS AND WSU GRANTS

Les Anderson

Les Anderson, professor, Elliott School of Communication, received the Kansas Press Association's Clyde M. Reed Jr. Master Editor Award. Anderson, former owner of The Ark Valley News in Valley Center, was recognized for a lifetime of contributions to the newspaper industry.

Ted Ayres, vice president and general counsel, attended the 56th Annual National Security Forum at the Air War College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. During the week of May 18-22, about 130 civilian leaders in business, education and government met with senior military leaders to explore current and future national security issues facing the United States.

Albert Goldbarth, Adele Davis Distinguished Professor of Humanities, has been made an honorary member of Harvard's chapter of Phi Beta Kappa as part of providing this year's commencement poems for the chapter. Read the article and hear his speech at www.harvardmagazine.com.

Grady Landrum, director of disability services, qualified to play in the Wheelchair U.S. Open Tennis Tournament, Aug. 31-Sept. 6, in St. Louis.

Patricia McDonnell, director, Ulrich Museum of Art, has joined the board of directors for the College Arts Association, based in New York. The CAA boasts an international membership of 14,000 individuals and more than 2,000 institutions.

Cheryl Miller, assistant dean, Liberal Arts and Sciences, and David Kamerer, former visiting assistant professor, Elliott School of Communication, received first-place honors from the National Federation of Press Women 2009 Communications Contest. Sharon Iorio, dean of the College of Education, and Wilma Moore-Black, assistant director/curriculum coordinator, TRIO Communication Upward Bound, won third-place national awards, and Les Anderson, professor, Elliott School of Communication, received an honorable mention. NFPW will hold its awards banquet at the national conference Sept. 10-12 in San Antonio.

Michael Palmiotto, professor, School of Community Affairs, was awarded a May/June Fulbright Specialist Award to Serbia, where he lectured to University of Belgrade Law and Security faculty, met with American Embassy officials, traveled to Kragujevac for three lectures at the University of Kragujevac, and attended and presented a paper at an international police conference in Macedonia.

Rosalind Scudder, professor, Communication Sciences and Disorders, has received the Kansas Speech-Language-Hearing Association's "Honors of the Association" for 2009. The award recognizes members who have made distinguished contributions and service to the field and the association. Scudder's award will be presented during the KSHA convention at the Hyatt Regency Wichita, Oct. 1-3.

PRESENTATIONS AND PUBLICATIONS

Mara Alagic, assistant dean, Graduate School, associate professor, curriculum and instruction, is the guest editor for the September special issue of Journal of Mathematics and Arts devoted to mathematics education. The journal is published by Taylor & Francis (UK).

Daniel Bergman, assistant professor and chair, secondary science education, had "Quality questions" published this summer in New Teacher Advocate.

Frankie Brown, director, Human Resources, presented "What do Employers Really Want?" in July at the Statewide Diversity Job Fair hosted by Wichita's Urban League.

Cindy Craig, social sciences librarian, University Libraries, and Curt Friehs, business librarian at Kansas City, Kansas Public Library (previously of University Libraries) presented original research at the American Libraries Association Annual Conference in July in Chicago. They also presented a research poster at the conference. Their research article "Assessing the Effectiveness of Online Library Instruction with Finance Students" was published last winter in the Journal of Web Librarianship.

Lynne Davis, Ann and Dennis Ross Endowed Faculty of Distinction in Organ, presented a performance on WSU's Marcussen organ of French composers for the June 18 closing concert of the American Guild of Organists region 6 convention in Wichita, and the June 28 opening concert of the AGOs region 5 convention in Detroit. In July, she performed at the Cathedral of St. Michel and St. Gudule in Brussells, Belgium.

Karen Hayes, assistant professor, and Alicia Huckstadt, professor and graduate program director, School of Nursing, presented their research, "Improving Clinical Care of Hypertensive Patients," at the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners National Conference, Nashville, Tenn., on June 18.

Alicia Huckstadt, professor and graduate program director, nursing, had her chapter "Health promotion" published in Chronic Illness: Impact & Intervention.

C. Nicholas Johnson

C. Nicholas Johnson, director of dance, and Sabrina Vasquez, dance faculty, performed with the Alithea Mime Theatre dance company for the International Mime Festival in Warsaw, Poland, Aug. 22-31. Johnson is artistic director for Alithea, and Vasquez is co-director. Current and former WSU dance students joined the pair for the Warsaw festival.

Patricia McDonnell, director, Ulrich Museum of Art, contributed an essay on artist Marsden Hartley to the forthcoming exhibition publication for Cezanne and American Modernism, organized by the Baltimore Museum of Art and Montclair Art Museum.

Martha J. Smith, associate professor, School of Community Affairs, co-edited two special issues of Security Journal with Bonnie Fisher, University of Cincinnati. The first issue is Insecurity in the Ivory Tower: Understanding and Responding to Students' Victimization and Fear. The second issue, Women's Security: Critical Perspectives on Assessment Techniques and Preventive Responses, also includes an article by Smith, "A Six-Step Model of Potential Victims' Decisions to Change Location."

Liorah Golomb, assistant professor and humanities librarian, was co-author of "Navigating the MLA Bibliography: Performance Across Vendor Platforms, published in the Journal of Electronic Resources Librarianship. Her co-author was Aline Soules, California State University.

Virginia Kay Williams, assistant professor and acquisitions librarian, was co-author of "Graphic Novels in Libraries Supporting Teacher Education and Librarianship Programs," in the July Library Resources and Technical Services. Her co-author was Damen V. Peterson, Mississippi State University. Williams' review of the book "Analyzing Library Collection Use with Excel" by Tony Greiner and Bob Cooper was published in the same journal issue.

NEW FACULTY AND NEW POSITIONS

These faculty members recently achieved full professor status: Les Anderson, Elliott School of Communication, Wilson Baldridge, modern and classical languages, Alex Chaparro, psychology, David Eichhorn, chemistry, C. Nicholas Johnson, performing arts/dance, Rhonda Lewis-Moss, psychology, Chunsheng Ma, mathematics and statistics, Linda Mitchell, curriculum and instruction, Chinyere Okafor, English and women's studies, Keith Pickus, associate provost, history, Prakash Ramanan, computer science, Michael Rogers, Center for Physical Fitness and Aging, Jim Wolff, Barton School of Business, Charles Yang, engineering, and Robert Zettle, psychology.

Jean Brickell, associate professor, College of Health Professions, has been named chairperson of Medical Technology.

Mary Koehn, associate professor and associate dean, College of Health Professions, has been named acting chairperson of the School of Nursing.

Craig Owens, assistant professor, music education, has been appointed director of jazz studies for WSU.

Linda Starkey has been appointed director of the School of Performing Arts.

Phil Bowers has been promoted to assistant director of TRIO Disability Support Services.

IN EMERITUS

The Office of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs and Research recently announced the 2009 emeritus faculty: Judith Johnson, associate professor (history); Susan Kovar, dean and professor (Graduate School and kinesiology and sports studies); Mahmoud Edwin Sawan, professor and chairperson (electrical and computer engineering); Ram Singhal, professor (chemistry); Juanita Tate, associate professor (nursing); and Phillip Thomas, dean and professor (LAS and history). In addition, Ron Kopita, vice president (campus life and university relations), has been granted emeritus status.

IN MEMORIAM

John Ballar Breazeale, 83, retired WSU administrator, died June 6 in Houston. Breazeale's career at WSU included serving as chairman of the physics department, dean of the Graduate School, vice president for Academic Affairs and director of the Institute for Aviation Research and Development. He was preceded in death by his wife, Wilma Ruth. Survivors include daughters Susan (Stuart) Twemlow of Houston, Barbara Schaecher of Salt Lake City, and Rachel (Steve) Mackey of Topeka; numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Memorials can be made to the American Parkinson Disease Association or the American Diabetes Association.

Moya Diane Dickerson, 61, accounting, died Aug. 14 in Wichita. She is survived by her husband, Paul; son Kevin (Christine) of Colorado Springs; daughter Kristina (John) Andrews of Muvane; three grandchildren; sister Sandei (Alan) Fain; brothers Matthew (Hazel) of Enid and Randy (Patti Waibel). Services have been held.

Lois Amy (Howard) Gunter, 94, retired from the financial aid department, died June 7. Preceded in death by her husband, Preston,; sisters Dorthea Underwood and Lola Kreis; brother Bill Howard. Survivors include daughter Judy (Knute) Fraser of Wichita; sons Gary (Dianne) Gunter of Denver and Mike (Patti) Gunter of Austin; six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren; sister Audrey Collins of Hutchinson; brother Ben (Mary) Howard of Merced, Calif.; many nieces, nephews and dear friends. A memorial to benefit low-income children has been established at College Hill United Methodist Church in Wichita.

Jack Mitchell, 85, former University of Wichita football coach, died July 6 in Arizona.

Wendell Peete, 62, system administrator in the Media Resources Center, died Sept. 5 in Wichita. He was preceded in death by daughters Demetra Lynn and Melody Ann, granddaughter Taylor and father J.B Peete. He is survived by his wife, Phyllis; daughter Winona; son Wendell Jr. (Georgia); grandsons Ocean and Austin; mother Helen Culton; sisters Philomene (Sherman Keeling), Tonette Crowley, Margaret Culton-Davidson (Mathis); brothers Thomas, Michael, George and Ricky Culton; and stepmother Nellie Peete and family. Services have been held.

Joshua Locke Yearout, 33, archivist, Special Collections, University Libraries, died July 7 in Wichita. He is survived by his wife, Amy; daughter, Grace; parents Charlene and Phil Yearout of Andover; sister Jessie Horning of Andover; grandmother Yvonne Critchfield of Hill City. Memorials may be made to the Grace H. Yearout Memorial Fund c/o Emprise Bank, 257 N. Broadway, Wichita, KS 67202.

IN OTHER NEWS

Albert Goldbarth

Albert Goldbarth, Adele M. Davis Distinguished Professor of Humanities, was interviewed for an Aug. 17 television broadcast, "Junk Man: Poet and Professor Albert Goldbarth," on "The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer" (in the NewsHour Poetry Series) on PBS. http://www.wichita.edu/thisis/wsunews/news/?nid=761

Dotty Harpool, director of graduate studies, lecturer, marketing, Barton School, was interviewed for a July 23 Wichita Eagle article, "Dillons branches out with gas." http://www.wichita.edu/thisis/wsunews/cnews/?cnid=817

Dean Headley, associate professor, was quoted in a June 18 Wichita Eagle article, "marketing and entrepreneurship, contributed to the article, "Fighting for every sale." http://www.wichita.edu/thisis/wsunews/news/?nid=713

Doug Hensler, dean, and Kate Kung-McIntyre, assistant dean, Barton School of Business, contributed to a July 6 Wichita Eagle article, "WSU students go abroad to acquire global business skills." http://www.wichita.edu/thisis/wsunews/news/?nid=722

Jeremy Hill

Jeremy Hill, director of the Center for Economic Development and Business Research, was quoted in a July 13 Wichita Business Journal story, "Sedgwick County approves AirTran subsidy." http://www.wichita.edu/thisis/wsunews/news/?nid=726

Jeremy Hill also was interviewed for a June 25 KAKE Channel 10 story, "Kansas bankruptcy levels lower than national average." http://www.wichita.edu/thisis/wsunews/news/?nid=718

Stanley Longhofer, director of the Center for Real Estate, was quoted in a July 28 Christian Monitor article, "US home prices rise. Is it time to buy?," about the Case Shiller index. http://www.wichita.edu/thisis/wsunews/newsrelease/?nid=739

Gary L. Miller, provost and vice president for academic affairs and research, was interviewed for an Aug. 16 Wichita Eagle article, "WSU lab building stellar reputation," about WSU's Advanced Networking Research Center. http://www.wichita.edu/thisis/wsunews/news/?nid=759

Michael E. Rogers, research director of the Center for Physical Activity and Aging, was quoted in an Aug. 3 Boston Globe column, "Sweat equity," on fitness for aging women. http://www.wichita.edu/thisis/wsunews/news/?nid=744

Victoria Shaffer, assistant professor of psychology, was interviewed for an Aug. 26 Incentive Insights Podcast from Incentive magazine about her research comparing the cash and noncash awards in corporate incentive programs. http://www.wichita.edu/thisis/wsunews/news/?nid=774

Levente Sulyok, assistant professor, and Robert Bubp, associate professor, foundations, drawing and painting, were interviewed for a July Mercury-Register (Chico, Texas) article, "Two artists portray their interpretations of place," about their summer exhibition at the 1078 Gallery.

John Tomblin

John Tomblin, executive director of the National Institute for Aviation Research, was quoted in an Aug. 23 Wichita Eagle article, "Stimulus could pay for CIBOR site." http://www.wichita.edu/thisis/wsunews/news/?nid=768

Wichita student to work for NASA

Twenty-three-year-old Mallory Jennings is on cloud nine, or should we say over the moon, as she walks across the Wichita State campus.

"I just got an official job offer from NASA Johnson Space Center," said Jennings with a huge grin on her face.

Since the spring of 2007, Mallory has been interning with NASA at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. Her first mission: working in Mission Control monitoring the International Space Station.

See full story and video.

WSU lab building stellar reputation

Wichita State University may be known internationally for its aviation research program, but it is also quietly building another engineering research powerhouse.

The 7-year-old Advanced Networking Research Center is set to nearly double in size over the next 18 months because of interest from major technology companies and university officials' ambitious plans.

"The potential is extraordinary," said Gary Miller, WSU's provost and vice president for academic affairs and research. "There are networks in everything."

Wichita benefits from that growth by retaining and attracting more top students at WSU, by producing better-trained workers for local industry and, eventually, university officials say, by seeing an economic boost from new companies that develop out of the center.

Read full story.

College of Engineering, Spirit AeroSystems begin second annual design challenge

Six students from Wichita State University began preparations in July for the second annual Spirit Global Design Challenge.

Adam Brungardt, Shawn Denning, Marshall Schmidt, Tashi Sherpa, Chandresh Zinzuwadia and Chun Chen Teo were chosen from WSU's College of Engineering to participate in the challenge.

During the pilot year in 2008, four WSU students were chosen along with four students from the University of Manchester in England.

The original intent for the competition was to include four universities from across the world, said Larry Whitman, director of engineering education at WSU.

"But to ensure success we started smaller with a pilot and are continuing to grow," he said.

For this year's competition, students from the University Sains Malaysia will join Manchester and WSU in designing a wing to boost the performance of an aircraft.

Spirit AeroSystems' design coordinators want to build on the success of 2008 and make 2009 better for both the students and the company, Whitman said.

Schmidt, a mechanical engineering major, said the paramount concern of the challenge is to give students a chance to design in industry, but also to work in an international setting.

"This gives a way to broaden horizons, which creates better engineers," Schmidt said.

Teo, an aerospace engineering major, said companies look for people who can work across cultures.

"As companies are going global … it's important for their employees from all over the world to communicate and work together effectively," Teo said.

Teo wanted to be involved with an industry-related project, but he said options are limited for exchange students in Wichita.

"I believe the (Global Design Challenge) is a very good chance for me to gain some industry experience," he said.

An aerospace engineering major, Brungardt said the challenge of designing new aircraft parts is his favorite aspect of engineering.

"Few students are able to gain practical design knowledge before graduating," he said. "An opportunity like this helps students achieve their goals sooner."

Whitman said competitors work on a real-world design project, not a toy or model project. They also experience different cultures in a design context.

"This will help tremendously as the aerospace industry continues to expand globally," Brungardt said.

Competitors are not walking in to the competition without previous design experience.

Schmidt interns at Hawker Beechcraft, and Brungardt interned at Cessna Aircraft Co. in production support engineering.

In WSU classes, such as Experimental Methods of Aerodynamics, Brungardt said students were able to get "hands-on experience with some really cool testing methods."

"WSU has the facilities and equipment for aerospace research and excellent faculty," Teo said.

Competing students will also benefit from adding the challenge to their resume.

"Participating in an event like this gives work-like experience while still attending school," Brungardt said.

Kevin Brauning and Andrea Chavez from WSU won the 2008 Spirit Global Design Challenge, along with their teammates from Manchester.

With the 2009 challenge focused on wing design and configuration, Whitman said Spirit coordinators are excited about the innovative solutions possible.

Aerospace engineering student interns at NASA, rows for WSU Crew

Peter Fast has two great passions at Wichita State University: aerospace engineering and rowing for the WSU Crew.

Fast is a junior in the aerospace engineering program. He came to WSU because of the quality of the department, the size of classes and the location of the college.

"Our aerospace program has far more hands-on potential with our access to the wind tunnels than either KU or KSU," Fast said.

And he said the smaller class sizes help him learn the information without competing with 300 other students. Plus, Wichita is also only an hour away from his hometown, Hillsboro.

Fast found airplanes and spacecraft fascinating as a child, and he built countless Lego models of planes and spaceships.

In high school, he was drawn to the fundamental nature of math and science. In aerospace engineering at WSU, he enjoys seeing complicated mathematical models correlate to reality.

During fall 2008, Fast was one of four new interns for NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in California. He chose to complete his cooperative education at Dryden because of the aviation research opportunities.

"DFRC, I believe, is the only place in the world where fundamentals of flight are researched and tested on full-scale airplanes," he said.

Fast worked on three projects at Dryden.

His first project was the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), which is an airborne observatory. Mounting the telescope on a plane has advantages, Fast said.

"A plane flying at 30,000 feet about sea level is also flying above 99.999 percent of the moisture in the atmosphere," he said. "Moisture absorbs infrared light, so the images seen from SOFIA are much clearer and more detailed than other telescopes."

SOFIA can also be relocated anywhere around the world, giving astronomers the ability to look at stars, comets and other stellar objects unseen by a grounded telescope.

Fast also worked on LANCETS, Lift and Nozzle Change Effects on Tail Shocks. When an aircraft reaches the speed of sound, two shockwaves are formed, a leading and a trailing shock.

"LANCETS examined how different flight characteristics, such as lift and nozzle characteristics, impact the trailing shockwave," Fast said.

His third project was the Integrated Resilient Aircraft Control, which deals with adaptive controls for aircraft.

He described it as, "A pilot is flying a plane. Something goes wrong and the wing falls off. Adaptive controls allow the pilot to fly normally, even though major changes in the balance of the aircraft have been severely altered."

NASA is trying to develop a system in which the aircraft controls feel normal to a pilot no matter what conditions are outside the plane, he said.

"I have had a once-in-a-lifetime chance to work in my field and do what I enjoy," Fast said. "I have opportunities to work on cutting edge research projects and develop my skills as an engineer."

Fast said classes teach information, but by working through a co-op, students gain true knowledge.

Fast also competes on the WSU Crew. He began rowing as a freshman. He joined the rowing team to stay active and competitive in college, but he saw more than just a sport.

"I saw a sport where every team member is equally important in making the team fast, where the team receives the glory, not an individual," Fast said. "All that separates the winners and the losers is heart and determination."

Fast races in the open-weight category at 6'5" and 195 pounds and rows in the middle of the boat where faster, stronger rowers sit.

Fast said the WSU Crew is very competitive, and for the size of the program, it is an exceptional team.

"There is definitely a team dynamic in rowing that one cannot find elsewhere," he said.

Fast's career hope after college is to work full-time at Dryden. He also plans to get his master's degree in aerospace engineering.

"While a master's degree is not necessary, the increased specialization in the field of my choosing will be invaluable to me as a researcher," he said.

WSU announces spring commencement schedule, speakers

About 2,100 students are eligible to participate in the 111th spring commencement ceremonies Friday and Saturday, May 15-16, at Wichita State University.

Ceremonies will be held in Charles Koch Arena.

Undergraduate and graduate degrees will be conferred in individual college ceremonies.

Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

About 840 liberal arts and sciences students are eligible to participate in commencement exercises at 3 p.m. Friday, May 15.

Jarold (Jerry) Boettcher will represent the Kansas Board of Regents. The commencement speaker will be Anita Cochran, former TV news anchor.

College of Health Professions

About 285 health professions students are eligible to participate in commencement at 7 p.m. Friday, May 15.

Jarold (Jerry) Boettcher will represent the Kansas Board of Regents.The commencement speaker will be Pamela Clancy Ammar, member of the Wichita State University Foundation board of directors and chair of the College of Health Professions Dean's Advisory Committee.

W. Frank Barton School of Business

Almost 400 business students are expected to complete their degrees this spring or summer. The commencement ceremony will be held at 8 a.m. Saturday, May 16.

Jarold (Jerry) Boettcher will represent the Kansas Board of Regents. The commencement speaker will be Collin G. Stieben, senior vice president of commercial banking at Commerce Bank in Wichita.

College of Education

About 315 education students are eligible to graduate in a ceremony at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 16.

Jill Docking will represent the Kansas Board of Regents. The speaker will be Nick Taylor, two-time Paralympics gold medalist in tennis, director of a women's professional tennis tournament and part of the USTA pro circuit.

College of Engineering

About 200 engineering students are eligible to graduate in a ceremony at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 16.

Jill Docking will represent the Kansas Board of Regents. The commencement speaker will be Wolter Fabrycky, Lawrence professor emeritus of industrial and systems engineering, and chairman of Academic Applications International at Virginia Tech University.

College of Fine Arts

Approximately 100 fine arts students are eligible to graduate in this ceremony at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, May 16.

Jill Docking will represent the Kansas Board of Regents. The speaker will be Denny Senseney, a public school music educator, former retail school-music business owner, arts advocate and professional trade association leader.

Funding to help more students in pre-engineering courses

Wichita State University has new funding to help more middle and high school students in Wichita and surrounding areas enroll in pre-engineering courses at their high schools and middle schools through Project Lead the Way, a national pre-engineering program administered in Kansas through WSU.

Almost $400,000 in funding to help support or initiate Project Lead the Way programs in Kansas schools was provided by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, in partnership with WSU and a U.S. Department of Labor WIRED (Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development) grant.

Project Lead the Way (PLTW) offers a rigorous, hands-on, project-based curriculum that provides students with real-world applications in pre-engineering courses.

Starting in fall 2009, with funding from the Knight Foundation and WIRED, Wichita Public Schools will add a fourth PLTW high school program at Southeast High School, as well as implementing the PLTW Gateway to Technology program in seven middle schools.

Derby Public Schools will offer PLTW courses at Derby High School, Middle School and the Sixth Grade Center. New programs will be implemented at Arkansas City High School and Newton High School, and Hutchinson will expand its existing program.

PLTW exposes students to engineering careers and prepares them for college majors in engineering and other technical fields.

Students can earn college credit for some PLTW courses while still in high school. Teachers are required to complete PLTW summer training that strengthens their knowledge and skills, introduces them to the curriculum and encourages collaboration and partnerships.

Wichita State, the Kansas affiliate for PLTW, will offer three two-week summer training classes for teachers in July 2009.

Ward Jewell's energy tips for homeowners

1. Insulate, seal the windows and doors and reduce the amount of electricity needed. "That's the best thing homeowners can do," said Jewell.

2. Replace heating and cooling units with more efficient units when they're due to be replaced. It's not particularly glamorous, but a good thing to do.

3. A simple but extremely effective way to substantially reduce energy use is to replace light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs.

4. Solar water heat makes a lot of sense and has a payback of a few years. "People ask me about putting up their own wind turbines or putting electric generation cells or solar water heat on the roof," said Jewell. "And people can certainly do that, but should first be sure their homes are properly insulated and sealed against the extremes of the Kansas climate."

WSU researcher studies the feasibility of renewable energy

When we want light in a room, we simply flip a switch. We do it multiple times each day, but rarely give it a second thought.

What we take for granted can quickly become a concern when an ice storm or severe thunderstorm knocks out power.

But the real challenge to researchers like Ward Jewell, professor of electrical and computer engineering at Wichita State University, is helping companies meet deadlines on greenhouse gas regulations in the next five years.

The energy industry is being asked to provide reliable and affordable electricity while limiting emissions of CO2 (carbon dioxide) into the atmosphere.

According to Jewell, much of our electricity is supplied by fossil fuels, coal and natural gas, which emit CO2 into the atmosphere. But regulations will soon limit how much CO2 can be emitted, and that will change the way we generate electricity.

Jewell is among a number of researchers in the United States studying climate change regulations that challenge the way companies supply power. He has served as an adviser to the governor's wind energy task force. His expertise also has been sought by the Kansas Energy Council.

WSU is one of 13 universities making up the Power Systems Engineering Research Center, with about 40 companies and government organizations funding the research.

The public interest in providing energy in a more environmentally friendly way is gaining momentum.

"The issue is cost," said Jewell. "It's going to cost more to generate electricity that does not emit CO2 into the atmosphere using either nuclear generation, which doesn't emit CO2, or renewable generation such as wind turbines, solar cells and geothermal."

Jewell is involved in one project concerning the electric utility grid in California and neighboring states.

"We're looking specifically at the regulations that are already in place in California, which puts limits on CO2 emissions, and looking at how the electric utilities there can meet those regulations," said Jewell. "So initially what they'll do is burn less coal and more natural gas because natural gas emits significantly less CO2 than coal."

Coal and nuclear are the cheapest forms of energy, but coal is the highest emitter of CO2, a greenhouse gas believed to cause global warming. Natural gas is the cheapest in terms of building new generating facilities, and it emits about half the CO2 of coal, but gas resources are limited and expensive, making its cost per kilowatt hour of electricity much higher than coal or nuclear.

"I do not get into the debate on whether climate change is real or not or what causes it," said Jewell, "because the electric grid is faced with these regulations and we have to deal with them.

"I see the issue a little bit differently. Because the regulations are going to be put in place, it's a fairly high-risk move to build a coal-fired power plant right now with no facilities for substantially removing the CO2 from the exhaust gases."

Jewell says coal-fired power plants will likely be required to remove CO2 from their exhaust gases in 10-20 years. To build a plant without that capability means it will have to be retrofitted later at a much higher cost.

Of course, moving toward cleaner energy has its challenges.

"There's not an infinite supply of natural gas, so if we burn more natural gas, the cost will go up," said Jewell. "It goes up and down substantially now, and the more we burn to generate electricity, the higher it's going to go."

Importing more natural gas is one option, although that puts the United States at the mercy of the natural gas cartel, which is different than OPEC, but not very friendly to the United States, according to Jewell.

"I don't think anyone really sees burning a lot of natural gas as a long-term solution," said Jewell.

Nuclear power is technically ready to go, and many more nuclear generators could be built. In fact, we could generate most of our electricity from nuclear power, according to Jewell.

"The two issues with nuclear power are waste disposal and public acceptance," said Jewell. "It seems like a simple solution if the public will accept it and if we can deal with the fuel disposal or reprocessing issues."

Renewable energy is another option. The biggest problem with wind and solar energy is that they are variable and they don't always generate power when electricity is needed. Storage is an option, but it would be an additional cost to providing electricity. Very little energy is stored on the grid now because of those costs.

Jewell said solar is generally better than wind because solar generates at the hottest part of the year and during the day, but it still can't supply all of our electricity. The question is, what fills the gap when wind and solar are not generating enough electricity?

Some Kansans may tire of seemingly endless windy days, but wind has the potential of benefiting the state economically. If new transmission lines are built, Jewell said they could carry wind-generated electricity to the East and West coasts where electricity is needed.

Much of Jewell's research, conducted by his graduate students, involves computer simulations of the electricity grid. "We begin by simulating the grid as it exists now, and then we change the simulation by removing coal-fired power plants and adding renewable power plants, nuclear power plants, new transmission lines and energy storage.

"We look at how the system operates through simulations with those new plants, and we look at how the cost changes.

"My goals and the goals of researchers are to provide electricity when people need it at the lowest possible long-term cost, not just the cheapest way we can generate electricity tomorrow," said Jewell.

The political arguments tend to be in the form of going to 20 percent or 30 percent renewable energy by a particular date, or reducing CO2 emissions by a certain percentage at a specific time.

"Our job is to evaluate those numbers and see if that's getting on the sustainable path to reliable, lowest-cost electricity," said Jewell.

Overall, Jewell said electric power is "extremely reliable and the complexity is incredible. The people and the companies that run the grid have maintained that reliability and it is really incredible from an engineering standpoint. Through sound research, the system will continue to meet the environmental, reliability and cost needs of our society."

NIAR labs open to public during May open house

Wichita State University's National Institute for Aviation Research and College of Engineering are holding their annual open house from 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Friday, May 1, at WSU.

During the event, several NIAR labs will be open to the public for tours.

This year, NIAR has also added a new event: The "I'm With Dummy" photo opportunity will allow visitors to have their photo taken with one of NIAR's crash test dummies for a suggested $1 donation to the United Way's Laid-Off Workers Fund.

It will take place from 9 a.m.-noon in Room 102 of the NIAR building (entrance located near the first-floor lobby).

Wallace Hall and the Engineering Research Laboratory Building will also be open to the public, and WSU College of Engineering students will have projects on display in all three buildings.

For more information, go to http://webs.wichita.edu/?u=engineeringopenhouse.

In most NIAR labs, employees will be available for conversation and questions.

Scholarships help first generation student climb academic ladder

When Ana Lazarin came to the United States from Mexico, she was a frightened 13-year-old who couldn't speak English.

By the end of her first year of school in Ulysses, Kan., she had a 3.8 GPA. In December 2008, she earned her bachelor's degree in industrial engineering from Wichita State University.

Today, she continues at WSU working on her master's degree in counseling.

Alicia Martinez Newell

"I remember her being a little shy and reserved," said Alicia Martinez Newell, program coordinator for WSU's Office of Multicultural Affairs. "But [I] saw a light in her and knew that this young woman was going to go far in life no matter where she went."

Lazarin now works within the College of Engineering as the director of programs to broaden participation in engineering.

She's been in that position since July and aiming to recruit minority students into the engineering program. She arranges campus visits and tours, as well as off-campus activities at local schools.

"I really love what I've been doing," she said. "It's rewarding when students say they are touched just by my story."

Lazarin's story begins in Mexico. She said her family didn't have much money, so her dad and brothers spent a lot of time in the United States working as farmers trying to do better for the family.

She stayed behind with her mother and grandmother. It was tough going in both places. Her parents didn't have an education, so they had to work harder to provide for their family. Her two brothers dropped out of school to earn extra money.

While the men provided financial support, it was Lazarin's grandmother who provided the inspiration.

"She had huge expectations of me," Lazarin said. "She would always tell me that I was going to be someone in life."

Lazarin said it was that encouragement that kept her from ever wanting to quit school.

It also was that encouragement that made it so difficult for her to leave her grandmother behind when Lazarin and her mother joined the rest of their family in the United States.

"Leaving my grandma behind was so sad for me," she said. "I promised her that one day I would come back to Mexico and bring her my college diploma."

Unfortunately, that didn't happen.

A year after Lazarin left Mexico, her grandmother started to succumb to Alzheimer's and died a few years later. Lazarin couldn't return for a visit or even for her funeral.

She wasn't a U.S. citizen and feared not being allowed back into the country.

"For me, that was the hardest thing," she said. "It inspired me even more to finish my college degree."

Now, she has her education and citizenship.

Since Lazarin was an immigrant student, she couldn't apply for financial aid the way many traditional students do. She wasn't eligible for federal grants or student loans, but because of her good grades, community service and leadership involvement, she was the recipient of several scholarships.

"Ana has a gentle way of prodding and encouraging that brings out the best effort of that person," said Newell. "She is a natural leader with a quiet strength."

"I was blessed with scholarships and people that believed in me," Lazarin said.

Those scholarships and additional help from her family paid the way through her undergraduate education. After she completes her master's degree, she plans on returning the generosity by helping her family.

"My parents have always told me that they're proud of me and support me in anything I want to do," she said. "I want them to think all the sacrifices of coming to the United States were worth it."

Even though Lazarin has faced many obstacles for a 23-year-old, she remains positive and cheerful about her future and even her past.

She began to laugh as she started to tell a story about a time when she was a waitress in high school. She said her English was improving, but it still wasn't good. She knew the words on the menu. She could take the customers' orders.

Then one day a customer asked her for some tap water.

She didn't understand what he wanted, so she asked him to repeat it. He told her again he wanted tap water. Then Lazarin decided that if she didn't recognize the term, it wasn't on the menu, so the restaurant must not serve it.

She told the customer they didn't have tap water.

"I was so embarrassed," she said.

But she just chalks it up to one of many lessons she's learned since coming to the United States.

"We just have to go through some embarrassing moments and difficult times," Lazarin said. "But here we are."

Camps of all kinds run through the summer at WSU

There are various academic and athletic camps offered at Wichita State University during the summer.

Academic camps include:

College of Fine Arts

College of Education

College of Engineering

TRIO/Gear Up programs

Future Shocker Camp

Athletic camps include:

Boys and girls basketball

Baseball

Bowling

Golf

Volleyball

For detailed information, go to http://www.wichita.edu/camps to see what's available.