Wichita State University news releases, media contacts and resources

The Strategic Communications news and media relations team supports the university and its many departments and centers with news coverage, from announcing major news to promoting upcoming events, all with an eye on the mission and vision of Wichita State.

 

All Media Releases    WSU Experts Guide

News and Media Relations staff

Lainie Mazzullo-Hart

Director of Communication (Primary media contact)

lainie.mazzullo@wichita.edu

316-978-3409

Sara Tank-Ornelas

Speechwriting and Copywriting Manager

sara.ornelas@wichita.edu

(316) 978-7287

Paul Suellentrop

Senior Communicator

paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu

(316) 978-5536

Caelin Bragg

Newsletter Editor

caelin.bragg@wichita.edu

(316) 978-3013

Resources and links

All Media Releases

 

 

June 9, 2025 — Shocker Composites, founded by Wichita State alum Vamsidhar Patlolla, transforms carbon fiber waste into high-performance, sustainable materials using a recycling method he developed during his graduate research. With support from Wichita State’s NIAR and Innovation Campus, the company is scaling up its impact and demonstrating how university-backed startups can drive real-world innovation and sustainability.

May 28, 2025 High schoolers don’t often get to see what real science is being done every day by researchers. Worst case scenario is that they are dealing with abstract numbers that don’t have any real-world parallels. But with the help of Dr. Thomas Luhring, assistant professor of biological sciences at Wichita State University, students will not only get to work with active data acquired by a real scientist, but the data also will have implications in their neighborhoods.

May 21, 2025 — Wichita State University and longtime Innovation Campus partner Dassault Systèmes will celebrate the grand opening of the Manufacturing Innovation Center, an advanced research and design facility located on WSU’s Innovation Campus, on Tuesday, May 21.

May 8, 2025 Wichita State University, WSU Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology (WSU Tech) and Wichita Public Schools (WPS) have announced a new partnership designed to strengthen the region’s teacher workforce through the launch of the Future Teacher Academy and a 2+2 pathway program.

April 28, 2025 — Wichita State University has appointed Dr. Sarah Beth Estes as the new dean of the Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Estes brings a wealth of experience and a deep commitment to student and faculty success.