Lisa Oldham

May 9, 2025 — Lisa Oldham, a proud two-time Wichita State grad, has dedicated her academic and professional journey to advocating for healing and justice in underserved communities. Fueled by resilience and a deep connection to Indigenous culture, she aims to serve others through work in corrections, mental health and substance use recovery.

Yumi Kikuchi in her graduation regalia

May 8, 2025 Yumi Kikuchi first came to Wichita State University as part of an exchange program and decided she wanted to pursue her graduate studies at the College of Innovation and Design. Her advice to other students? “Take chances. Life is an experiment, and college is the perfect time to explore, get involved and discover what truly excites you.”

Lee Frank

May 7, 2025 Lee Frank will attend the University of Kansas Law School of Law school after completing Wichita State University’s Legal Education Accelerated Degree. Her internship with a law firm got her started on her career with experience working alongside attorneys and attending trials.

Braden Webb

May 7, 2025 Braden Webb, a Gore Scholar, capitalized on Wichita State’s strong engineering program and his passion for transportation issues. He worked at NIAR WERX, studied in London and interned for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) in Washington, D.C.

Jeffrey Blessant

May 2, 2025 - Jeffrey Blessant transferred to Wichita State because of its cost and to study in the Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. He is an avid reader who wants more access to books for more people.

Arland Wallace works at his computer

May 2, 2025 Arland Wallace sat down with The Active Age to discuss his time at Wichita State University. After his first semester at WSU back in 1970 didn’t go well, he returned over 50 years later to get his bachelor’s degree in anthropology, with plans to move on to his master’s. “I just made the decision that cancer was not going to define me.”

Dr. Sarah Beth Estes

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.

Dr. Mary Liz Jameson shows off her dung beetles to a student at the lab

April 28, 2025 When the email notification popped up, Dr. Mary Liz Jameson, professor of biological sciences, thought there must have been a mistake. It must have been for someone else at the university or perhaps another Mary Liz at a different university. Once the shock wore away, Jameson realized it was true: She had been elected to the prestigious American Association for the Advancement of Sciences Fellows, class of 2024, for her integrated work on entomology.

Collage of photos of the students who presented at the meetings

April 24, 2025 Students from Wichita State University’s Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences got the opportunity to demonstrate their expertise in their fields at the annual Kansas Academy of Science (KAS) and Central States Entomological Society meeting (CSES) meetings April 4-5 at Friends University.

Tanaya Martin

April 23, 2025 — Tayana Martin, a junior majoring in sport and leadership studies with a minor in sign language, is gaining hands-on experience as an operations specialist with Ennovar at Wichita State. A lifelong Wichitan, Tayana supports student hiring and corporate partnerships while building skills that will serve her well after graduation.

Two students hold out an artifact from an archeology dig in Texas

April 10, 2025 — Wichita State students spent summer 2024 excavating the Boxed Springs archaeological site in East Texas, uncovering 6,000 years of Caddo history through hands-on research, artifact analysis and academic publishing.

Daniel Reichart poses in front of his research poster at the Kansas state capitol

April 9, 2025 — Daniel Reichart, a senior in aerospace engineering and physics at Wichita State, is researching how to improve particle identification in space using the SNAPPY CubeSat detector. His work simulates how electrons, protons and alpha particles can be distinguished, contributing to a better understanding of solar wind hazards.

Lille Nightingale poses in front of her research poster at the Kansas state capitol

April 7, 2025 — Wichita State senior Lille Nightingale studied wildebeest migration and transformed their movements into a choreographed dance. Her research blends art and science, offering a creative look at the natural world.

Anna Brake poses in front of his research poster at the Kansas state capitol

April 4, 2025 — Anna Break, an Honors Baccalaureate junior at Wichita State, is researching how health literacy affects the acceptability of wearable fetal heart monitors in rural and underserved communities. Her work, under the mentorship of Dr. Nikki Keene Woods, supports a larger effort to expand access to maternal care through remote health technology.

Wichita State photographer at softball content day

April 4, 2025 — Wichita State University students are learning the importance of teamwork and communication in order to handle the pace and conditions working in paid applied learning jobs for the athletic department’s creative team. Knowing they are serving as a conduit from all 16 Shockers sports to their fans makes it a job they enjoy.

Shocker Fly Lab rendering

March 10, 2025 — Lynn and Sherry Nichols have given a lead gift of $1 million to Wichita State University to kick off the fundraising campaign for the new, state-of-the-art Shocker Fly Lab, an enclosed flight space to research, design and test unmanned aerial vehicles that will position the university at the forefront of unmanned aerial system education and development.

Students and faculty who attended K-INBRE

March 3, 2025 Five undergraduate students from Wichita State were among the 26 students recognized at the 23rd annual Kansas IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence Symposium in Kansas City, Missouri.

Dr. Darren DeFrain holds a phone that shows the Vizling app he created.

Feb. 25, 2025 — The National Endowment for the Humanities recently awarded a Wichita State University faculty member $150,000 to further develop a smartphone application that allows visually impaired people to read materials rich in visual content.

Dr. Moriah Beck, professor of chemistry and biochemistry at Wichita State

Feb. 14, 2025 — Dr. Moriah Beck's journey as a scientist is rooted in the belief that research is a powerful driver of innovation and personal transformation. For Beck, a professor of chemistry and biochemistry at Wichita State University, research is far more than an academic pursuit — it’s a way to connect with a global scientific community and spark change.

Grant Adler

Feb. 13, 2025 - Shocker pitcher Grant Adler, who attended Derby High School, will graduate in May with a general studies - chemistry degree while continuing to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering. He will intern at Spirit AeroSystems for a second summer.