For WSU News and WSU Today content older than July 2018, search the WSU News Archive.

WSU News Archive   Return to WSU News Home

NIAR MRO

Oct, 1, 2021 - The 777 conversion program will provide unique applied learning opportunities for WSU engineering and WSU Tech students. NIAR’s ability to provide applied learning experience for students will expand with a $2.1 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration for the purchase and installation of equipment for the institute’s Flight Test Research Center and Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility on South Oliver near Spirit AeroSystems.

Shocker Nation graphic

Sept. 30, 2021 -- Enrollment for fall 2021 at Wichita State University and WSU Tech is showing strong growth despite a decline in 2020 caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the loss of thousands of local jobs.

Festi-Ful will take place 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Friday, Sept. 24 at 2020 Perimeter Road by Shocker Hall on the WSU campus.

Sept. 23, 2021 – Wichita State University will participate in Festi-Ful — one of the nation’s largest street food festivals, taking place across 300 U.S. colleges and universities — 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Friday, Sept. 24 at 2020 Perimeter Road by Shocker Hall on the WSU campus.

The Boeing 777 aircraft rests at NIAR facilities.

Sept. 8, 2021 — WERX at Wichita State University’s National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) has received its first Boeing 777-300ER passenger aircraft. As part of its rapidly growing Maintenance Repair and Overhaul program, WSU-NIAR WERX, in conjunction with Kansas Modification Center, will convert the passenger aircraft into a freighter that will be transferred to an external client to meet the growing needs of the e-commerce and express cargo market.

F16

June 30, 2021 -- The U.S. Air Force is launching a new program with Wichita State University’s National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) to make a digital replica of the F-16 Fighting Falcon in an effort to improve the sustainment and modernization of F-16s operating around the world.

Members of the campus community attend 2019 Sculpture Glow even.

June 21, 2021 -- Wichita State is holding a community event, Shockers Under the Stars, beginning at 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 22, outside the Ulrich Museum of Art on the main campus.

Juneteenth Graphic. Juneteenth (a combination of the words “June” and “nineteenth”) is the day that federal troops came to Galveston, Texas on June 19, 1865 and made sure that enslaved people in the area were set free. This was two-and-one-half years after Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.

Media and the community are invited to attend the JunteenthICT Parade, sponsored by Wichita State University’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion.

The parade celebrates the 156th anniversary of Juneteenth during the JuneteenthICT Parade at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 19. The parade route will begin at 17th Street and Hillside, going west, and eventually ending at McAdam’s Park, where the all-day Juneteenth ICT celebration will take place.

Courtney Calder

June 9, 2021 - Wichita State’s Esports director Courtney Calder played soccer more often than video games growing up in California. Those experiences, however, helped prepare her for running the Esports program, as did her time working in sales for Apple after graduating from Northwestern University. Wichita State’s varsity program, housed in the Heskett Center, offers four teams competing in Overwatch, League of Legends, Rocket League, and Valorant.

Wichita State University engineering students present Ford Hall with a bicycle they modified to meet his needs.

June 7, 2021 — Five-year-old Ford Hall has had to overcome more in his short life than most do in a lifetime. That’s because immediately after he was born, he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. The doctors informed his mother he would probably never be able to walk. “It was that conversation with that doctor that really lit a fire in us,” said Cori Hall, Ford’s mother.

WSU Tech, Barton School graphic

May 17, 2021 -- The W. Frank Barton School of Business at Wichita State University has partnered with WSU Tech to create a pathway program for WSU Tech students committed to continuing their education with a business degree.

Lydia Melles and Lucy Hoang, Wichita State University computer science major students, work on an autonomous robot that uses ultraviolet C-lights (UVC) to fight COVID-19 at the McConnell Air Force Base Innovation Lab.  The two senior students partnered with the McConnell Innovation Lab as part of their is part of their senior design class.

May 12, 2021 — Two Wichita State University seniors have partnered with the McConnell Air Force Base Innovation Lab to help fight COVID-19 – by using robotics. Computer science majors Lucy Hoang and Lydia Melles are creating an autonomous robot that uses ultraviolet C-lights (UVC) to clean grocery stores.

Janet Federico

April 30, 2021 – Twelve years following receiving her Master’s in Business Administration, Janet Federico moved from Washington, D.C. to Wichita to pursue a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing at Wichita State after rediscovering herself as an author, speaker and illustrator later her career.

Two Wichita State students using a tablet.

April 12, 2021 – After months of hard work from Wichita State faculty members Carrie Dickison and Maria Sclafani, the Open Alternative Textbook committee approved English 102 for Open/Alternative Textbook (OAT) course designation. Starting in fall 2021, Wichita State students will no longer have to buy textbooks for English 102.

W. Frank Barton School of Business Institute for the Study of Economic Growth Adam Thierer Technology Policy: A Case for Optimism and Freedom to Innovate Benjamin J. and Bettie M. Gibson Breeding Lectureship 4 p.m. Wednesday, April 14

April 8, 2021 — As part of the Benjamin J. and Bettie M. Gibson Breeding Lectureship, Institute for the Study of Economic Growth at the W. Frank Barton School of Business at Wichita State University will present Adam Thierer at 4 p.m. Wednesday, April 14.

Campus aerial

April 2, 2021 -- While the future of this pandemic and its effect on our daily lives still remains somewhat unknown, we are pleased to be coming to you with a message of cautious optimism as we continue our transition to a pre-pandemic mode of operation. Sedgwick County Commissioners voted to rescind all local COVID health orders, effectively immediately. Since the beginning of this pandemic, we have followed all guidance and orders issued by state and local public health authorities. Accordingly, WSU has rescinded all guidance requiring masks, social distancing and mass gathering limitations on our campus. However, we continue to strongly encourage our entire campus community to engage in these practices whenever possible. We also encourage everyone to get the vaccine when they become eligible.