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Somewhere Works

Nov. 25, 2025 - Wichita State University’s College of Fine Arts is partnering with Movement Musick to offer programing at the Somewhere Works music facility in downtown Wichita. Wichita State University and Somewhere Works will collaborate to open opportunities for innovation, applied learning, new classes and community engagement.

A display of colorful fruits and vegetables

Nov. 19, 2025 — Wichita’s neighborhoods are getting a fresh boost thanks to a city-funded, community-led effort managed by Wichita State University’s Community Engagement Institute.

An upward view of the spire on Wichita State's Corbin Education Center

Oct. 30, 2025 — Wichita State University’s Corbin Education Center, designed by the world-renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright, has been added to the National Register of Historic Places, a distinction reserved for America’s most significant architectural and cultural landmarks.

Individuals with an award

Oct. 13, 2025 — Wichita State University unveiled the newly named Kiah Duggins Shocker Support Locker during its annual Heritage Gala on Oct. 9, hosted by the WSU Foundation and Alumni Engagement in celebration of the 2025 alumni award recipients.

NIAR

Aug. 27, 2025 — Several groundbreaking manufacturing research programs from Wichita State University’s National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) have been named finalists for the industry’s top honors by the Composites and Advanced Materials Expo (CAMX) and the American Composites Manufacturers Association’s (ACMA) Awards for Composites Excellence (ACE).

Students collaborate on research

July 31, 2025 — Wichita State and Groover Labs received a state grant to boost student innovation and help bring Kansas ideas to market. The funding expands hands-on learning, prototyping and outreach across the state.

Overhead photo of campus with a flag pole with the United States, Kansas and Wichita flags in the foreground and the campus in the background

July 31, 2025 Wichita State University is one of the recipients of a renewed $20 million grant as part of the AI Institute for Foundations of Machine Learning (IFML), of which WSU is a founding member.

A student does research

July 14, 2025 — Wichita State University has been named a partner in the National Science Foundation’s I-Corps Great Plains Hub — a $14 million initiative that equips researchers, students and entrepreneurs with the tools to move ideas from the lab to the marketplace. The first WSU-led cohort begins Sept. 15 and will further strengthen the university’s innovation ecosystem.

Spring 2025 grad

July 8, 2025 — More than 2,400 students were eligible to graduate from Wichita State University in the spring. See the full list.

From left: Dr. Waruna Seneviratne, WSU President Rick Muma, Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran, Hexel CEO Tom Gentile, and Dr. John Tomblin

June 18, 2025 — Hexcel Corp., a global leader in advanced composites technology, is expanding its long-standing partnership with Wichita State University’s National Institute for Aviation Research by establishing a Hexcel Application Center inside NIAR’s Advanced Technologies Lab for Aerospace Systems.

VISION machine

June 12, 2025 — Wichita State’s National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) has received a patent for VISION, an AI-powered composite inspection robot designed to detect and repair damage on aircraft parts autonomously. Developed at NIAR’s Automation Research Center and recently installed at a U.S. Army facility, the system uses machine learning to analyze inspection images and speed up aircraft maintenance.

Vamsidhar Patlolla

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.

Wichita State grads celebrate at commencement ceremonies

May 14, 2025 — More than 2,400 students are eligible to participate in Wichita State University’s 127th spring commencement ceremony on Friday, May 16, and Saturday, May 17 in Charles Koch Arena.

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.

Natasha Seneviratne with Wu and her dad

May 8, 2025 — Natasha Seneviratne found her place at Wichita State through family ties, supportive scholarships and hands-on experiences that helped her grow into a confident engineer.