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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.

Kelly Bielefeld, Monica Lounsbery, Sheree Utash and Josephine Garcia

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.

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.

Rendering of the Wichita Biomedical Campus

Feb. 10, 2025 Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas is investing $2.5 million in Wichita State University, with $1.8 million earmarked as the lead gift to the Wichita Biomedical Campus. The remaining $700,000 will create two endowed Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas nursing scholarships in the WSU College of Health Professions.

A rendering of the Wichita Biomedical Campus

Dec. 16, 2024 — Phase I of the Wichita Biomedical Campus — a collaboration between Wichita State University, University of Kansas and WSU Tech — is making steady progress as it prepares to transform and redefine health care education and research in Kansas.

child with prosthetic bionic arm

Nov. 20, 2024 – Wichita State University has launched the Institute for Rehabilitation Medicine and Assistive Technology (IRMAT), an innovative collaboration focused on addressing disease and disability through applied research and technology. IRMAT will serve as a hub for cutting-edge, patient-driven research and development of transformative technologies to improve the quality of life for individuals with physical and cognitive disabilities.

Group photo

June 6, 2024 — Wichita State University has signed a new admissions partnership agreement with the Kansas Health Science Center-Kansas College of Osteopathic Medicine (KHSC-KansasCOM) that will help address Kansas’ physician shortage.

Wichita State's National Institute for Aviation Research has been awarded $10 million from NASA to study advanced materials for hypersonic applications.

May 14, 2024 — Wichita State University’s National Institute for Aviation Research will receive more than $10 million from NASA for research related to the development and implementation of advanced materials for hypersonic applications.

Image from groundbreaking

May 8, 2024 — Hundreds of people gathered Wednesday, May 8 to celebrate the start of Phase One construction on the new Wichita Biomedical Campus, a $300 million, 471,000-square-foot joint health sciences center in the heart of downtown Wichita.

Employees discussing a presentation they will give

April 22, 2024 Wichita State University has offered the traditional educational pathways for over 125 years, typically ending at the point of graduation, but the need for learning continues throughout a person’s lifetime. In a rapidly changing world, continuing education has never been more important. More and more jobs require skill-based certification of learning, which includes the attainment of validated durable and technical skills. To meet those needs, WSU was the first in Kansas to create badge courses for non-degree seeking students in 2015, after approval from the Kansas Board of Regents.

Kansas APEX Accelerator with an outline of the state of Kansas in the background

April 2, 2024 — The Kansas APEX Accelerator, based at Wichita State University, announces a significant milestone in its decade-long history of empowering businesses: the attainment of more than $1 billion in government contract awards for its clients.

Students and faculty who attended K-INBRE

March 6, 2024 Four undergraduate students from Wichita State University were among the 18 students recognized at the 22nd annual Kansas IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (K-INBRE) Symposium in Manhattan, Kansas.

Wichita State University engineering students

Jan. 8, 2024 - Wichita State University moved to No. 2 on the national list of industry-funded engineering and research and development, according to the latest data compiled by the National Science Foundation’s Higher Education Research and Development Survey.

WSU's NIAR team celebrates milestone in 777 conversion project

Jan. 20, 2022 — Wichita State University and Kansas Modification Center have reached another significant milestone to advance the passenger-to-freighter aircraft conversion of the Boeing 777-300ER aircraft at WSU’s National Institute for Aviation Research WERX