WSU News - All Stories

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.

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 27, 2025 – WSU professor Michael Birzer blends law enforcement experience with research and mentorship, empowering students through hands-on learning and community-focused scholarship.

May 27, 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 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.

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.”

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.

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.

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.

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.”

April 30, 2025 — Madelyn Stilwell has built an impressive foundation in research and leadership through hands-on experiences at Wichita State and beyond, including co-authoring a scientific publication and presenting her work at national conferences. She’ll intern at Likarda this summer before continuing her studies in WSU’s biomedical engineering master’s 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.

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.

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.

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.