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 — 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 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.”

April 29, 2025 — Ashlyn Riggs came to Wichita State University thanks to its proximity to home and she already had a connection to campus through her mother, who is an active employee. While at WSU, she had the opportunity to work at the Child Development Center as a lead sub teacher — all while getting her degree in education.

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 14, 2025 — The College of Engineering at Wichita State University is hosting an Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day event, commonly known as Girl Day, for high school students from Wichita and the surrounding area. The event will be from 9:45 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, April 30 in the Rhatigan Student Center at WSU.

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.

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.

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.

March 19, 2025 - Shocker Rowing will celebrate its 50th anniversary on April 26-27 with activities honoring the history of the program at Wichita State University. Founded in 1975, Shocker Rowing has competed at home on the Arkansas River and across the nation in the sport’s most prestigious events.

March 14, 2025 - The NCAA’s main event is back in Wichita to continue a long history of Wichita State University bringing this bracket-busting event to the city. Intrust Bank Arena is the site for men’s first- and second-round games on March 20 and 22.

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.

March 4, 2025 - Open Streets ICT returns to Wichita State University’s campus and neighborhood on April 13 with the goal of connecting with young people. Around 8,000 people participated in Open Streets ICT – WSU & Shocker Neighborhood in 2024, double the amount from the previous year.