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

WSU News Archive   Return to WSU News Home

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.

Members of the Shocker Store staff pose near a section of the store that displays Suspenders4Hope merch. Text saying

June 9, 2025 The Shocker Store is being recognized as a Mental Health Advocate for its support of the Suspenders4Hope program by offering the Suspenders4Hope T-shirts for sale, with proceeds directly benefiting HOPE Services, and by serving as a hub for resources for Shockers on campus.

Ridge Estes

May 29, 2025 - Ridge Estes, from Bucklin, used his study time and his athletic time wisely during his Wichita State University career. He majored in exercise science with minors in health science and entrepreneurship and graduated earlier this month with a 3.473 grade-point average.

Campus

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.

School of Performing Arts student

May 15, 2025 - Wichita State University students who work behind-the-scenes in the School of Performing Arts now earn money for their time and expertise, thanks to State of Kansas Applied Learning Funds. Twenty-three students work at jobs such as social media, costumes, fund-raising, lighting and scenes.

Gene Stephenson Park

May 15, 2025 - Earlier this month, “Gene Stephenson Park” was added to Eck Stadium, home of Tyler Field, at a ceremony and unveiling. On Friday, his jersey No. 10 will be recognized on the stadium’s Wall of Honor in left field.

Brian Triliegi

May 8, 2025 — After earning his GED at 16, Brian Triliegi returned to college decades later and is now graduating with a Bachelor of Applied Science in organizational leadership from Wichita State.

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.

Ella Anciaux

May 5, 2025 - Ella Anciaux stayed home to play basketball for the Shockers and major in exercise science. While compiling a cumulative grade-point average of 3.85, she earned American Athletic Conference Academic All-Conference honors twice and a spot on the 2024-25 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team.

Hannah Copeland

May 5, 2025 — Hannah Copeland found her calling through years of involvement in WSU’s orchestra programs and youth music clinics. Her most rewarding experience has been student teaching in Wichita Public Schools, and she’s thrilled to continue that journey as the new orchestra teacher at Curtis Middle School.

Corey Novascone at First Tee

May 5, 2025 - Former Wichita State student-athletes Corey Novascone and Calvin Pearson credit golf with making college education possible and teaching them life lessons. They are giving back to the game through First Tee-Greater Wichita.

Lauren Lucas

May 2, 2025 - Wichita State University outfielder Lauren Lucas started college planning to work on the business side of professional sports. Five years later, she plans to coach softball in college. She changed course in part due to a shoulder injury that took her off the field and into the dugout as a coach.

Luke Parrett

April 30, 2025 — Luke Parrett, a filmmaking major from Oklahoma, chose Wichita State for its proximity to home and the hands-on learning offered at Shocker Studios. His time at WSU has been shaped by applied learning in nearly every class, preparing him to pursue gig work across the Midwest and build a career in the film industry.

Abigail Smith

April 30, 2025 — Abigail Smith, a music education and trumpet performance major, transferred from Coffeyville Community College to Wichita State, where she found a supportive community and hands-on experience in local classrooms. After graduation, she’ll attend the Aspen Music Festival and School before beginning her career as an elementary music teacher in the Wichita area.

Colby Hutson

April 30, 2025 — Colby Hutson came to Wichita State for engineering but found his true calling in music performance, thanks to small class sizes and supportive relationships with professors. After graduation, he’s headed to Colorado State University to pursue a master’s degree in French horn performance.