Current Recipients

Academy for Effective Teaching

Robin Folkerts, elementary education program chair and assistant teaching educator, School of Teaching and Learning, College of Education

Folkerts earned an Associate of Science degree in early education from Barton Community College in 1987, a bachelor's degree in elementary education and teaching from Emporia State University in 1989, and a Master of Science in educational leadership and administration in 1997. After more than 30 years of service in public schools in various roles, including teaching, leadership and coaching in Larned, Great Bend and Derby, Folkerts joined the WSU faculty in 2021.

————————

Robin Folkerts is very much at home in the classroom.

Growing her teaching career and others has been a mainstay — from helping out grade schoolteachers while still in high school in Great Bend, Kansas, to being a teacher, principal and instructional coach in Kansas public schools, to now guiding WSU's first graduating class of unified elementary and special education majors.

She tried to give it up in 2021, when she retired after more than 30 years of service in three different districts and thought she'd fill her time with enjoying her new granddaughter.

"I thought I'd retire and do something different," Folkerts said. That is, until she saw that WSU was looking for adjunct faculty for its elementary education program. That opportunity turned into a full-time nontenure-track role. It was an easy fit.

"In my last 10 years of teaching, I had actually been training teachers (in Derby), and I had just loved that," Folkerts said. "It's been incredibly gratifying to teach learners of all ages … and knowing that my influence may ripple outward to future generations of students is both a meaningful responsibility and a powerful source of motivation."

Among the programs that Folkerts oversees as the elementary education program chair is WSU's Bachelor of Arts in Education and early childhood unified/elementary teacher degree. This May, WSU will graduate its first group of students with this degree, a total of 15, who will meet the demand for educators trained in both general curriculum and inclusive practices.

"My greatest strengths as a teacher align closely with my core responsibilities and teaching philosophy: building meaningful relationships, actively engaging students, providing responsive feedback, and reflecting and adjusting my teaching," Folkerts wrote in the teaching reflection essay she submitted for the Academy for Effective Teaching Award.

She also leverages the many professional connections she has built working alongside highly respected educators and administrators. In her CI446 Student Teaching Seminar, she invites a range of guest speakers to provide firsthand perspectives: education leaders, including principals, assistant superintendents and Kansas Department of Education specialists, reading and behavior specialists, school psychologists, special education coordinators and more.

The speakers "allow students to make professional connections, ask questions, gain practical insight and better understand and reflect upon the multifaceted nature of the teaching profession," Folkerts said.

She's also very aware that future teachers need to be even better equipped to adapt to changes happening in the field of education, ranging from the impact of AI to different learning environments, such as innovative learning hubs or special day schools that provide therapeutic support to further assist students with Individual Education Plans. Both of those alternatives are happening in Wichita.

One of Folkerts's students did student teaching at the Learning Lab Wichita in Union Station, in what has been likened to a "one-room schoolhouse approach." Folkerts plans to visit a similar initiative in San Diego to gain more insight into the approach.

Folkerts is a lifelong learner herself, regularly enrolling in online courses for professional development or seeking out new learning opportunities aligned with the courses she teaches.

Leadership in the Advancement of Teaching

Daniel Bergman, professor and program chair of science education, School of Teaching and Learning, College of Education

Bergman earned a Bachelor of Science in secondary science education, with high distinction, and a Master of Arts in curriculum and instruction with a science education concentration in 1999 and 2002, respectively, from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, a Master of Arts in education administration, school principalship (grades 7-12) in 2004 from the University of Nebraska at Kearney in 2004, and the doctoral degree in curriculum and instruction with a science education concentration from Iowa State University.

————————

A fan of science, teaching and superheroes, Daniel Bergman calls himself a supernerd, and he's wholeheartedly embraced his geeky passions.

That includes donning a face mask and bowtie as he advocates for the superhero nature of teachers.

Bergman turned his own practice of incorporating comic books and pop culture to engage students in his classrooms into a blog called "Teaching is for Superheroes," which he started in 2013. Ten years later, he published a book with the same name. Using the comic-book concept and superhero analogies, the book presents action steps for how teachers can generate enthusiasm for both teaching and learning and avoid burnout.

Bergman's own heroic deeds show up in his dedication to ensuring WSU students, colleagues and teachers in classrooms across the country stay engaged and have the tools for successful experiences.

"Danny is relentless in his pursuit and support of good pedagogical practice and building others up," wrote Aaron Rife, one of Bergman's colleagues at WSU, in his award nomination for Bergman.

"It's kind of a token phrase, but I have always loved learning," said Bergman, who taught middle and high school science at schools in Nebraska and Iowa before moving to Kansas to teach at WSU. "So, of course, as a teacher I love sharing that love with others."

He's given numerous presentations at professional conferences and has written more than 65 publications on teacher education, including research and implementation of innovative techniques, instructional practice and professional development. Besides his blog and his book, Bergman has been published in scholarly peer-reviewed journals and practitioner newsletters.

Outside of professional conferences, he's been a frequent panelist, workshop presenter and podcast guest on the topic of improving teaching.

"His in-class learning activities prioritize hands-on, minds-on learning, and his assessments exemplify authenticity and real-world application," wrote English education program chair and professor Katherine Mason Cramer. "With his mentorship, Dr. Bergman's students present their learning at local and state conferences, write and submit grant proposals, and publish articles in professional journals. They also go on to be highly effective science teachers!"

While Bergman has adopted his love of superheroes as a means of creating enthusiasm, he encourages his students to find similar motivations.

"I challenge all my students to bring whatever your passions, whatever your hobbies are to make your teaching come alive," he said.

More than 50 of his students have presented at annual conferences of the Kansas Association of Teachers of Science, sharing research and creative work such as lessons, strategies and resources with other science teachers, administrators and college students. More than 30 of his students have presented research projects at WSU's annual Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity Forum, with four going on to place first or second in their respective categories.

Bergman has also participated in WSU initiatives related to enhancing instruction, teaching, and retention. Along with serving as a Faculty Retention Fellow and mentoring colleagues, he teaches a superhero-themed First Year Seminar open to students from any major. First Year Seminar courses, aimed at improving student retention, introduce new students to WSU resources, campus life and academic expectations.

Excellence in Teaching

Fred Eilts, senior educator, Department Finance, Real Estate and Decision Sciences, W. Frank Barton School of Business

Eilts earned a Bachelor of Arts in economics from Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania, in 1979, and an Executive Master of Business Administration degree from Wichita State University in 2006. After a 35-year career as a senior finance executive for Beechcraft Corp. (formerly Hawker Beechcraft Corp.) and Raytheon Co., Eilts founded a private consulting practice in 2014. In 2007, he joined the WSU faculty as an adjunct instructor, and in 2020, he became a senior educator in the Barton School.

————————

With 35 years of experience as a corporate finance officer with major global aerospace and defense companies, Fred Eilts traded the boardroom for the classroom and is focused on building an exceptional pipeline of career-ready graduates.

While Eilts has made substantial contributions to curriculum innovation and enrichment by revising and introducing new courses, he has particularly elevated the applied-learning experiences and networking opportunities for Barton School students, said Mehmet Barut, chair of the FREDS department.

In 2024, Eilts started two collaborative programs with industry partners that have produced noteworthy results in raising the Barton School's profile among other academic institutions and major corporations. Grounded in applied learning, both programs are built around the competencies employers value most: critical thinking, executive communication and data-driven decision-making.

For Eilts, the outcomes are more than metrics — they're the measure of his mission.

In the Consulting and Case Competition Club, students master structured, consultant-style problem-solving — learning to diagnose business challenges, frame solutions and communicate findings with clarity and confidence. Within the past year, club members have placed among the top finalists in two business case competitions, ranking ahead of teams from nearly 20 flagship business schools.

The Textron Aviation Strategic Investment Evaluation Program engages up to 12 finance and economics students per semester, tasking them with analyzing market demand, production requirements, sales forecasts and financial performance to produce a go/no-go investment recommendation presented directly to Textron Aviation finance leadership.

Eilts leverages his connections with C-suite executives and other business leaders to build an impressive roster of guest speakers for his series initiative, Navigating Business Excellence: Insights, Challenges and Analytics.

Since starting the series in the spring 2022 semester, he's hosted more than 80 guest speakers — from Wichita State men's head basketball coach Paul Mills, who offered a unique perspective on analytics-driven decision-making, to the president of Cargill Protein North America and top-level executives at Textron Aviation, Airbus, Procter & Gamble, Deloitte and many other leading companies.

All three initiatives immerse students in direct engagement with executive mentors and corporate partners who provide professional feedback and real-world decision-making experience, while giving companies a firsthand look at the competencies and capabilities of future Barton School graduates. Student participants have secured internships and full-time roles with businesses such as Textron Aviation, Koch, Deloitte, Equity Bank, Fidelity Bank and the Kansas Office of the State Bank Commissioner.

For Eilts, the guest speakers, competitions and mentorship all serve a single purpose: giving students the edge they'll need as they start their professional careers.

"My goal — particularly after working with so many exceptional students — is to do whatever I can to better prepare them," he said. "From my days in a corporate environment, I know how challenging it can be for a recent grad to walk into that world."

With high marks in student evaluations and perceptions of course quality, Eilts has also scored the following college-level honors for teaching effectiveness: the W. Frank Barton School of Business Dean's Red Apple Award (2024), Undergraduate Instructor of the Year (2024), and Graduate Instructor of the Year (2022).

Excellence in Online Teaching

Ryan Terry, assistant professor, Department of Management, W. Frank Barton School of Business

Terry earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree and a Master of Business Administration degree, both in management, in 2009 and 2011, respectively, from Fort Hays State University and a doctoral degree in management from The University of Texas at Arlington in 2017. From 2009-13, Terry taught courses in China through FHSU's international partnerships program. He was an assistant professor at California State University, Los Angeles, from 2017-19 and at Texas AM University-Corpus Christi from 2019-23, before joining the WSU faculty in 2023.

————————

When Ryan Terry moved to the Air Capital of the World, he launched a Wichita-based regional airline that serves as a common thread among the online human resource management courses that he teaches in the Barton School.

Students are introduced to Shocker Air in HRM 466 Fundamentals of Human Resource Management and then they continue working with this same organization as they progress through two additional upper-level undergraduate and graduate courses, HRM 668 Performance Management and Incentives and HRM 669 Learning in Organizations.

"This longitudinal approach provides rare curricular continuity in online education," wrote Chris Boberg, the Barton School's associate dean of faculty and research, in his nomination of Terry for this award.

Plus, it's a great tie-in to both the noted aviation heritage of Wichita and the role WSU plays in the aviation industry.

Terry developed an early firsthand understanding of how online courses can work well for both students and teachers. After finishing his undergraduate business degree at Fort Hays State University in 2009, he accepted FHSU's call for graduates willing to teach in China while earning an MBA from FHSU online.

Through the years, he's fine-tuned his delivery of online courses and how he communicates with his students, employing a proactive approach with reminders and resources such as well-received tutorial videos about assignments.

Students also particularly like the Yellowdig social platform that encourages higher levels of engagement, according to evaluations.

"Yellowdig, IMO, is far better than traditional discussion forums," one student said, using the abbreviation for in my opinion.

"The courses were not only informative but transformative in the way they shaped my approach to learning, professional thinking and engagement in an online environment," wrote Keeontay Baker, a student from his classes who has since graduated.

Baker said the structured, social-media-style platform particularly promoted ongoing dialogue rather than isolated responses.

"There was a weekly objective to reach a certain number of points, and we had the ability to earn one-off accomplishments such as Conversation Starter, Meaningful Response, etc. This approach fostered a collaborative learning community where students actively exchanged ideas, connected course concepts to real-world experiences, and built upon one another's insights. The result was an interactive and academically stimulating environment that extended well beyond traditional discussion forums," she said.

Not only are his students highly engaged with the classes and coursework, but some are also becoming involved in activities outside the classroom, like becoming virtual members of the campus-based chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management and securing mentors.

Responses on Terry's evaluations reveal a professor who has mastered online pedagogy through strategic use of technology, proactive communication, meaningful applied learning opportunities, and genuine care for student success.

Excellence in Creative Activity

Sam Taylor, professor, Department of Creative Writing, Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Taylor earned a Bachelor of Arts in English literature from Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania in 1997, a Master of Fine Arts in writing (poetry and screenwriting) from the University of Texas at Austin in 2022 and an MFA in poetry from the University of Virginia in 2010. He joined the WSU faculty in 2011.

————————

Given that poetry is thousands of years old, it's certainly high praise when a poet's work is lauded for its originality.

In 2021, Sam Taylor's third and most recent book, "The Book of Fools: An Essay in Memoir and Verse," was published. It had started many years earlier as a single-page poem called "First Taxi," about a young man who is going to see his mother who is dying of cancer. It eventually culminated in a work that Taylor has called a book-length poem composed of individual poems that employ a variety of experimental approaches to the lyric, including strike-throughs, footnotes, dialogue, boldface treatments of certain words and erasure of his own text.

"As an artist, I'm trying to make the truest or most powerful art that I can make," Taylor said. He's certainly nailed the powerful part, given the reviews and commentary of his work.

In her review of the book for Poetry International, poet Catherine Imbriglio called it both "innovative" and "immensely readable … an emotional and intellectual page turner, something I can't often say about most poetry volumes."

Ann Fisher-Wirth, editor of the "Ecopoetry Anthology," described the book as "one of the most original, challenging, and brilliant books of poetry I have read in years."

Another reviewer called it "illustrative of one of those small revolutions in American poetry," calling Taylor a major American poet.

In his award nomination material, Taylor described the book like this: "'The Book of Fools' marries global, ecological themes of loss — centered around the Great Pacific Garbage Patch — with personal, confessional ones centered around a mother's early death to cancer, to dramatize planetary grief and crisis."

The patch, located in the north Pacific Ocean between Hawaii and California, is the largest accumulation zone of marine debris in the world. Taylor has a deep love of the Earth; he spent three years as a caretaker of a remote wilderness refuge in northern New Mexico, living without phone, electricity or the internet.

Taylor is considered an originator of self-erasure poetry, and his role in creating this new poetic craft has been written about, discussed and referenced.

In another measure of Taylor's creative talent, he has garnered several prestigious awards, including the Amy Lowell Poetry Traveling Scholarship, a rare award given to one or two poets a year that funds a year of traveling and writing abroad, and fellowships from more than a dozen of the most renowned art colonies in the U.S., including from the MacDowell Colony, which is perhaps the most prestigious residency in the U.S. Past winners of the fellowship, created by America's first great composer Edward MacDowell and initially funded by industry titans Andrew Carnegie and JP Morgan, have gone on to win awards such as Pulitzer Prizes, Guggenheim Fellowships and National Book Awards.

Fran Connor, associate professor and chair of WSU's English department, said Taylor is a "crucial reason" why WSU's MFA program has a national reputation.

Taylor's poems have also appeared in some of the most prestigious journals in the country, including Kenyon Review and New Republic. In fall 2025, after completing a sabbatical, Taylor submitted a fourth book of poetry, "My Life in Black and White," for publication. His two other published books of poetry are "Body of the World" (2005) and "Nude Descending an Empire" (2014).

Excellence in Research

Moriah Beck, Talaty Endowed Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Beck earned the Bachelor of Science in forensic science, summa cum laude, from Eastern Kentucky University in 1999 and her doctoral degree in biochemistry in 2007 from Washington University in St. Louis. Before joining the WSU faculty in 2011, Beck held a four-year postdoctoral fellowship with the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

————————

Someday, protein biochemist Moriah Beck's research might help catch a killer: the one people often refer to as the Big C.

Cancer is a leading cause of death in the U.S., second only to heart disease, accounting for roughly one in every five deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Like any complex mystery, it's taking years to unlock the secrets of how cancer grows or metastasizes.

Beck, who holds an undergraduate degree in forensic science, has already dedicated nearly two decades to her study of two closely related proteins called myopalladin and palladin, and she's not planning to quit any time soon. Not only does her research have implications for metastatic cancer progression, but it also has implications for cardiomyopathy, a disease of the heart muscle that can lead to heart failure, arrhythmia and valve issues.

Beck has established herself as a well-published and externally funded member of the biochemistry research community. In 2025, she earned the highly prestigious recognition of her peers for her contributions to science and was named an American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow.

Beck has authored 24 highly cited, peer-reviewed journal articles and a book chapter. Notably for her WSU Excellence in Research award, 13 of those publications have originated from her WSU laboratory. She's also pulling in major scientific research grants from agencies such as the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation: $4.5 million already, with $1.8 million for projects where she is the principal investigator.

As a postdoctoral fellow at UNC in Chapel Hill, Beck collaborated with scientist Carol Otey, who had discovered palladin in 2000, and that led to her niche focus on the two related proteins.

Nearly every cell in our body makes palladin, while myopalladin is a protein found in the heart and skeletal muscles that helps maintain the structure and function of a muscle fiber responsible for muscle contractions. Both proteins bind with the structural protein actin; actin creates filaments that give cells their shape and allow them to move and divide.

"If we want to prevent that interaction or enhance it or use gene editing, we need to know how (they bind). Understanding the basics of that interaction will eventually help someone take that basic knowledge and apply that to hopefully treat or diagnose heart disease or cancer metastasis," Beck said.

Beck said her commitment to enhancing the research environment through teaching and mentorship at WSU is just as important as her research accomplishments, an effort noted by her nominator Doug English, chair of WSU's chemistry and biochemistry department.

Her redesign of CHEM 664, the biochem course, to incorporate a classroom-based undergraduate research experience has been a catalyst for igniting a research passion among her students. One student, who had struggled before Beck's course, went on to become a researcher herself, earning an NIH predoctoral grant, Beck said.

She also founded and directs the First-Year Research Experience (FYRE) in STEM within the Dorothy and Bill C. Cohen Honors College at WSU, which has successfully placed 95 first-year students in WSU faculty labs.

Excellence in Community Research

Suzanne Hawley, professor, Department of Public Health Sciences, College of Health Professions

Hawley earned an Associate of Arts in liberal studies from Victor Valley College in California in 1990; a Bachelor of Arts in psychology, cum laude, and a Master of Arts in experimental psychology, summa cum laude, in 1993 and 1995, respectively, from California State University, San Bernardino; a Master of Public Health in biostatistics and a doctoral degree in clinical psychology in 1999 and 2002, respectively, from Loma Linda University. Hawley was a clinical psychologist with Prairie View from 2001-03 before joining the faculty of The University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita's Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, where she served in various faculty and director positions until fall 2011. She joined the WSU faculty in fall 2011 and continues as a volunteer faculty member of KUSM-W in its renamed Department of Population Health.

————————

From evaluating a suicide-prevention training program that started at WSU to expanding a microcredential public health pathway that other institutions want to model, Suzanne Hawley is dedicated to addressing pressing public health and social challenges in Kansas and beyond.

It's because she believes in the power of individuals and communities who come together to face those challenges and create positive change and increase equity for all.

"Her scholarship has directly benefited diverse community groups — rural families, public health professionals, faith communities and underserved populations — by improving access to care, enhancing workforce competencies and informing evidence-based practices," according to Nikki Keene Woods, professor and chair of the Department of Public Health Sciences.

One of Hawley's passions is what she calls connecting the dots: coordinating and connecting agencies such as universities, health departments and other public health partners, and building capacity and support for the communities and the workforce that need them.

Woods called Hawley "particularly effective in forming and sustaining partnerships with community organizations, government agencies and academic institutions."

She's also particularly effective in getting grants and contracts for those multi-sector collaborations. In her career, she has garnered nearly $3.5 million in grants and contracts as a principal investigator and co-PI to support community-based research, workforce development and mental health and leadership initiatives across Kansas, the region and the nation.

Since joining WSU's College of Health Professions in 2011, Hawley now holds the college's longest record for continuous federal funding, Woods said. In particular, Hawley's leadership of the Midwestern Public Health Training Center (MPHTC) is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. MPHTC is one of 10 such regional centers that provide high-quality education and training, tools and resources for public health professionals.

As WSU's assistant vice president for wellness and chief psychologist, Jessica Provines has worked with Hawley on several campus-wide mental health initiatives, including Suspenders4Hope, a suicide-prevention program that started at WSU in 2014. Hawley volunteered to expand the research-based training for the program and then evaluated its effectiveness.

"Professor Hawley ensured that these findings did not remain internal —she co-authored peer-reviewed publications, created conference presentations and helped elevate WSU as a model for evidence-based suicide prevention," Provines said.

The prevention training program is now available to community members and organizations beyond Kansas. Other mental health and wellness initiatives have been created based on the program.

Drawing on her longstanding interest in workforce development, Hawley helped develop WSU's first Care of Populations public health microcredentials, which are badge courses where learners can earn both continuing education units required in fields such as nursing and social work and university credit. By completing all six public health badges, participants earn a non-degree public health certificate and also three hours of college credit in WSU's public health program.

Colleagues from around the country have expressed interest in the program, seeing it as a model for building stackable, evidence-based training that can open pathways to public health careers, Hawley said.

Excellence in Accessibility

Raina Rutti, clinical associate professor, Department of Management, W. Frank Barton School of Business

Rutti earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in management and computer information systems from Fort Hays State University in 1996, a Master of Business of Administration from Kansas State University (KSU) in 2002 and a doctoral degree in business administration from the Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina in 2009. She joined the WSU faculty in 2018, after serving in both teaching and department chair positions at Dalton State College in Georgia, as adjunct professor at Alabama A&M University, Cloud County Community College and KSU, and as a research fellow for the U.S. Army Research Institute for Behavioral and Social Sciences.

————————

Teaching, living and traveling extensively abroad has helped Raina Rutti experience what it feels like to be the outsider in the room. It's what shaped the way she creates accessible, inclusive classrooms at Wichita State University today.

"It really opened my eyes and made me think that it may not be easy for people of other abilities and from different cultures and languages to get through college," she said.

Rutti taught at Zhengzhou University in China in the summer of 2010 as a study abroad professor of management with the University System of Georgia Asia Council consortium. During a sabbatical from January-July 2013, she was a visiting professor of management at Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane, Morocco.

In her U.S. classrooms, Rutti has encountered a wide range of learners as well, ranging from traditional to first-generation to nontraditional to international students.

"For anyone who wants to go to college and it's right for them, it should be (attainable) for them regardless of their background, ability or other challenges," she said. That's why she creates pathways and uses various methods for all students to engage meaningfully with rigorous content.

Along with management courses, Rutti also teaches entrepreneurship, international business and First Year Seminar courses.

In his nomination letter, management department chair Christopher Stone praised Rutti for her "deliberate and well-executed approach" in redesigning and delivering courses in online, HyFlex and in-person formats.

In Rutti's HyFlex courses, class meetings are livestreamed in real time and recorded for later review, allowing students to engage with the course material at a pace that best suits their schedules or learning styles.

"Across her courses, Dr. Rutti consistently demonstrates a thoughtful commitment to designing learning environments that are equitable, flexible and academically rigorous," wrote Kate Kung-McIntyre, a senior educator and Rutti's colleague in the Department of Management, in her recommendation letter for Rutti's award. "Her approach to accessibility goes beyond compliance and reflects a deep understanding of inclusive teaching as a core element of instructional excellence."

More than 90% of her course documents and written information housed on Blackboard meet an excellent accessibility rating, an achievement that is noteworthy given the volume of materials in her multiple course sections. She records and provides closed-captioned lectures for each textbook chapter she covers. Additionally, she curates and provides a list of videos of other instructors teaching the same concepts and textbook content, demonstrating an understanding of how students may learn differently and how instruction can be designed to accommodate varied cognitive processing styles.

Rutti also incorporates a global-learning simulation for students who take IB603 Virtual International Consulting Experience. Offered through the large-scale international experiential program X-Culture, the virtual simulation connects WSU business students with students from more than 100 countries who collaborate in small-team formats of about six to seven students on projects presented by real multinational companies.

Early Career Faculty Scholar

Akmal Mirsadikov, associate professor, Department of Finance, Real Estate and Decision Sciences (FREDS), W. Frank Barton School of Business

Mirsadikov earned a Bachelor of Science in Business degree in finance from Indiana University in 2001, and a Master of Business Administration degree and doctoral degree in management information systems in 2012 and 2018, respectively, from Iowa State University. He joined the WSU faculty in 2018.

————————

In simple terms, Akmal Mirsadikov researches virtual lies and digital truths.

As a doctoral student, Mirsadikov became intrigued by how technology can change the way people interact when they replace face-to-face communication with digital exchanges such as email, texts and video.

He was especially drawn to the topic of deception — why people lie, how often they do it, and how those lies play out in online communications. The surge of fake news, political misinformation and online manipulation by bots around events like the 2016 elections and Brexit further underscored how important it is to understand trust and credibility in digital spaces, he said.

That combination of intellectual curiosity and real world urgency is what pulled him into his current research on how individuals, businesses and other organizations can better detect deception, investigate cybersecurity management, assess digital credibility and understand people's behavior in online interactions.

Mirsadikov's research addresses "urgent and growing societal and organizational problems," wrote FREDS chair Mehmet Barut in his nomination letter. "As organizations increasingly rely on digital communication, remote work, and online platforms, understanding how individuals perceive risk, detect deception and respond to security cues has direct implications for preventing fraud, mitigating cyber threats, and protecting sensitive information."

Mirsadikov's research can help organizations train employees to recognize things like disinformation, scams and fraud. It also explores how workplace environments influence how seriously employees take information security, giving leaders practical ideas for improving cybersecurity and reducing risks.

One unique aspect of his research is the use of eye-tracking technology — which helps reveal what people actually look at and how they process information — available in labs at his alma mater, Iowa State University.

The fact that his research has been published in MIS Quarterly and the Journal of Management Systems, the two flagship journals of the information systems discipline, along with other elite publications such as Information & Management, "signals the highest level of theoretical rigor, methodical sophistication and scholarly contribution," Barut wrote.

His publication "record places him among a small group of early-career scholars whose work shapes the intellectual direction of the field."

Since joining WSU, Mirsadikov has developed new courses and overhauled some existing courses to ensure management information systems (MIS) students acquire skills that align with current industry standards.

He consistently receives positive student evaluations, particularly in programming and database courses that students have found intimidating in previous experiences. Multiple students have credited Mirsadikov with influencing their education decisions, ranging from remaining in college to switching majors.

"I was honestly considering dropping out," wrote one student. "I very well may have if I hadn't been told about MIS & IT and your class. It's nice to actually succeed in class again."

Another said: "Your teaching style helped raise my interest in IT and provided the clarity and confidence I needed to pursue this field. … Your class was a pivotal factor in that decision."

Mirsadikov is one of the few junior faculty members in the Barton School to win both the Undergraduate Instructor of the Year (2022) and the Researcher/Writer of the Year Award (2025) before achieving tenure.

Tenure Track Faculty Risk-Taker

Christopher Proppe, assistant professor, Department of Human Performance Studies, College of Education

Proppe earned a Bachelor of Science in athletic training, cum laude, from Texas Christian University in 2014, a Master of Science in exercise science from Middle Tennessee State University in 2017 and a doctoral degree in kinesiology from the University of Central Florida in 2024. He joined the WSU faculty in 2024.

————————

Soon after arriving at Wichita State, Chris Proppe was tapped to lead a rigorous, collaborative effort to gain accreditation for a new concentration in strength and conditioning within WSU's bachelor's in exercise science degree program.

It was work his colleagues say was well done and invaluable, even though budget constraints led WSU leadership to determine in November 2025 that it wouldn't move forward with pursuing Council on Accreditation of Strength and Conditioning Education (CASCE) accreditation.

Michael Rogers, a fellow professor in the Department of Human Performance Studies, praised Proppe's efforts as demonstrating "professional courage, leadership beyond rank and a genuine commitment to advancing high-quality education experiences for students."

Proppe developed a comprehensive, outcomes-driven curriculum that aligned with national standards, created robust assessment plans, strengthened applied learning experiences and formed partnerships with community and industry stakeholders, Rogers wrote in his nomination of Proppe.

"His work to compile and align evidence for this process reflects a high level of professionalism and commitment to program quality," said Jennifer Friend, the college dean.

Before the accreditation initiative was shelved, Proppe had helped design four new courses and the CASCE self-study had been completed.

Proppe's deep dive into the curriculum process left him with a greater appreciation for curriculum planning and he can use that to advise students more effectively, he said. And even though the concentration didn't launch, the internal review has sparked ongoing conversations within the department about improvements they could implement.

Proppe's path to the classroom began on the field. Having played football and baseball, Proppe initially pursued a career as an athletic trainer, working with college student-athletes at Auburn University, Middle Tennessee State University, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and Stetson University.

Helping athletes stay healthy so they could perform better helped shape his understanding of how movement, training and recovery intersected. He moved into a career in academe after realizing he particularly enjoyed mentoring athletic training students at clinical sites.

In 2024, he earned the American Kinesiology Association National Doctoral Scholar Award, a prestigious annual award that recognizes a top doctoral student's exceptional academic performance, leadership and scholarly contributions.

For Proppe, WSU offers an opportunity to do "a nice mix" of both teaching and research. He's interested in pursuing research on how exercise can be used to manage pain.

"If you do some sort of high intensity or longer-duration exercise, there's a decrease in pain sensitivity afterward, so I really look at how we can use this to improve the efficiency of clinical treatment. It doesn't make the pain disappear, but it turns the volume down on it a bit. If we can turn that volume down, it opens up a lot of different options for helping manage pain in a more sustainable way," Proppe said.

Tenured Faculty Risk Taker

Abu Asaduzzaman, professor and associate chair, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering

Asaduzzaman earned a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering in 1993 from Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology, and a Master of Science and doctoral degree in 1997 and 2009, respectively, from Florida Atlantic University (FAU). Asaduzzaman worked in industry for several years as a software engineer and consultant before moving to higher education, first taking a position at FAU and then joining the WSU faculty in 2010.

————————

Risk-taking through connections matters.

Invited to join a select group comprising U.S. researchers, national laboratories and industry leaders at a competitive networking conference hosted by the Sustainable Horizons Institute (SHI) in 2019, Abu Asaduzzaman seized the opportunity to forge high-impact connections that have helped transform the research he now conducts and have raised Wichita State's profile with government and higher-education researchers seeking data-intensive computing and simulation research partners.

SHI's mission is to support and expand the U.S.'s competitiveness in scientific and technological innovation. Attending that SHI conference marked a pivot— and an uncertain risk — in the direction of Asaduzzaman's research.

Since 2021, Asaduzzaman has pursued research that combines emerging technologies, such as exascale computers, data analysis and machine learning, with applications in healthcare and other systems. He and his research group of doctoral, master's and undergraduate students have helped provide high-performance computing for projects such as an early detection imaging system and the automation of intake health data to process insurance claims for a mobile dental clinic.

Through the connections he made at the SHI conference, Asaduzzaman has gone beyond the capabilities of WSU to tap into highly sophisticated systems such as the Aurora supercomputer, one of the world's first and fastest exascale systems, at the Argonne National Laboratory, to conduct large-scale computing research projects. He's also conducted research at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Asaduzzaman has collaborated with researchers at other universities, such as Md. Jashim Uddin, a research professor at Vanderbilt University's School of Medicine. Uddin's research has led to the development of a molecular imaging probe designed to help detect inflammation and early cancerous tumors.

"Importantly, these collaborations required him to step outside the traditional scope of computer engineering research and engage deeply with biomedical datasets, clinical problem definitions, and translational research challenges. This type of interdisciplinary engagement is inherently uncertain and requires intellectual risk-taking, adaptability, and sustained commitment," Uddin wrote in his letter of support for Asaduzzaman's award.

Asaduzzaman's connections and collaborations not only provide valuable opportunities for expanding innovative research at WSU, but also for student learning. Students participating in Asaduzzaman's research initiatives are gaining experience working on complex problems in new and exciting ways, including discovery-driven learning, because many of the projects involve open-ended research questions that don't have predetermined solutions.

Asaduzzaman redesigned his courses to embed open-ended, research-driven projects using real datasets and emerging tools in parallel computing, machine learning, and data analytics.

"By providing students with the opportunity to work on these projects, it helps encourage ownership and mirror professional research environments. Risk-taking creates an environment where innovation is encouraged, interdisciplinary collaboration is normal, and failure is treated as part of the discovery process." Asaduzzaman said.

Asaduzzaman's research initiatives, including high-risk projects, have led to more than 10 grants and awards, more than 15 peer-reviewed journal publications, more than 37 conference papers, and at least nine academic theses.