Wichita State University’s National Institute of Aviation Research (NIAR) will hold an official Manufacturing Day event on Thursday, Oct. 23 in Wichita, Kans.
Aimed at educating the manufacturing industry and community leaders, NIAR’s Manufacturing Day will feature the latest advancements in automated metrology, artificial intelligence and advanced manufacturing, beginning with a keynote address from Eric Hein, NIAR director of strategy and product development. Formerly vice president of defense programs at Spirit AeroSystems, Hein now leads NIAR’s long-term strategic planning and guide product development efforts.
Additional NIAR Manufacturing Day program highlights include:
- Training the Workforce for Metrology and Advanced Manufacturing Automation with Denny Deagan, quality control manager for NIAR Advanced Machining and Prototyping
- A panel on the Impact of AI in Manufacturing featuring Wichita State faculty and moderated by Pierrer Harter, WSU associate vice president for Research and Industry Engagement
- A panel on Enabling and Improving Advanced Manufacturing Quality: Productivity, Safety
and Profitability moderated by Debra Franklin, WSU associate vice president of Strategic
Initiatives and Industry Engagement and featuring:
- Brandon Saathoff; senior engineering manager, NIAR Advanced Materials Research
- Matt Tomblin, director, NIAR Automation Research Center
- Scott Lucas, vice president of Manufacturing and Workforce Solutions for WSU Tech
- Josh Goertz, senior research engineer, NIAR Advanced Technologies Lab for Aerospace Systems
“This Manufacturing Day event will enable regional manufacturers to come together to address our collective challenges and opportunities and to build excitement about manufacturing careers so we can empower our manufacturers, communities, and future generations to thrive,” said Franklin.
NIAR’s Manufacturing Day event, to be held at the National Center for Aviation Training (NCAT), is free to attend and includes a half day of programming with optional lunch and tours of NCAT facilities including NIAR’s Emerging Technologies Lab and WSU Tech’s Robotics/START Center Lab, CNC Lab/Machine Shop and Welding Shop.
It will also feature demonstrations of NIAR’s In-Process AFP Manufacturing Inspection System and virtual reality mini CAVE with a fly-through of NIAR’s new Hub for Advanced Manufacturing Research (set to early 2026).
The event is open to university and high school students.
Manufacturing Day is a month-long series of national events and workshops celebrated nationally beginning on the first Friday in October. It is an initiative of the Manufacturing Institute designed to showcase the careers, technologies and innovations driving modern manufacturing.
Registration is now open at wichita.edu/industry_and_defense/NIAR/mfg-day.php
The National Institute for Aviation Research at Wichita State University provides research, design, testing, certification and training to the aviation, defense, manufacturing, and related industries. NIAR has a $400 million annual budget, a staff of 2,000 and nearly two million square feet of laboratory and office space in six locations across the city of Wichita, the Air Capital of the World. Core competencies include Industrial Modernization of Materials and Manufacturing; Digital Transformation and Sustainment Modernization; Test and Evaluation; Engineering, Certification, Modification and Prototyping; System Automation and Digital Manufacturing. NIAR is a department within the division of Industry and Defense Programs at Wichita State. wichita.edu/niar
