Mary Ghanem is graduating in May 2027 with a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering. This past spring, she completed an internship in the Innovation Prairie Program with Wichita State University’s Office of Tech Transfer and Commercialization.
The internship with the Innovation Prairie Program provided Mary with hands-on experience in the commercialization and technology development field. This program encourages all students, regardless of their academic backgrounds, to think creatively, work across disciplines, and innovate in meaningful ways.
In her internship, Mary conducted customer interviews with engineers, technicians, and many more subject matter experts across various industries, most notably aerospace manufacturing, while contributing to market research projects.
“I also got the chance to work one-on-one with inventors to help shape their ideas and find funding for their technology,” Mary said.
Among the many projects she contributed to throughout her experience, two were developed by WSU faculty: Suspenders4Hope and the Ultrasonic Transducer.
Developed at Wichita State University, Suspenders4Hope is a comprehensive, strategic approach to promoting mental health wellness and preventing suicide, substance misuse, and sexual violence.
For the Suspenders4Hope initiative, she researched similar programs in the Wichita area, including the PANDO Initiative. She analyzed their services, outreach strategies, and community impact to identify opportunities for awareness and created research reports.
The Ultrasonic Transducer can mass-produce fibers more quickly, produce conductive fibers, selectively deposit fibers, create cabled fibers, and produce fibers with varying alignments for applications in sensors, 3D printing, advanced materials, and more.
For this project, Mary helped interview more than 30 subject matter experts and conducted industry outreach to identify potential collaborators in Wichita and beyond, including an engineering firm in Japan.
A particular focus was exploring the transducer’s potential applications in aircraft lightning strike protection, which involved collaboration with the National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) Environmental Testing Lab and other aerospace companies.
This experience has been a valuable way for her to learn about different industries and see how aspects of industrial engineering work outside the classroom.
Since the start, she feels much more confident in her ability to communicate ideas clearly and professionally, especially when working with a wide range of people.
“As an industrial engineering student, I recognize how important continuous improvement is, and this position has given me the chance to grow both as a student and as an intern,” Mary said.
Wichita State's applied learning program gives students hands-on, paid experience with industry partners, helping them build careers before graduation.
For more information, contact the Shocker Career Accelerator at (316) 978-3688, SCA@wichita.edu, or visit wichita.edu/Career. You can also stop by in person at the Marcus Welcome Center, Suite 139, on the Wichita State campus.
Courtesy Photo