Shockers, did you know about the numerous student organizations you can join on campus? From sports clubs to cultural and international clubs, there’s an organization for you to get involved on campus and collaborate with your peers.
This week’s student organization is the WSU Rocket Club, where students of all backgrounds can contribute to and have fun designing, building and launching rockets.
Organization name: Wichita State Rocket Club
Meeting times: Tuesday at 7 p.m. in 134 Woolsey Hall
Social media:
Instagram: @wsu_rocketclub
YouTube: WSU Rocket Club
LinkedIn: Wichita State Rocket Club
TikTok: @wsurocketclub
Facebook: Wichita State Rocket Club
- What is the mission of your organization?
Our mission is to promote and inspire a passion for high-powered rocketry at Wichita State. We sponsor rocketry design projects for members that showcase engineering and innovation as well as STEM outreach events on and off campus for all ages. We also compete in collegiate competitions like the Argonia Cup, NASA Student Launch and The Spaceport America Cup. We are open to all majors, and absolutely no experience is needed to join. - Why should students join your organization?
We design, build and launch rockets. The Wichita State Rocket Club is for all majors. Everyone can build a rocket and we can find a way to use your talents and your major in our club competition rocket. We need members to help design, build, budget, promote and manage. Then you can use your experience in the Rocket Club to help build your resume. We also go on trips to the Cosmosphere and host movie nights. The Rocket Club is for students who want to gain applied learning while having fun by being part of a community. - What events does your organization host throughout the year?
The Wichita State Rocket Club goes down to the Rocket Pasture in Argonia, Kansas monthly to launch rockets. Our goal is for the team or members to be launching a rocket every month during the school year. The Rocket Club will be hosting “Rocket-A-Day,” or “RAD,” for our members. This is where, after a month of our weekly meetings where we teach our new members the basics of rockets, we will help everyone build a small rocket within a weekend at the end of September. Each semester, the club also goes on a team bonding activity, whether going to the Cosmosphere, hosting a game night or playing paintball. The club will also help support the Wichita community through a Trunk or Treat activity and a STEM service learning event in the spring with students between K-12. - What is something you want the campus community to know about your organization?
Another big aspect of the Rocket Club is helping students receive their Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 Certifications in High-Power Rocketry. For members to receive their Level 1 Certification, members will build and safely launch a small high-powered rocket. The club will help sponsor members to receive their Level 1 Certification Kits through the Tripoli Rocketry Association. For a Level 2 Certification, members will design their own rocket and launch the rocket on a larger motor after passing a technical test. The size of the project just gets bigger and more complicated for a Level 3 Certification. - What are your hopes for your organization in the coming school year?
For the first time, the Wichita State Rocket Club is planning to compete in the Spaceport America Cup. This is an international collegiate competition held out in the New Mexico Deseret in the summer, where there are over 150 other collegiate teams. The mission is to launch a scientific payload up to exactly 10,000 ft. and have the rocket safely return. This mission will require a lot of help from members of all different majors and we could use your help! - Julian Chee, an aerospace engineering alum, had this to say about being a member of the Rocket Club:
“The Wichita State Rocket Club was been indispensable in developing my personal, academic and professional career. As an AE student, conceptualizing and executing many end-to-end scaled rocket missions provided valuable experience in design, manufacturing and leadership, which is vital for junior and senior course build projects. The ability to frequently test designs with monthly access to one of the best professional launch sites in the country is unmatched compared to any other collegiate rocketry club. Personally, this has given me an opportunity to design build, and launch my own rocket projects and eventually network/mentor other students and schools at major competitions.”
Tune back in every week to learn more about a student organization on campus. Student organizations are housed under Student Engagement, Advocacy and Leadership (SEAL); visit SEAL’s website to learn more about student organizations and other ways to get involved.