Year: 2024

As humanity looks beyond the star system, it will need a culture of art and literature to provide perspective for those exploring and colonizing new frontiers. Join Interstellar Seminar from 2:30 to 3:20 p.m. Wednesday, April 10 in 104 Jabara Hall or online.

As an interdisciplinary artist, Daniela de Paulis works at the interface of the arts and sciences by collaborating with radio telescopes worldwide. Her performance art combines technologies and philosophies that advance astrobiology, neurobiology and new space through public engagement. She is a member of the IAA SETI Permanent Committee to better the search for extraterrestrial intelligence and to communicate across the universe through art.

Zoom details and archived seminars can be found on the Wichita Space Initiative webpage.

The Shocker Career Accelerator has shared its annual report for the 2022-23 academic year.

Here are a few things the report highlights:

• Launched the new Career Ready Journey
• Curated 131 learning experiences
• Equipped 865 students for career success with professional attire
• Facilitated 1,770 career ready appointments
• Connected 3,340 students at career fairs and events
• Reviewed 7,692 documents
• Empowered 8,219 students in applied learning
• Supported the submission of 55,185 applications through Handshake

Visit the Shocker Sports Grill & Lanes in April to try the Pizza of the Month, the Chicken Tikka Masala Flat Bread.

It’s topped with pan roasted marinated chicken in yogurt and spices, creamy tomatoes, ginger and garlic sauce, turmeric and coriander, paneer and fresh cilantro.

Join Students for Justice in Palestine from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, April 11 in 257 Rhatigan Student Center, Ashton/Bridges Room, to learn about Palestinian history and its people through a short lecture, interactive activities and displayed art and history.

Artist and WSU alum Chiyoko Myose will collaborate with current student Miyu Takahashi on “Harukaze 春風 Spring Breeze,” an immersive experience taking place from 6 to 7 p.m. Friday, April 12 in the McKnight Art Center atrium.

Attendees will view Japanese tea ceremony demonstrations hosted by Miyu Takahashi and immerse themselves in “A Thread X A Thread,” Chiyoko Myose’s ongoing art installation.

Join Spectrum: LGBTQ & Allies and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at the PRIDE Prom from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday, April 19 in 233 Rhatigan Student Center, Santa Fe Trail Room.

Join in on a night of fun in a safe space with friends and allies. There will be games, a photobooth, music and more, and everyone is welcome to attend. Prom attire is encouraged, but not required.

The event is available at no charge to students and their guests.

The Department of Biological Sciences’ Seminar Series continues from 4 to 5 p.m. Monday, April 8 in 218 Hubbard Hall with Dr. Jeroen Roelofs, KU Medical Center, with his talk, “Stress Induced Relocalization of Proteasomes into Condensates.”

As always, seminars are open to the public and undergraduates are encouraged to attend.

Wichita State’s Student Success: First-Year Programs (FYP) attended the Region IV Joint Regional Conference in Columbia, Missouri, from NODA – National Orientation Directors Association. At the conference, representatives from FYP received awards for their efforts and results in orientation, transition and retention of students:

• Kim Sandlin: Outstanding NODA Orientation, Transition, and Retention Professional
  Kim Sandlin, director of Student Success, received the Outstanding Orientation, Transition, and Retention Professional Award. The award recognizes outstanding contributions of a professional to the field of orientation, transition and retention who has five or more years of professional experience in higher education.
• Annie Wasinger: Best Undergraduate Educational Session
  Annie Wasinger, intern for FYP, received the Best Undergraduate Educational Session award for her topic entitled, “Is It Accessible? Is it REALLY Accessible?” Annie’s presentation will be presented at the National NODA conference in Portland, Oregon, in November.
• Hafsa Sadaf: Most Creative Solution in Case Studies
  Hafsa Sadaf, senior transition mentor for FYP, received the Most Creative Solution in Case Studies Award alongside three other orientation leaders from various universities.
• Kate Potter: Best Presentation in Case Studies
  Kate Potter, transition mentor for FYP, received the Best Presentation in Case Studies Award alongside three other orientation leaders from various universities.
• Winter Welcome: Innovation in Retention Programs
  The Winter Welcome event, hosted by FYP, received the Innovation in Retention Programs Award. The award seeks to recognize innovative and effective approaches in retention.

“For about 23 of my 25-year career on campus, I have been involved directly or indirectly with our orientation programs and welcoming new students to Shocker Nation,” Sandlin said. “It’s something I look forward to every year. Recently, as our work in Student Success and Persistence has grown, I’ve found deeper meaning in the work we do every day. The most rewarding part is seeing the data on how our efforts in Student Success are helping Shockers succeed. I am grateful for receiving the Outstanding NODA Orientation, Transition, and Retention Professional award; however I couldn’t have earned it without the hard work that the Student Success team at Wichita State does every day for students.”

Additionally, FYP hosted six different educational sessions for attendees at the conference:

• Austin Helgerson and George Giem: “Networking in 2024: Building Meaningful Connections During Orientation and Beyond”
• Annie Wasinger: “Is it Accessible? Is it REALLY Accessible?”
• Hafsa Sadaf: “Language Diversity Matters: Improving Orientation for Non-Native English Speakers”
• Kaelyn Hannah: “The Struggle is Real: Rebuilding and Rebranding Your Orientation Leader Team”
• Juan Gurrola: “Let’s Talk About it: Equality vs. Equity”
• Trinity Madden: “Silent Expression: Decoding Body Language and Understanding Non-Verbal Communication”

“I’m super proud of the students and staff in First-Year Programs,” Sandlin said. “We intentionally challenge our returning staff every year during their training to develop and facilitate interesting conference sessions that add value and knowledge to the region and profession.”

Hiring today looks very different than it did 20 years ago. Applicant Tracking Systems, AI keyword matching and LinkedIn Recruiter mean that it’s the rare recruiter who’s just sitting there looking through paper resumes.

So why are so many job-seekers still applying for jobs like it’s 1999? Join Jeremy Schifeling, who served in leadership roles at LinkedIn and Khan Academy (OpenAI’s first education partner for ChatGPT), for a deep dive into the most advanced LinkedIn and ChatGPT techniques from 11 a.m. to noon Thursday, April 18 virtually via Teams.

This workshop is co-hosted by Shocker Career Accelerator and the Graduate School. Faculty, staff, students and alums are invited to attend.

Quiet Time meets at 2 p.m. every Tuesday for two short meditations: The first meditation starts a little after 2 p.m., and the second starts around 2:15 p.m. Come for either or both.

These mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) meditations are offered by a certified workplace mindfulness facilitator from the Office of Instructional Resources (OIR) and are offered both via Teams and in-person in 204 Ablah Library, faculty lounge.

If you can’t make it in “real time,” you can participate in Quiet Time meditations from the podcast: Quiet Time at Wichita State, which you can subscribe to on Apple, Amazon or Spotify.

You can also add the Teams invitation link to your calendar.