Year: 2024

Do you want to learn to knit or looking for a community of others who also enjoy fiber arts? Join Threads Club for Fiber Night, a fun evening of learning to knit headbands, from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, March 22 in 302 Woolsey Hall.

Supplies will be provided, and attendance will be limited to the first 20 people to RSVP.

The Kansas Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Wichita State invites women in health and wellness to a special event Tuesday, March 26, celebrating small business leaders and owners.

“The Whole Woman – Health & Wellness Mixer” is meant to help attendees:

• Connect with like-minded female entrepreneurs
• Learn about local products and services
• Build your resource and referral network
• Explore collaboration opportunities

Doctors, mental health specialists, nutritionists, dentists, fitness experts, specialists in women’s health, insurance providers, estheticians, cosmetologists, therapists and more have been invited to attend.

Register online so organizers can plan refreshments accordingly, then visit the Facebook even page to give a quick introduction and see who else is planning to attend.

The SBDC thanks the sponsors for helping to make the event happen:

• Stephanie Weins, Landmark Commercial Real Estate & Aegis Group
• Stacy Gray, Community National Bank & Trust
• Wendy Veatch, Swindoll Janzen Hawk & Loyd, LLC

The Department of Biomedical Engineering within the College of Engineering is hosting Dr. Emi Kiyotake, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Oklahoma, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Friday, March 22 in 134 Woolsey Hall.

Kiyotake will present “Translational biomaterials for cartilage and spinal cord repair” to students, staff, faculty and industry partners. The lecture will be from 2 to 3 p.m., followed by refreshments and networking from 3 to 3:30 p.m.

Students can represent their home country during commencement with various stoles from the Rhatigan Student Center Shocker Store.

To see which countries have stoles currently available in store, visit the Shocker Store website.

See the selection of countries the Shocker Store can special order stoles for. Special order stoles take approximately two weeks to be delivered.

For more information or to order a stole, email shockerstore@wichita.edu or call 316-978-7021.

The WSU Community Engagement Institute (CEI) invites the campus community to its Rising to the Challenge spring 2024 virtual workshop series.

Join one, several or all of the spring 2024 interactive workshops centered on navigating challenges with resilience and intention. All five, 60-minute sessions are open to everyone at no charge, where you will get the chance to gain a wealth of knowledge from a few CEI members.

The workshops are at 11 a.m. on Wednesdays. The schedule of events:

• March 27 – “Partnering with your Evaluator: The Key to a Good Evaluation” with Dr. Tara Gregory and Dr. Sarah Jolley
• April 3 – “Equity – A Key to Greater Teamwork!” with Patricia Houston
• April 10 – “The Work of Teaming” with Teresa Cornejo
• April 17 – “Worst Practices in Team Performance” with Carri McMahon
• April 24 – “Going Far, Together” with Cy Rogers

For more information or questions, contact Zane May at zane.may@wichita.edu.

Empower yourself with the essential skills of citation management using EndNote. Join the Savvy Scholar Workshop on the EndNote citation management software from 3 to 4 p.m. Tuesday, April 2 at Ablah Library in the Digital Learning Commons (in-person and online). There is no cost to attend.

You will learn to upload citation data, create citations in diverse styles, organize references and seamlessly insert citations into Microsoft Word documents. Attend and enhance your research capabilities with EndNote.

Empower your students with the essential skills of citation management using EndNote. Join the Savvy Scholar Workshop on the EndNote citation management software from 3 to 4 p.m. Tuesday, April 2 at Ablah Library in the Digital Learning Commons (in-person and online). There is no cost to attend.

Students will learn to upload citation data, create citations in diverse styles, organize references and seamlessly insert citations into Microsoft Word documents. Encourage your students to attend and enhance their research capabilities with EndNote.

Wichita State University is not just reshaping downtown Wichita with the Wichita Biomedical Campus; it’s redefining health care education by harnessing the dynamic interplay between health care and the humanities.

WSU’s new Academic Center for Biomedical and Health Humanities, or HealthHum as it’s been monikered, aims to increase the visibility of a wide range of research and teaching in areas related to health care and humanities beyond the traditional health professions.

Dr. Susan Castro, director of HealthHum, said putting a sociologist or a philosopher in the room when big decisions are being made can change the trajectory of care and improve the outcomes of medical research.  

Saurabh Sanjay Singh, a doctoral student in the Department of Industrial, Systems and Manufacturing Engineering (ISME), won first place in the poster competition at the IISE (Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers) South Central Conference. The conference was held from Feb. 29 through March 2 at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, and his research was entitled, “Blood Supply Chain Simulation – An Investigatory Analysis.”

According to Dr. Deepak Gupta, a professor and associate chair in the ISME department who provided guidance to Singh, his research stood out among competitors, demonstrating the high caliber of education and mentorship in the ISME department. His presentation not only garnered praise from peers and professionals alike but also resonated strongly with high school students in attendance.

“The unanimous feedback from these younger attendees highlighted how Saurabh’s clear and engaging delivery made complex engineering concepts accessible, leaving them feeling empowered rather than overwhelmed,” Dr. Gupta said.

The conference included participation from esteemed universities across Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri and Kansas, including Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, the University of Oklahoma and the University of Missouri-Columbia, among others. The event featured an impressive lineup of keynote speakers, such as Dr. Russell D. Meller, principal scientist at FORTNA; Tyler Beneke, product manager at Google; and Vance Clement, CEO at Lineus Medical; enriching the conference with their vast industry insights. Their presence underscored the conference’s significance as a melting pot of ideas and innovations in the industrial engineering field.

“A special mention goes to Dr. Cindi Mason, associate teaching professor in the ISME department, whose efforts were instrumental in facilitating this enriching experience for all WSU attendees,” Singh said. “Her dedication to fostering a supportive and collaborative environment for students to explore and excel is a testament to the department’s commitment to excellence.”

Singh’s achievement not only brings pride to WSU but also highlights the ISME department’s role in shaping future leaders in engineering. It is a reflection of the quality of education, mentorship and opportunities available to students, poised to make significant contributions to the field of engineering.

A new space is now open on the Wichita State campus called Wichita State Connect. Dr. Alicia Thompson, former superintendent of USD 259, will lead Wichita State Connect.

Wichita State Connect is in the former Wonder School, next to the National Institute for Aviation Research. It will serve as a hub for preK-12 field trips, mixers and professional development opportunities for educators and to provide WSU academic colleges and programs chances to engage with schools, industry and community partners.