Author: Caelin Bragg

Wichita State University has selected Wichita Northwest High School senior Dulce Torres Gonzalez as the 2026 recipient of the $34,000 Mark and Stacy Parkinson Scholarship.

The Parkinson Scholarship supports high-achieving incoming freshmen at Wichita State who are the first in their families to pursue higher education and come from immigrant or refugee backgrounds. The renewable scholarship provides significant financial assistance and access to mentoring, leadership development and student success programming. Established by Kansans Mark and Stacy Parkinson, the fund reflects their commitment to expanding educational opportunities and strengthening communities through higher education.

Tracee Friess, associate vice president Strategic Communications and Marketing, National Institute for Aviation Research, was recognized with a Wichita Business Journal 2026 Women in Business Award.

Dr. Jennifer Friend, dean, College of Education, was recognized with a Wichita Business Journal 2026 Women in Business Award.

Denise Sherman, director of the Center for Management Development and Executive Education, Barton School of Business, was recognized with a Wichita Business Journal 2026 Women in Business Award.

Dr. Greg Hand, dean, College of Health Professions, was featured in:

• “Wichita State dean to pitch more partnership at KU med school research forum” on AOL
• “Inside the Wichita Biomedical Campus, a $300 million work in progress” on KSN

On May 3, a solar detector prototype developed by Wichita State University will be launched by NASA into low Earth orbit, toward a potential future mission close to the sun. 

Integrated via Germany’s launch integrator Exolaunch, the CubeSat platform was built by NanoAvionics of Lithuania. It will carry and test the WSU-designed prototype solar neutrino detector into low Earth orbit to prove the detector can operate in space.

Dr. Nickolas Solomey, professor of mathematics, statistics and physics, leads the interdisciplinary project, which also includes Dr. Holger Meyer, professor of physics, Atri Dutta, associate professor of aerospace engineering, and Dr. Hyuck Kwan, professor of electrical engineering. Thirty-six graduate and undergraduate students, to date, have worked on the project since its start.

A watch party is scheduled for 1:30 a.m. Sunday, May 3 in 127 Jabara Hall. Students, faculty, staff and the public are invited to attend.

Boeing is investing $380,000 to inspire the next generation of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) innovators, ensure that veterans and military families have the tools and resources they need to thrive, and to advance programs aimed at eliminating hunger.

Boeing’s investment includes five Wichita grant partners: Wichita State University, Wichita State University Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology (WSU Tech), the Kansas Aviation Museum, Passageways Wichita and the Kansas Food Bank.

“This grant helps prepare more students for careers in a rapidly changing industry while strengthening the talent pipeline in our region,” President Rick Muma said. “We’re grateful for Boeing’s continued partnership and its commitment to long-term impact.”

Jose Miguel Ramirez shattered the program record for career stroke average as Shocker men’s golf finished 10th at the American Championship April 29 at The Ritz-Carlton Members Club.

In his two seasons as a Shocker, Ramirez compiled a career stroke average of 71.24, breaking the previous record of 72.07 set by Blake Lorenz (2022-24). Ramirez also recorded the second-lowest single-season stroke average in program history at 71.03 during the 2025-26 season.

As a team, Wichita State recorded rounds of 290, 295 and 292 for a total of 877, finishing 13 strokes over par. No. 22 Charlotte won the team title at 48-under 816. Memphis’ Diego Do Patrocinio Lourenco won a sudden-death playoff to capture the individual title at 14-under 202.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. HOPE Service encourages you check in with yourself and access resources using the free, anonymous mental health screening tool at wichita.edu/freescreen.

Join the Student Government Association Student Senate for the first meeting of the 69th session at 6:30 p.m. today in 233 Rhatigan Student Center, Santa Fe Trail room. Meetings will also be livestreamed on the SGA YouTube.

Where students come first, the Wichita State Student Government Association is the governing entity for the student experience at the university. SGA is charged with promoting and stimulating student participation in the university’s activities and providing an official channel of communication between the students, faculty, staff, administration and elected officials.

To learn more about SGA, visit wichita.edu/sga, email sga@wichita.edu or stop by the offices in 219 Rhatigan Student Center.