Author: Caelin Bragg

Wichita State launched six home runs in a game for the first time in 25 years and got six scoreless innings from the bullpen, knocking off Kansas State 10-4 April 18 at Tointon Family Stadium.

The win snaps an eight-game losing streak for the Shockers in Manhattan, giving WSU their first victory at Tointon Family Stadium since the 2012 season. The six round-trippers are the most for the Shockers in one game since April 26, 1998 against Indiana State.

A pair of freshmen lifted the 23rd ranked Wichita State to an extra inning win, 3-1, against third-ranked Oklahoma State on April 18 at Cowgirl Stadium.

Sami Hood hit the go-ahead two-run home run in the top of the eighth inning with two outs and Alex Aguilar held the potent Oklahoma State offense to just one run on eight hits.

Wichita State (37-8) completed the regular season sweep of the Cowgirls with Tuesday’s win in eight innings after earning an 8-7 win just two weeks ago in Wichita. It marks WSU’s highest ranked road win in school history, backing up the win against OSU at home.

The honorees for the 2023 University Faculty Awards will be recognized at 2 p.m. on May 5 at the Frank A. Boettger Auditorium in Woolsey Hall.

The awards recognize excellence in teaching, research and creative activities. RSVP on the University Faculty Awards homepage.

The 2023 University Faculty Award honorees:

• Excellence in Teaching:
  • David Long, Department of Biomedical Engineering
• Leadership in the Advancement of Teaching:
  • Amy Drassen Ham, Department of Public Health Sciences
• Young Faculty Scholar:
  • Mythili Menon, Department of English
• Academy for Effective Teaching:
  • John Hammond, Department of Mathematics and Statistics
  • Perlekar Tamtam, Department of Engineering Technology
• Excellence in Research:
  • Nils Hakansson, Department of Biomedical Engineering
• Excellence Award for Community Research:
  • Lisa Parcell, Elliott School of Communication
• Faculty Risk Taker:
  • Mehmet Bayram Yildirim, Department of Industrial, Systems and Manufacturing Engineering
• Young Faculty Risk Taker:
  • Hongsheng He, School of Computing
  • Aubrey Neihaus, School of Education
• Excellence in Online Teaching:
  • JaeHwan Byun, School of Education

The Excellence in Creative Activity Award and the Excellence in Accessibility Award will not be presented in fall 2023.

Learn more about the latest results, upcoming events and notable moments in WSU sports history with the latest edition of Shocker Brew from Shocker Athletics.

The High-Performance Computing (HPC) cluster at WSU, which was initiated in 2020, provides students and faculty with the computational resources they need to succeed. Any member of the WSU community and those outside of WSU who are KBOR constituents can request access to the HPC cluster. To request account at HPC, visit the HPC website. For those who are new to HPC, they are encouraged to review the HPC Users Guide.

The HPC is also pleased to inform the campus community that WSU researchers can access the Pete Supercomputer, which is an HPC cluster at Oklahoma State University supported by OSU’s High-Performance Computing Center. It is worth noting that OSU was recently awarded a Major Research Instrumentation award by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to build and develop a new supercomputer. This award was a joint effort between OSU, Arkansas State University, WSU, Kansas State University, the University of Tulsa, the University of Central Oklahoma, the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, and the Great Plains Network. More information about the award can be found on the NSF’s website.

Wichita State University’s Environmental Finance Center is one of 17 locations selected to establish an Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Center (EJ TCTAC). This new center will promote environmental and energy justice in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and adjoining Indigenous nations.

Each of the EJ TCTACs will receive at least $10 million over the next five years from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy. 

The High-Performance Computing (HPC) cluster at WSU, which was initiated in 2020, provides students and faculty with the computational resources they need to succeed. Any member of the WSU community and those outside of WSU who are KBOR constituents can request access to the HPC cluster. To request account at HPC, visit the HPC website. For those who are new to HPC, they are encouraged to review the HPC Users Guide.

The HPC is also pleased to inform the campus community that WSU researchers can access the Pete Supercomputer, which is an HPC cluster at Oklahoma State University supported by OSU’s High-Performance Computing Center. It is worth noting that OSU was recently awarded a Major Research Instrumentation award by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to build and develop a new supercomputer. This award was a joint effort between OSU, Arkansas State University, WSU, Kansas State University, the University of Tulsa, the University of Central Oklahoma, the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, and the Great Plains Network. More information about the award can be found on the NSF’s website.

Those interested in the potential of HPC to accelerate their research processes, be sure to stop by its table at the GRASP symposium. The team members at the symposium will be able to share examples of how HPC has been used in various fields and answer any questions about the technology. It also invite attendees to learn more about the applications of HPC in research and discover how it can help them achieve their research goals.

A survey of Wichita State student, faculty and staff transportation rates is being conducted to estimate their carbon footprint.

This is in continuation of a previous study done in 2019 which found approximately 53,000 metric tons of CO2 were generated.

Responses are greatly appreciated. Any questions can be directed to Dr. Ikram Ahmen, associate professor of Mechanical Engineering, at ikram.ahmed@wichita.edu.

Academic Affairs is proud to welcome Dr. Brett Bruner as the new assistant vice president for Student Success and Persistence.

Bruner will join Wichita State effective May 15. As the assistant vice president of Student Success and Persistence, he will focus on how to best serve our students as they pursue degree completion by developing and directing university-wide student success and retention strategies and programs that align with the university vision.

He began as a peer mentor 20 years ago and most recently served as the assistant vice president and dean of students in the Division of Student Affairs & Enrollment Management at Missouri Western State University.

Bruner received his bachelor’s degree from Emporia State University, his master’s from the University of Central Missouri and his doctorate from Baker University.

“I envisioned one day leading student success efforts on a campus that is innovative in its approaches to authentically supporting student success… I have assumed leadership roles in supervising nearly every possible student services functional area (and then some),” Bruner said. “I am excited about the opportunity to use my skills and unique background to support Wichita State University.”

To help parents sign their children up for summer camps, the Office of Strategic Communications is compiling Wichita State camp info on the 2023 Summer Camps website.