Author: Caelin Bragg

Despite the sudden bad weather, progress continued on the construction of Phase 1 of the Wichita Biomedical Campus. Steel continues to be placed, showing more of the final structure of the building. Hutton also shared with the university drone footage of the construction site, highlighting the scale of the project against the backdrop of downtown Wichita.

Phase 1 of the biomedical campus — a joint venture of Wichita State, the University of Kansas and WSU Tech — is a $222 million, 350,000-square-foot joint health sciences center, located at the southeast corner of Broadway and William. Once complete, the Wichita Biomedical Campus will combine WSU’s College of Health Professions programs, including the Evelyn Hendren Cassat Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic, WSU Tech’s health care program and the Wichita campuses of KU School of Medicine and KU School of Pharmacy.

Construction on Phase 1 is anticipated to be complete by the end of 2026 with the first classes being held in the building in summer/fall 2027.

Enrollment for the summer and fall semesters is now open. View the course schedule and enroll by using Banner and logging in with your myWSU information.​ Have any questions for what classes you should take to meet your program requirements? Schedule a time to meet with an academic advisor: View a list of academic advisors in each college.

In addition to your fall classes, consider enrolling in a summer class. ​Summer classes are a great option for students because:

• They can help you catch up on credits, lighten your fall and spring course loads, or let you graduate sooner.​
• They are flexible — courses are available in two-, four- or eight-week schedules with online, hybrid and in-person formats.​
• And they can be supported by financial aid.

Wichita State swept their way to the Lansing Regional championship and a spot in the NCAA Final Four, knocking off Vanderbilt 2-0 April 5 at Royal Scot Bowling Center.

The Shockers (87-36) advance to take on top seed and defending NCAA champion Jacksonville State Friday, April 11 in Las Vegas. #2-seed Nebraska and #3-seed Youngstown State make up the remainder of the bracket.

Five undergraduate students from Wichita State were among the 26 students recognized at the 23rd annual Kansas IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (K-INBRE) Symposium in Kansas City, Missouri.

The WSU students who received an Award of Excellence:

• Yara Abdine, junior in biomedical engineering, gave the poster presentation, “Glycosylation unveiled: Exploring the structure and function of FSH hormone glycoforms”
• Mark White, senior in biochemistry, gave the poster presentation, “Using FRET to Assess Conjugate Binding of Anthrax Toxin’s PA and Antigen Spy0469”

The WSU students who received an Honorable Mention:

• Lauren Hughes, junior in biomedical engineering, gave the poster presentation, “What’s Linker Have to Do With It? Examining the Structure and Stability of Palladin’s Ig3-4 Linker Region”
• Breanna Leach, sophomore in biomedical engineering, gave the poster presentation, “Patterns of brain Ferritin expression in the Drosophila divalent cation transporter mutant Malvolio”
• Julie Tran, senior in chemistry, gave the poster presentation, “Structural Elucidation of the Ig3 Domain of Myopalladin by NMR”

The remaining WSU students who presented at the K-INBRE Symposium:

• Emma Simmons, junior, gave the oral presentation, “Developing A Wearable Fetal Heart Monitor: A Practical Evaluation of Fetal Electrocardiogram Extraction Algorithms”
• John Bourget, senior; Ahmed Alsoudi, senior; Zoie Liska, senior; and Anna Brake, senior; gave the poster presentation, “Structure Guided Design of Broad-Spectrum Inhibitors of Coronavirus 3CL Proteases”
• Karen Abril Bustamante-Fuchs, senior, gave the poster presentation, “The functional regulation of protein-based nanofiber bioscaffolds on human astrocyte for neural regeneration”

Cory Newen, a senior human resource management major, is working with Red Cross to host a blood drive on campus in honor of his late daughter, Iman Newen, who passed away Jan. 17 at nine months old.

Iman was hospitalized at Children’s Mercy in Kansas City, and Cory Newen and the rest of Iman’s family found hope when she received a blood donation. Now, Cory wants to pass that hope along to others.

“One day, someone, somewhere donated blood to Kansas City and it went to my daughter. That gave my wife and I hope,” Cory said. “I would like to help instill that faith and hope in other families.”

Cory is planning this blood drive with members of his team in his Building Remarkable Teams course as part of his major. The donation times are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, April 8 and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, April 9 in the Heskett Center.

To donate, visit redcrossblood.org, enter sponsor code “WICHITA STATE” and schedule a time to donate.

Donors will receive a $15 gift card by email, plus a chance to win a $5,000 prize.

Anna Brake, a junior in Wichita State’s Honors Baccalaureate program, got involved in research her freshman year after reading about a project to develop a wearable fetal heart monitor. Now, she’s helping improve access to prenatal care in rural and underserved communities.

Wichita State University’s research emphasis includes opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as faculty and staff, and extends across campus from aerospace to ancient civilizations and business administration to biochemistry.

Working a paid internship in Shocker Athletics means working nights and weekends. The deadlines are constant – before a game, during a game and after a game. 

WSU students are learning the importance of teamwork and communication in order to handle the pace and conditions as part of the athletic department’s creative team.  

Knowing they are serving as a conduit from all 16 Shockers sports to their fans makes it a job they enjoy. 

“There is always something happening with each sports team,” said sophomore Bryan Chavez, a journalism and media production major from Dallas. “We’re providing for fans, and they’re relying on us. That’s what makes it a fun job.” 

Student Health Services is offering current WSU faculty and staff the ability to schedule their HealthQuest physical exam and lab work April 1 through July 31.

If you do not have a primary care provider and currently have private insurance through your employment with WSU, call to schedule your appointment with Student Health providers at 316-978-4792.

Dr. Mary Liz Jameson, professor in the Department of Biological Sciences in the Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, was elected to be one of the 2024 American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Fellows. The AAAS Fellows are recognized for their extraordinary contributions to the sciences.

Dr. Jameson has been with Wichita State since 2008. She joins two other members of the WSU community who have been previously elected: Dr Coleen Pugh, dean of the Graduate School, who was elected in 2010; and Dr. Susan Sterrett, Curtis D. Gridley Distinguished Professorship in History and Philosophy, who was elected in 2016.

Riding a five-match-long win streak, the Shocker women’s tennis team slotted in at no. 49 in the April 1 Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) computer rankings.

The Shockers (11-6) have been ranked in each top 75 rankings so far this season and this is its second time breaking into the top 50. The Shockers have won 10 of its last 12 matches after a 1-4 start, with its most recent victory being a 4-1 win over the UTSA Roadrunners March 30 at the Wichita Country Club.

Wichita State has wins over three teams ranked in this week’s poll in Kansas State (61), Tulsa (45) and Kentucky (42). Among teams in the American Athletic Conference, the Shockers have the fifth highest ranking behind Florida Atlantic (29), Charlotte (40), Tulsa (43) and Rice (48).

In singles, sophomore Xin Tong Wang was once again ranked in singles, slotting in at No. 94. Her highest ranking since Feb. 5 when she was ranked No. 89. Wang is one of only two AAC players to be ranked in singles.

The Shockers are set to play its final home matches of the year in a doubleheader against North Texas at 10 a.m. and Creighton at 4 p.m. Friday, April 4.