Author: Caelin Bragg

One of the best track and field athletes in Wichita State history wrapped up her collegiate career, claiming her sixth All-American award June 14 at the NCAA Outdoor Championships at Hayward Field.

Destiny Masters, a senior from El Dorado, Kansas, placed 10th in the heptathlon with 5,763 points, good for Second Team All-America status. She became the first Shocker in history to earn All-America status in back-to-back NCAA heptathlons and gave Wichita State its eighth All-American award in the event.

“To have Destiny finish her final NCAA Championship in 10th for her sixth NCAA All-American performance is really meaningful, and I couldn’t be prouder of her and all of her accomplishments,” head coach Steve Rainbolt said. “This was certainly a highlight, probably second only to her sixth-place finish at the indoor championship a year ago in the pentathlon.”

Wichita State University’s National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) has been granted a patent for a newly developed composite inspection robot.

The machine, dubbed VISION, is an autonomous and semi-autonomous cell for inspecting composite parts, and verifying and facilitating part repairs. VISION, the main industrial robot carrying out the inspections, automatically attaches to a set of interchangeable inspection and repair end effectors to carry out its processes.

For other features, the cell can be equipped with fixtures for supporting rotorcraft and rotating blades, and over time, a software applicant can use past inspection data to train the machine to recognize damage to composite parts based on inspection images.

Shocker Athletics’ Alejandro Jacome earned his first career professional tour singles victory with a win in the main draw of the Wichita Tennis Open on June 11.

Jacome survived a back-and-forth battle with Kentucky’s Eli Stephenson to earn the victory, winning 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (4). 

Wichita State’s Yared Kidane and Jason Parrish claimed Second Team All-American honors on day one of the NCAA Outdoor Championships at Hayward Field, University of Oregon.

Kidane, a redshirt-junior from Sweden, ran the sixth-fastest 800-meter time of the day, missing the final by one spot. The American Athletic Conference champion finished sixth in the first and fastest heat, clocking a time of 1:46.86 to claim 10th place overall and Second Team All-America status.

Parrish, a sophomore from Olathe, Kansas, also finished 10th in his event, running 50.26 in the 400-meter hurdles, missing the final by one placement.

Dr. Linnea GlenMaye, associate vice president for Academic Affairs, has announced that she will retire Aug. 16.

In 1998, GlenMaye came to Wichita State after completing her dissertation in social welfare at the University of Washington in Seattle. In 2004, she was appointed as director of the School of Social Work, and in 2011 she moved into her current role as associate vice president for Academic Affairs. She also served as the acting dean of the College of Health Professions in 2020.

GlenMaye has been instrumental in developing the Master of Social Work program and has contributed significantly to academic affairs and faculty development.

“Dr. GlenMaye has been a steady, thoughtful presence at Wichita State for more than two decades. Her ability to lead with intellect and empathy has made this university better,” said Dr. Monica Lounsbery, senior executive vice president and provost.

Details regarding the search for her successor will be shared in the coming months.

“It has been a privilege and an honor to serve Wichita State in several roles over these 27 years. Over that time, I’ve seen so much change and growth, but one thing never changes and that is the importance of relationships built across the campus. I will dearly miss the outstanding faculty, staff, and students who have enriched my life both personally and professionally,” GlenMaye said.

There will be a reception to honor GlenMaye’s service to the university and to celebrate her retirement from 3 to 5 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 14 in Woolsey Hall’s Fidelity Ballroom.

Wichita State’s Public Policy and Management Center (PPMC) recently concluded a report done at the request of the Wichita/Sedgwick County Homelessness Task Force, looking at the economic impact of homelessness in the city and county.

The study is the most comprehensive local effort to date to quantify the financial effects of homelessness across public, nonprofit and private sectors.

“Homelessness impacts our entire community. That’s why this City Council took action, including revising the camping ordinance and making an unprecedented investment in Second Light, a new shelter with comprehensive services,” said Wichita Mayor Lily Wu. “This study provides a foundation as we work to implement those efforts and pursue real, lasting solutions.”

The lower-bound documented impact includes:

• At least $11.3 million in public sector costs such as police response, code enforcement and parks maintenance
• At least $8.9 million in nonprofit sector costs, including healthcare and shelter services
• $35,000+ in direct private sector costs to a single establishment, such as cleanup and property damage

The PPMC report also includes a housing needs assessment, revealing a shortage of both very low-income rental units and high-end homes. The assessment found that single-person and large households face the greatest difficulty securing affordable housing. Data also suggest that suppressed household formation — when individuals delay moving into their own homes — could represent at least 2,600 potential new households, especially among adults aged 18 to 34.

The full study identifies several next steps to improve local data and planning:

• Develop standardized tracking systems across public departments
• Expand private sector research to quantify broader economic impacts
• Improve cost-measurement tools for both direct and indirect homelessness-related expenses

Despite heavy rainfall in early June, steel sequence six began on Phase 1 of the Wichita Biomedical Campus, covering the north half of floors six and seven.

Concrete was poured at the south end of the third floor and at the stairs at the southeast corner of the building. By May 30, steel decking was almost complete through floor five, and the final second floor concrete pour was completed. The three-story portion of the building also showed substantial progress. Earlier in May, steel sequence 5 started, focusing on the south areas of floors six and seven, with beams for floor seven beginning to go in.

Phase 1 of the Wichita 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.

Shocker women’s tennis players, Anne Knuettel and Xin Tong Wang, each earned regional awards in the Central Region from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA).

Knuettel earned the Cissie Leary Sportsmanship award for the Central Region. The award is given to a Division I women’s tennis player from each region who displays inspiring dedication and commitment to her team, which has enhanced her team’s performance and exemplifies to the spirit of college tennis. The award dates back to 1997 and is in memory of the late and widely admired Penn women’s tennis coach Cissie Leary.

Wang was named the ITA Player to Watch from the Central Region. The award recognizes a player from each region who had an outstanding season on the court and is expected to continue improving and performing at a higher level in the near future. 

Wichita State’s commitment to fostering innovation is transforming high-potential student research into real-world impact. A compelling example is Shocker Composites, a startup founded by Vamsidhar (Vamsi) Patlolla, a former Ph.D. student at Wichita State. The company is pioneering recycling of composites and manufacturing parts with 100% sustainable materials that are lasting longer in the field thanks to innovation born in the lab and powered by university support.

Suspenders4Hope, a program developed at Wichita State University, is highlighting different departments and individuals on campus who are advocates for mental health in hopes that their stories will inspire others to continue supporting one another in the community.

The Shocker Store is being recognized as a mental health advocate for its support of the Suspenders4Hope program by offering the Suspenders4Hope T-shirts for sale, with proceeds directly benefiting HOPE Services, and by serving as a hub for resources for Shockers on campus.