Author: Caelin Bragg

Dr. Moriah Beck, Talaty Endowed Research Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, has been elected a 2025 Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), one of the world’s largest and most prestigious scientific societies.

Election as an AAAS Fellow is a lifetime honor that recognizes distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications. Fellows are chosen by their peers for scientifically or socially distinguished achievements and are expected to uphold the highest standards of professional ethics and scientific integrity.

The Basketball Tournament (TBT) unveiled a new format and winner-take-all $2 million prize, headlined by a first-round best-of-three series between defending TBT champions AfterShocks (Wichita State) and The Enchantment (New Mexico).

TBT 2026 will feature 16 teams, with eight alumni teams and eight non-alumni teams competing on two separate sides of the bracket. TBT’s first round will now be a best-of-three series before returning to the single-elimination format for future rounds. Just five wins are needed to capture TBT’s $2 million prize.

All three games of the series will be played at Charles Koch Arena. The first game is scheduled for 7 p.m. July 20 and will be televised live on FS1. Game two is scheduled for 8 p.m. July 23 and will be televised live on FS2. Game three (if necessary) will be played at 8 p.m. July 24 and will be streamed live on FS2.

Grady Landrum, former director of Disability Services, passed away May 18.

Landrum, who served as director for over 25 years, retired from Wichita State in 2019. In 2016, he was recognized as a Bender of Twigs. During his tenure, Landrum served as an advocate for students with disabilities and helped shape disability services at WSU into what it is today. Read more about Landrum’s story.

Services will be held at 10 a.m. Monday, May 25 at Wichita Bible Church, 633 S. Woodlawn Blvd.

Three Shocker baseball players were named to the 2026 American Conference All-Conference teams. Jayson Jones was named First Team third baseman and Newcomer Position Player of the Year, while right-handed pitchers Matthew Cuccias and Brady Pacha were named Second Team starting pitcher and relief pitcher, respectively.

Jones is the first Shocker to be named Newcomer Position Player of the Year since Brock Rodden in 2022.

Softball America announced its All-America teams, and Wichita State’s Kinzey Woody earned Freshman All-America honors, the publication announced Tuesday morning.

The American Conference Player and Freshman of the Year slashed .359/.489/.724 with 11 doubles, 14 home runs and 50 RBIs, while nearly hitting for the triple crown in conference play. Woody led the league in batting average (.476), slugging percentage (1.000), on base percentage (.587), hits (39), RBIs (36), while her 12 home runs were two shy of her teammate Ausha Moore with 14.

Woody became the first player in American Conference history to win both Player and Freshman of the Year honors in the same season.

Wichita State marked the opening of a federal forensic laboratory on its Innovation Campus with a ribbon-cutting ceremony May 18, expanding the university’s role in applied learning and national public safety efforts.

The ceremony was held at the new ATF Forensic Crime Gun Intelligence Laboratory — developed in partnership with Wichita State’s Midwest Criminal Justice Institute and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The facility is designed to analyze firearms-related evidence and support investigations across the country, creating hands-on learning opportunities for WSU students in criminal justice, forensic science and related fields, allowing them to work alongside law enforcement professionals using industry-standard tools and techniques.

Stop by the Food Truck Plaza on campus to enjoy cuisines from local food truck vendors.

Wednesday:

• Desi Fusion: 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Thursday:

• Desi Fusion: 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Schedule is subject to change. Visit the Food Truck Plaza website for the most up-to-date information.

Jace Watson spent nine semesters working on the GoBabyGo project at Wichita State before graduating in May. His passion for assistive technology started at home, growing from his experiences with his adopted siblings.

“It’s a personal connection to the program,” he said. “My brother and sister are adopted from Ukraine and have disabilities that affect their motor functions. It was something I wish had been around when they were adopted.”

For 10 years, that hope has become reality for many families, thanks to GoBabyGo.

Stop by the Food Truck Plaza on campus to enjoy cuisines from local food truck vendors.

Tuesday:

• Desi Fusion: 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Wednesday:

• Desi Fusion: 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Thursday:

• Desi Fusion: 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Schedule is subject to change. Visit the Food Truck Plaza website for the most up-to-date information.

Karsen Richard plans to teach math in middle school starting in the fall. His experience with inspirational teachers means he will walk into the classroom with goals beyond the subject matter.

Balancing life as a student-athlete and education major is difficult because of the time demands of both. Richard, a senior pitcher from Little Rock majoring in mathematics education, will spend an extra semester at Wichita State University to reach his goal of helping students.