Students in the engineering department work on a project

Wichita State University moved to No. 2 on the national list of industry-funded engineering and research and development, according to the latest data compiled by the National Science Foundation’s Higher Education Research and Development Survey.

NSF’s latest data ranks U.S. universities in various categories, including R&D spending broken down by subfield and funding source.

For fiscal year 2022, Wichita State reported R&D expenditures totaling $261 million, up from $192 million in 2021. Industry-funded R&D expenditures totaled $116.3 million, up from $86 million in 2021.

Faculty and staff who have achieved the WSU Internal Control All-Star recognition pose with President Rick Muma and Wu for Rick Rewards

Faculty and staff who have achieved the WSU Internal Control All-Star credential were recognized as the next recipient of Rick Rewards on Jan. 8. Faculty and staff who receive the credential help keep the university’s resources applied to its mission.

Rick Rewards is awarded each month by President Rick Muma to show his appreciation for the efforts of the campus community.

Strategic Communications staff pose for a photo. Strategic Communications Seminar. January 25, 2024 | RSC Ballroom. RSVP Today

Join us for the eighth annual Strategic Communications marketing and communications seminar for WSU faculty and staff from 10 a.m. to noon Thursday, Jan. 25.

The opening session and all breakout sessions will be held on the third floor of the Rhatigan Student Center. Gain additional insights, tools and tips to help you improve your marketing and communication efforts. Attendees may choose to attend two of five sessions.

Join Zach Gearhart, chief of staff and executive director of government relations, for updates on the Kansas legislature relevant to Wichita State. The next meeting is scheduled for 3 p.m. Friday, Jan. 12 in 101 Morrison Hall.

The meeting is open to all faculty, staff and students and is held every other Friday following each legislative session.

Due to forecasted inclement weather, the upcoming Title IX training event scheduled for Monday, Jan. 8 and Tuesday, Jan. 9 has been canceled.

The organizers thank everyone who RSVP’d, and the training will be rescheduled for a later date in the spring semester.

Two students take a selfie on campus

Feeling refreshed after the break? Show us how you’re taking on 2024 by sharing your Shocker photos on social media. Use the hashtag #WichitaState, and we’ll showcase your pics here in Shocker Blast and on WSU’s official social media accounts.

And be sure to follow us on your favorite platforms to stay connected with Shocker Nation!

The Innovation Campus hosts many dining options open to not only Shockers, but the entire Wichita community:

Members of the in-space manufacturing research team

Wichita State University will lead a three-year project to assist NASA’s manufacturing paradigm shift from “factories on earth” to “factories in space.

“This project will pioneer a new in-space manufacturing technology based on electrospinning,” said Dr. Wujun Si, assistant professor in WSU’s College of Engineering. “It will significantly overcome some fundamental challenges faced by the current ISM technology based on additive manufacturing.”

“Physics-Informed-AI Enabled Smart Electrospinning of Nanofiber Membranes Towards In-Space Manufacturing” is funded by a NASA grant of $750,000.

Collage of fall 2023 grads

More than 1,400 Shockers were eligible for graduation in fall 2023. As our graduates leave Wichita State, they will share the story of Shocker Nation through their work.

Hear from our talented graduates about their experience and what they have in store for their futures.

Wichita State University proudly announced that its interdisciplinary student team, CosmoShox, has secured a spot in the top 10 teams in the NASA Spacesuit User Interface Technologies for Students (SUITS) Challenge. Organized by the College of Innovation and Design and guided by faculty members Kristyn Waits and Maggie Schoonover, the CosmoShox team is gearing up for the second phase of this competitive challenge.

CosmoShox is composed of exceptionally talented students composed of both undergraduate and graduate-level students representing a range of academic disciplines in four different WSU colleges:

  • Denae Sawyer, innovation design
  • Desmond Cockrell, graphic design
  • Elaine Duff, geology and planetary sciences
  • Elliott Chambon, aerospace engineering
  • Marianna Fronciani Farina, mechanical engineering
  • Nathan Lewis, innovation design
  • Savannah Denny, graphic design
  • Yumi Kikuchi Coronel, innovation design

“The inclusion of students with backgrounds in graphic design, geology, innovation design, aerospace engineering and mechanical engineering underscores the interdisciplinary nature of our approach to challenges,” said Dr. Jeremy Patterson, dean, College of Innovation and Design. “CosmoShox exemplifies the power of collaboration, and we are proud to support these students as they make significant strides in the NASA SUITS Challenge.”

If the CosmoShox team successfully passes their software design review with NASA in April, they will be invited to the Johnson Space Center in Houston for Test Week, an invaluable opportunity for hands-on testing and collaboration with leading experts in the field.