Author: Caelin Bragg

Faculty and staff are invited to a virtual town hall with university leaders from 1 to 2 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 28.

You can access the streamed town hall on YouTube. Staff and faculty interested in submitting questions for consideration can email townhall@wichita.edu before the town hall, or questions can be asked in the YouTube chat during the town hall.

The annual Innovation Works Competition will take place Nov. 7-9, in partnership with Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, offering a fast-paced, interdisciplinary hackathon experience with cash prizes and a Lockheed Martin facility tour for the winning team.

This year’s theme challenges students to design technologies for a future moon base, developing innovative solutions that enable life and work on the lunar surface, from habitat systems and power generation to mobility and communication.

During the 48-hour, in-person event, teams will collaborate, prototype, and pitch their solutions to judges from Lockheed Martin, WSU, and industry partners. Teams must include three to four current Wichita State students, and students from all majors are encouraged to participate.

Cash prizes will be awarded to the top three teams:

• $5,000 for first place
• $2,000 for second place
• $1,000 for third place

The winning team will also receive an exclusive opportunity to tour a Lockheed Martin facility and meet with engineers and technologists shaping the future of space exploration.

Teams must register by Nov. 1. For more information, rules and registration details, visit wsuinnovationworks.com or contact jared.goering@wichita.edu.

The Grafly Gardens are a set of sculptures made by Charles Grafly, arranged together in a tucked away spot surrounded by nature in the southwest corner of campus. It’s not only a place to admire master craftsmanship, but it’s somewhere to take a break from the hustle of college life.

The sculptures were gifted by Dorothy Grafly Drummond and Charles H. Drummond and are part of the extensive Ulrich Museum of Art Martin H. Bush Outdoor Sculpture Collection, pieces of which you can spot all over campus.

Feeling the pressure as deadlines pile up? The upcoming Procrastination Prevention Night is your chance to stay on track and finish strong. Whether you’re juggling papers, projects or assignments — or stuck in a class because of academic requirements — the late-night study session with personalized support from 6 p.m. to midnight, Wednesday, Oct. 22 in Ablah Library is here to help.

Take advantage of workshops, tutoring and more to help you tackle assignments and stay on track — plus arts and crafts, games and food will be available to reduce stress as deadlines approach.

Sponsored by the Shocker Learning Center and University Libraries.

Help your students make informed academic decisions by learning when AI can strengthen their work — and when it can’t — at the next Savvy Scholar workshop from 3 to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 21. With the new attendance tracking system, offering extra credit for student participation is now simpler than ever.

AI tools like ChatGPT and Copilot can streamline research tasks, but they may not always provide accurate information. The workshop will show students how to use these tools effectively while evaluating their limitations.

Dr. Mark Schneegurt, a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, is the latest WSU faculty member to take advantage of the University Libraries-negotiated agreement with Springer and get his article published in Archives of Microbiology, a venerable journal, for free.

Shockers can publish their research articles in many Springer peer-reviewed journals at no cost. The agreement with Springer, negotiated by University Libraries, covers articles written by faculty, staff and students at Wichita State with no page charges and no APCs. Both print and open access fees are entirely waived.

There are dozens of high-quality journals available through this program, covering every area of scholarship. These range from modest journals to those with high impact factors. To find eligible journals, use Springer’s Journal Finder to identify which Springer journal is right for your next paper.

Attend Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity Hub’s (UReCA) Research Mixer starting at 5 p.m. Monday, Oct. 20 in 305/306 Rhatigan Student Center, Beggs Ballroom and learn more about research here at Wichita State.

• WSU lab highlights: Several labs across campus will provide an overview of ongoing projects, future projects and their student research teams. Highlighted faculty are Dr. Steven Skinner, Dr. Moriah Beck, Dr. Jian Wang, and David Klamm.
• Faculty research panel: Learn directly from faculty about the skills, habits and attitudes that make a lasting impression in research settings. Panelists include Dr. Thomas Skinner, Dr. Brendan Clark, Dr. Yang Fu, Dr. David Eichhorn and Dr. Nicki Rogers.
• Undergraduate student panel: This panel highlights the journeys of your fellow Shockers who have explored undergraduate research and want to show just how possible it is. Panelists include Zane Hubble, Genesis Merriett and Dimas Gonzalez.

As enrollment approaches, students should check in on their degree progress by meeting with their academic advisors. By enrolling in a combination of fall, spring and summer classes, students can remain on track with their degree programs and potentially shorten the time it takes to earn a degree. You can find your academic advisor in your myWSU.

A perk of your Shocker ID is access to all fine arts events on campus at no additional charge, thanks to the Student Government Association. Whether you want to listen to concerts from the School of Music or watch theater or dance performances from the School of Performing Arts, there’s something for everyone.

Wichita State’s Innovation Campus hosts Braeburn Square, home to multiple restaurants to satisfy your cravings, whether you’re in the mood for sandwiches from Jersey Mike’s; Mexican with Fuzzy’s Taco Shop; authentic Korean corn dogs from Two Hands; or pizza and burgers from Social Tap.