Author: Abigail Klein

The City of Wichita has issued a boil water advisory for Wichita beginning June 7. That impacts water on Wichita State’s campuses within the city limits, including sinks and water fountains.

All fountain drink services on campus have been converted to bottled beverages. The Starbucks at the RSC will also close temporarily during the boil advisory.

Please read the following information and guidance provided by the City of Wichita:

During routine maintenance at the City of Wichita water treatment plant, for a short period of time, an unexpected water quality change occurred, resulting in a slight increase in turbidity. Turbidity is a measure of the clarity of the water. The problem has been corrected and water treatment is performing normally. Out of an abundance of caution, customers are advised to boil their water prior to consumption.

City of Wichita water customers, including Wichita State University, should observe the following precautions until further notice:

• Boil water for one minute prior to drinking or food preparation or use bottled water.
• Dispose of ice cubes and do not use ice from a household automatic icemaker.
• Disinfect dishes and other food contact surfaces by immersion for at least one minute in clean tap water that contains one teaspoon of unscented household bleach per gallon of water.

Wichita State has a storied history of working with NASA to provide research opportunities to its students. David Nevarez-Saenz, an aerospace engineering senior and first-generation student, has been working with WSU’s NASA Jump Start Program (JSP) for the past two years.

David learned about the program while he was freshman and working in WSU’s First Year Research Experience (FYRE) program in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) from Dr. Bhisham Sharma, assistant professor in WSU’s Department of Aerospace Engineering.

The grand opening of Deloitte’s Smart Factory @ Wichita — right here on WSU’s Innovation Campus — got underway Tuesday, June 7, with a press conference and media tour of the facility.

The Smart Factory @ Wichita aims to advance the future of manufacturing and spur innovation through digital transformation.

Key takeaways about the experience center include:

• The Smart Factory @ Wichita assembles a first-of-its-kind ecosystem of more than 20 world-renowned solution providers, technology innovators and futurists to help solve the toughest challenges in manufacturing.
• Features a fully functioning manufacturing production line that combines cutting-edge technologies, including artificial intelligence, machine learning, big data, cloud and edge applications, robotics, vision solutions and more.
• Supports STEM education: Plans to manufacture and donate Smart Rover STEM education kits that aim to impact 800,000 students over four years, with initial donations in Wichita, Metro Detroit and Philadelphia in 2022.
• Completely sustainable, The Smart Factory is powered by renewable resources and is net-zero impact.
• Is anticipated to draw more than 5,000 visitors to the local area over the next 12 months, including leaders from world-renowned companies.

Dr. James Keller, Student Health Services (SHS) medical director, passed away June 1. Keller was the medical director for SHS for more than 40 years. Services for Keller will include a rosary at 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 8, and a funeral mass at 10 a.m., Thursday, June 9. Both events will be at Church of the Magdalen Catholic Church.

Keller worked with numerous SHS staff and directors to implement new health services that would benefit students and guided treatment protocols and consultation for providers and nurses. Keller also assisted in the design of the Wichita Student Wellness Center that opened in 2020. He was a steadfast medical consultant during the COVID-19 pandemic and always made sure SHS had the most recent information to care for students. 

Keller’s humor, patience and kindness with the SHS staff and WSU students will be greatly missed and his service to the university will forever be appreciated. He is survived by his wife Donna, children and grandchildren. 

Chidera Okoro is learning computer skills and coding language as an intern at Wichita State University’s Media Resources Center. She competes in the long jump and triple jump for the track and field team and is a three-time member of the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll.

More than 5,000 Shockers each year take what they’ve learned in the classroom and transfer that knowledge into real-world environments. Applied learning — which is required for every Wichita State student — happens in offices, factories, laboratories, nonprofits, industries and companies across the globe. Students work side-by-side with seasoned professionals to ensure that they’re fully prepared to make meaningful contributions to their employers and their communities when they graduate.

Anllir Ramirez-Tenorio is squeezing in a summer internship with Tesla in between his spring and fall internship with Delta TechOps. Anllir said the resources available at Wichita State have prepared him to succeed in his real-world career opportunities.

More than 5,000 Shockers each year take what they’ve learned in the classroom and transfer that knowledge into real-world environments. Applied learning — which is required for every Wichita State student — happens in offices, factories, laboratories, nonprofits, industries, and companies across the globe. Students work side-by-side with seasoned professionals to ensure that they’re fully prepared to make meaningful contributions to their employers and their communities when they graduate.

Beginning June 8 and running each Wednesday during the month of June, anyone receiving a first dose, second dose or boosters of the COVID vaccine at the Charles Koch Arena vaccine clinic will receive a $50 Visa gift card. Times for this special incentive are 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

The clinic, run by Sedgwick County, offers the Pfizer vaccine for ages 5 and up, and the J&J vaccine for ages 18 and up. Walk-ins are welcome, and the vaccine is free. No ID or insurance are required. Bring your COVID vaccine cards for documentation.

Keegan Staats is working at the National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) as an operations assistant. This applied-learning opportunity is helping prepare him prepare for a career in economics.

More than 5,000 Shockers each year take what they’ve learned in the classroom and transfer that knowledge into real-world environments. Applied learning — which is required for every Wichita State student — happens in offices, factories, laboratories, nonprofits, industries and companies across the globe. Students work side-by-side with seasoned professionals to ensure that they’re fully prepared to make meaningful contributions to their employers and their communities when they graduate.

An interdisciplinary team from Wichita State University will participate in a $24 million state initiative to help rural and urban communities prepare for and recover from natural disasters.

Wichita State is one of 17 Kansas universities and colleges participating in the Adaptive and Resilient Infrastructures driven by Social Equity (ARISE) project, funded by the National Science Foundation and the state of Kansas. The Wichita State team will lead power-system work and capital-asset management to address resilience and infrastructure responses to disaster and extreme weather events.

The WERX program at Wichita State University’s National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) and Erickson Precision Ventures have reached an agreement to work cooperatively on modification, maintenance and engineering for various Boeing and Airbus aircraft.  

NIAR will soon complete conversions and maintenance – which began last year – for Erickson’s subsidiary company, Erickson Aero Tanker.