Category: Applied Learning

Meet Ja’Nae McKelvy, a dedicated sport management student at Wichita State, who is making significant strides in her field. After completing an internship with the Kansas City Chiefs as a KC Training Camp Intern this past summer, Ja’Nae is excited to take on a new role as the fall 2024 intern with the Kansas City Sports Commission & Foundation.

Reflecting on her time with the Chiefs, Ja’Nae shares “One of the highlights from camp,” she recalls, “was being able to watch practices and stand on the field with the players.” That experience not only deepened her appreciation for the sport but also enhanced her understanding of teamwork and leadership.

Braden Webb, senior studying computer science and mathematics in the College of Engineering, has been fascinated by transportation since a young age.

Nearly four years ago, he came to Wichita State with this unique passion for public transportation, but little knowledge about how to turn it into a potential career. Last summer, he had an incredible experience of working as an intern with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) in Washington, DC.

Throughout the summer, he connected with dozens of industry professionals and made lifelong friends with the other interns in the department. His experience with WMATA was everything that he hoped it would be and more. Braden encourages students to seek out applied learning opportunities saying, “If you are unsure about the industry you want to work in or the type of work you want to pursue, applied learning is a great way to test the waters and help guide your career choice.”

Ashlyn Riggs, a senior in Wichita State’s online Teacher Apprentice Program™ (TAP), is not just working toward her Bachelor of Arts in early childhood unified/elementary education — she’s already living her dream of becoming a teacher. Originally from Cheney, Kansas, Ashlyn benefits from WSU’s forward-thinking TAP, which blends academic advancement with hands-on classroom experience, allowing her to apply what she learns in real-time while earning her degree.

As the lead substitute teacher at WSU’s Child Development Center (CDC), Ashlyn steps into the shoes of lead teachers when they’re absent, working with children ranging from birth to pre-K. “I love being able to be part of a program that works around my work schedule so I can gain on-the-job experience while also taking classes at my own convenience,” she shares.

Lauren Coffman, a current biomedical engineering student, has always been fascinated by space. Her childhood interest turned into a reality when she secured a NASA Pathways Internship in human health and performance at Johnson Space Center (JSC). From an early love of space exploration to landing an internship with NASA, Lauren’s journey has been filled with determination, hard work and guidance from her mentors at Wichita State.

This past summer, Lauren completed her first NASA Office of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (O-STEM) internship at the Translational Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH). During her time there, she developed procedures for biomedical equipment used in commercial spaceflight, tested these procedures with her team, managed biosample collections from astronauts and organized biomedical hardware as it moved across institutions. Now, in her current Pathways role, Lauren focuses on ensuring astronaut safety through the development of supplemental materials for biomedical equipment, certifying medical devices and analyzing countermeasures for spaceflight. “A majority of my day is spent analyzing problems with equipment and designing solutions for efficient spaceflight,” she explains.

The applied learning model at Wichita State is a win-win for the businesses community and Shocker students.

One example is Dassault Systemes’ 3DEXPERIENCE Center at NIAR. This partnership gives engineering students experience with additive manufacturing, reverse engineering and robotics through 3D design software. Students employ it in real-life projects.

As Dassault’s Bill DeVries says, these students gaining hands-on experience through applied learning will graduate “ready for anything.”

Wichita State alums Erin and Kyle Cummings have donated $250,000 to launch the W. Frank Barton School of Business Student-Managed Investment Fund.

The generous contribution will provide students with new applied learning opportunities as they invest real money in stocks, bonds and more. The remaining $250,000 will be reallocated from existing WSU Foundation and Alumni Engagement (WSUFAE) investments to support this initiative.

The ChaMP lab at Wichita State University invites undergraduate students to apply for a summer research assistantship (RA) position. The RA will provide support for an NSF-funded research project on the Future of Work in industrial settings. This project will involve assessing the current state of industrial technologies and evaluating the efficacy of a developed intervention. In general, RAs can expect to perform the following activities:

• Reading peer-reviewed research articles relevant to the research topics
• Writing annotated bibliographies of research articles
• Designing evaluation surveys
• Conducting assessments and/or interviews with workers employed by industry partners.
• Meeting with the project leads
• Learning to use lab-related software (e.g., Qualtrics, Unity)
• Assisting with statistical analysis
• Participating in public outreach/science communication activities
• Attending weekly lab meetings

Consequently, it is important for research assistants to have the following skill sets:

• Be self-motivated and capable of making progress on tasks independently and without supervision.
• Have strong written and verbal communication skills
• Be capable of finding relevant, peer-reviewed research articles using search engines (e.g., PsycINFO; Google Scholar).
• Have strong computer skills, especially with Microsoft Word.

Successful applicants will be able to work in the lab for five-hour blocks of time, a total of at least 20 hours per week during regular work hours from May 23 to Aug. 12. This provides the best opportunity and the most flexibility for research project involvement. An applicant’s inability to work in blocks of at least five hours will not automatically disqualify them but will significantly reduce their chances of success during the interview process. Research assistants will be compensated $12 per hour.

Interested students should email a letter of interest, resume, and a copy of their summer 2022 schedule to Dr. Lisa Vangsness (lisa.vangsness@wichita.edu) by April 30. To the greatest extent possible, please provide your availability based on course enrollments, ongoing employment, volunteer, and external commitments.

Students can spend the summer of 2022 studying abroad in France as part of the Global Entrepreneurship Experience. This six-week summer program is available for students of all majors who are interested in studying entrepreneurship and international business.

As part of the program, students will work on a project with a French company at the direction of faculty from the W. Frank Barton School of Business and the École Supérieure de Commerce de Pau Business School, one of WSU’s exchange partner universities. Scholarships are available to applicants for this program.

Campus Recreation is hiring three interns for the exercise science program. The job role will include equipment maintenance, creating a cleaning roster, spotting, programming, customer service, training, and creating an online live stream.   

To apply, fill out the application and email it to andy.sykes@wichita.edu by Dec. 10.

Are you interested in an internship that promotes mental and physical wellness and gives back to your community? Become a prevention ambassador.

Prevention ambassadors assist the Wichita State Prevention Services Advisory Board (PSAB) in our #WSUWeSupportU mission of preventing suicide, preventing sexual violence, preventing substance abuse and promoting wellness in the WSU community.

Prevention Ambassadors also work to create wellness-oriented events to help promote campus health in cooperating with PSAB departments. Ambassadors are eligible for a zero-credit internship.