Category: Events and Recreation

Wichita State’s National Institute of Aviation Research (NIAR) will hold an official Manufacturing Day event starting at 9 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 23 at the National Center for Aviation Training. Aimed at educating the manufacturing industry and community leaders, NIAR’s Manufacturing Day will feature the latest advancements in automated metrology, artificial intelligence and advanced manufacturing, beginning with a keynote address from Eric Hein, NIAR director of strategy and product development.

Formerly vice president of defense programs at Spirit AeroSystems, Hein now leads NIAR’s long-term strategic planning and guide product development efforts. The event is free to attend and includes a half day of programming with optional lunch and tours of NCAT facilities including NIAR’s Emerging Technologies Lab and WSU Tech’s Robotics/START Center Lab, CNC Lab/Machine Shop and Welding Shop. It is open to university and high school students.

A limited number of spaces are still available for the community Scrollathon Oct. 2 at the Ulrich Museum of Art. Members of the Wichita State community are invited to participate in this national art initiative, hosted by the artists.

Artists Steven and William Ladd, along with community members across the United States, are creating the National Scrollathon, part of the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

More than 250,000 participants, representing all 50 states and territories, will reveal the American story in all its beautiful complexity, as Americans from all social, ethnic and economic backgrounds take part. The Ulrich is representing Kansas in this project.

During a Scrollathon, each participant creates two fabric scrolls — one to keep as a personalized memento stored in a souvenir tin, and the other to contribute to a large-scale collaborative artwork.

Choose one of four sessions, starting at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m. or 2 p.m. The event is free but each session is limited to 25 participants, so registration is required. Sign up today.

When complete, more than 56 large-scale textile artworks will be displayed (along with photographic portraits of thousands who helped to create them) at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. from Memorial Day to Labor Day, 2026.

Don’t miss out on this year’s Pumpkin Run. Register by Sept. 30 to lock in your preferred T-shirt size and join the fall fun. Whether you’re running or walking, make sure you’re geared up in style.

All WSU faculty and staff are invited to attend the upcoming Adelante Juntos Faculty and Staff Association general meeting from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 2 in 258 Rhatigan Student Center, Smoky Hills Room. Get to know your colleagues, develop community and indulge in comfort foods like conchas and abuelita. Participants will discuss Adelante Juntos bylaws, Founders’ Day and the Hispanic Alumni Network at the general meeting.

Have a bite, enjoy free bowling, billiards and darts, and take the opportunity to connect with fellow graduate students at an upcoming social from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 3 at Shocker Sports Grill and Lanes on the lower level of the Rhatigan Student Center.

This year’s Common Read, “Eat Like a Fish” by Bren Smith, challenges readers to think about the future of food, the environment and sustainability. Common Read invites all members of the campus to participate in a series of events that bring these themes to life.

Upcoming events:

Save Water by Drinking More Water: Counter-Intuitive Sustainability Tips: 11 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 30 in 265 Rhatigan Student Center, Lucas Room – As Water Year starts, join a discussion about surprising, counterintuitive actions you can take to help ensure the sustainability of water resources. Led by Dr. Andrew Swindle.

Seas, Soil and Sustainability 3:30-5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 2 at the President’s Residence. Maximum capacity is 50 and prior RSVP is required – Dive into a conversation that connects the health of oceans to the heart of the farmlands. Hear from a local agricultural specialist about sustainable farming practices and create your own wheat weaving with a local artist. Hosted by First Gentleman Rick Case.

Ocean to Table: Designing a Resilient Food Future 12:30-1:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 3 in 265 Rhatigan Student Center, Lucas Room. Maximum capacity is 30 and prior RSVP is required – Explore the critical connections between marine ecosystems and global food security in this interactive design-thinking session. Work with facilitators Sam Corcoran and Janelle Birkner to design creative, user-centered solutions that make the plates — and the planet — more sustainable.

Additional events and RSVPs for all limited-capacity events can be found at wichita.edu/commonread.

Shocker Athletics is hosting its annual garage sale from 8 to 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 27 inside the Aetna Multi-Purpose Facility, located on the east side of Charles Koch Arena. Score exclusive Shocker gear at unbeatable prices.

Items available include game-worn jerseys and uniforms, shoes (including big sizes), assorted apparel and bags, coolers and equipment, and more. Everything is first-come, first-served — so arrive early for the best finds. Cash is preferred, but cards are accepted.

Join the Rhatigan Student Center for a fun Throwback Thursday from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 2 at the east atrium. Celebrate various decades with throwback freebies, snacks, a photo booth and more.

First-Year Seminar students this year will read “Eat Like a Fish” by Bren Smith for Wichita State’s Common Read at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 30 in 141 Woolsey Hall, Fidelity Bank Ballroom. Join Sean Lynott, regional fisheries supervisor with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks to learn more about fisheries management in Kansas with an eye to the future.

An overview will be provided of current fisheries practices and how they ensure sustainable use of fish and their environments. The general WSU community is welcome. A drawing for students will be held for a beginner fishing rod and gear (must be present to win).

The 55th anniversary remembrance ceremony of Memorial ’70 will be held at 9 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 2 at the memorial sculpture at the university entrance at Memorial Drive (18th Street) and Hillside. A reception will be held immediately following the ceremony in the lobby of Duerksen Fine Arts Center across from the memorial.

The ceremony will honor the 31 people – WSU football players, administrators, supporters and flight crew – who died in the crash in Colorado.

Other Memorial 70 tribute locations on campus include:

• 202 Rhatigan Student Center, Shocker 70, has Shocker memorabilia. There will be floral tribute and looping PowerPoint featuring those who died because of the plane crash.
• The Memorial ’70 display case on the Koch Arena concourse has pictures of the deceased and the certificate for the Wichita Sports Hall of Fame.

Those interested in making a tax-deductible contribution in memory of the crash victims can give to the Football ’70 Memorial Scholarship, the only endowed scholarship at WSU dedicated in collective memory to those who died in the tragedy.

The scholarship is awarded each year to a student of any major with at least a 3.0 GPA who demonstrates financial need. Contributions can be made through the WSU Foundation, 1845 Fairmount St., Wichita, KS 67260-0002, for the Football ’70 Memorial Scholarship. Contributions also may be made online.