Category: Featured Stories

Brandon Bonta and Spencer Robarge grew up wanting to bowl for Wichita State. Now as they prepare to finish their collegiate careers as Shocker bowlers, they’re thrilled with their experience and happy to join a long line of Shockers guiding the next generation.  

“Leadership is always about, ‘How can I help the next guy up, as well as teach them the ways of Shocker bowling,’” Bonta said. “You become more of an asset to a team. Hopefully, for the guys who are here, I’ve created a path for them that can make them successful [so] they’re on the right track.” 

Robarge had a family connection to Shocker bowling. Even with that background, the transition to college challenged him. As his WSU career winds down, he savors giving advice that helps the freshmen navigate their new world, academically and athletically. 

The College of Engineering is hosting an Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day (IGED) event, commonly known as Girl Day, for high school students from Wichita and the surrounding area. The event will be from 9:45 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, April 30 in the Rhatigan Student Center.

“The purpose of an annual IGED event is to inspire and empower students to pursue careers in STEM fields,” said Ana Montanez Chacon, the director of student support for the College of Engineering. “Surveys after the event last year showed that out of 140 students who attended, more than half ultimately pursued engineering or computing at WSU.”

WSU is planning to have about 200 participants for the IGED event. The students will participate in hands-on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) activities, listen to inspirational speakers, and meet mentors from the engineering and computing industries, including local professionals, WSU faculty and students. There will also be an opportunity fair featuring companies from STEM fields. Breakfast pastries and lunch will be provided.

An archaeological field school in the piney woods of east Texas is giving Wichita State students a rare opportunity to bring history to light — and their futures into focus.

Led by Dr. Crystal Dozier, assistant professor of anthropology, students spent several months during summer 2024 excavating the Boxed Springs site in east Texas, thanks to the generosity and vision of Wichita State alumnus Marc Rowland. Boxed Springs is known for its ties to the early Caddo peoples, an Indigenous group who developed complex agricultural societies, constructed elaborate ceremonial centers, and thrived in the region for centuries. The site became the focus of extensive geophysical surveys, excavation and artifact analysis, with students contributing both in the field and back on campus.

Wichita State junior Sejun Moon is exploring how teams of autonomous robots work together in extreme environments like Mars using a multi-agent reinforcement learning approach. Under the guidance of Dr. Fujian Yan, Moon is developing a scalable, hierarchical system that enables robot collaboration with minimal human input — a concept with promising applications for both space exploration and disaster response here on Earth.

Wichita State University’s research emphasis includes opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as faculty and staff, and extends across campus from aerospace to ancient civilizations and business administration to biochemistry.

Daniel Reichart uses advanced simulations to study how a CubeSat detector can identify space particles like electrons, protons and alpha particles. His work, guided by physics professor Dr. Nick Solomey and supported by NASA’s Jumpstart Program, contributes to understanding radiation hazards in space and showcases how undergraduates can play a vital role in space research.

Wichita State University’s research emphasis includes opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as faculty and staff, and extends across campus from aerospace to ancient civilizations and business administration to biochemistry.

Lille Nightingale combined her lifelong fascination with animals and her passion for dance to create a capstone project researching the emotional and physical challenges of wildebeest migration. Guided by a team of dedicated faculty mentors, she translated her research into a compelling group performance that reflects the patterns, struggles and shared emotional experiences of both humans and animals.

Wichita State University’s research emphasis includes opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as faculty and staff, and extends across campus from aerospace to ancient civilizations and business administration to biochemistry.

Five undergraduate students from Wichita State were among the 26 students recognized at the 23rd annual Kansas IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (K-INBRE) Symposium in Kansas City, Missouri.

The WSU students who received an Award of Excellence:

• Yara Abdine, junior in biomedical engineering, gave the poster presentation, “Glycosylation unveiled: Exploring the structure and function of FSH hormone glycoforms”
• Mark White, senior in biochemistry, gave the poster presentation, “Using FRET to Assess Conjugate Binding of Anthrax Toxin’s PA and Antigen Spy0469”

The WSU students who received an Honorable Mention:

• Lauren Hughes, junior in biomedical engineering, gave the poster presentation, “What’s Linker Have to Do With It? Examining the Structure and Stability of Palladin’s Ig3-4 Linker Region”
• Breanna Leach, sophomore in biomedical engineering, gave the poster presentation, “Patterns of brain Ferritin expression in the Drosophila divalent cation transporter mutant Malvolio”
• Julie Tran, senior in chemistry, gave the poster presentation, “Structural Elucidation of the Ig3 Domain of Myopalladin by NMR”

The remaining WSU students who presented at the K-INBRE Symposium:

• Emma Simmons, junior, gave the oral presentation, “Developing A Wearable Fetal Heart Monitor: A Practical Evaluation of Fetal Electrocardiogram Extraction Algorithms”
• John Bourget, senior; Ahmed Alsoudi, senior; Zoie Liska, senior; and Anna Brake, senior; gave the poster presentation, “Structure Guided Design of Broad-Spectrum Inhibitors of Coronavirus 3CL Proteases”
• Karen Abril Bustamante-Fuchs, senior, gave the poster presentation, “The functional regulation of protein-based nanofiber bioscaffolds on human astrocyte for neural regeneration”

Anna Brake, a junior in Wichita State’s Honors Baccalaureate program, got involved in research her freshman year after reading about a project to develop a wearable fetal heart monitor. Now, she’s helping improve access to prenatal care in rural and underserved communities.

Wichita State University’s research emphasis includes opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as faculty and staff, and extends across campus from aerospace to ancient civilizations and business administration to biochemistry.

Working a paid internship in Shocker Athletics means working nights and weekends. The deadlines are constant – before a game, during a game and after a game. 

WSU students are learning the importance of teamwork and communication in order to handle the pace and conditions as part of the athletic department’s creative team.  

Knowing they are serving as a conduit from all 16 Shockers sports to their fans makes it a job they enjoy. 

“There is always something happening with each sports team,” said sophomore Bryan Chavez, a journalism and media production major from Dallas. “We’re providing for fans, and they’re relying on us. That’s what makes it a fun job.” 

The eighth cohort of Rudd Scholars includes 14 Kansas high school seniors who have chosen to attend Wichita State.

• Ke’Ahjahnae Rice – Highland Park High School
• Juan Flores-Hernandez – Wichita North High School
• Nayeli Andrade – Wichita South High School
• Conner Huddleston – Goddard High School
• Jailyn Millar – Little River High School
• Kailee Mendoza – Winfield High School
• Lily DiNuzzo – Saint John High School
• Jeena Moore-Kirby – Wichita Heights High School
• Jordan Prue – Saint Thomas Aquinas High School
• Cristofer Correa-Sandoval – Wichita Northwest High School
• Arizvel Tavarez – Wichita East High School
• Erica Thompson – Shawnee Mission Northwest High School
• Lillian Delgado – Valley Center High School
• Brody Anderson – Burlington High School

Each Rudd Scholar will receive a full-ride scholarship, which includes tuition, fees, on-campus housing and considerable networking and coaching support along the way.