Category: Featured Stories

A weekend of ample research and little sleep at Wichita State’s National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) resulted in the selection of three NASA Space Apps Hackathon winners. 

One-man team Just Jacob, led by Jacob Workentine, a Wichita State senior in communication, took first place for his submission to the On the Way to the Sun challenge. 

Workentine developed an illustrated children’s book and accompanying video inspired by PBS’s Reading Rainbow program. The book and video focused on the story of the Parker Solar Probe’s record-breaking mission from Earth through the Sun’s upper atmosphere to sample particles and magnetic fields. 

Jacob Workentine, a senior majoring in communication-electronic media, recently took home a first-place victory at the Wichita division of the NASA International Space Apps Challenge.

Space Apps is an annual, international hackathon for developers and creatives of all backgrounds. The goal of the event is to bring together individuals from various backgrounds to help solve problems in space and back home on Earth.

“I felt very lucky,” Workentine said when he was told he won first place. “Like, I stumbled upon this and got caught up with dumb luck, but I’m very happy and very excited.”

The challenge Workentine took on was “On the Way to the Sun.” His objective was to tell a creative story about the Parker Solar Probe’s mission to the Sun in a way that would be engaging to young audiences. The NASA challenge took place over two days, with roughly 36 hours available for participants to work on projects.

He took inspiration from the PBS children’s show, “Reading Rainbow” to create an illustrated video that humanized Parker as it sailed across the cosmos to touch the Sun’s surface.

“You never know where your next opportunity will be,” Workentine said. “Even if you don’t think you’re qualified, just give it your best shot. I was thinking to myself the whole time ‘even if I lose, I get six free meals and something to add to my portfolio,’ so just keeping an optimistic mindset when you’re trying to be creative and create projects is really important.”

After completing the project, Workentine was required to give a presentation to a panel of three industry professional judges from Flint Hill Resources, Solvay and Dassault Systèmes. They weren’t the only ones he impressed.

“Jacob won it by being the best at pitching his idea and being the best at starting from zero and ending up with a product which the judges loved and wanted to hear more about,” Dr. Andrew Hippisley, dean of  Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, said. “So, am I surprised? In some ways not because this is what the Fairmount College does for its students.”

Participants at the event were encouraged to work in teams, but Workentine took the challenge on his own to clinch the first-place finish.

“The regret in some ways is that Jacob could have been in some other team and helped them win,” Hippisley said. “We have great engineers, we have great scientists, but we also have Jacobs as well who can enhance and enrich the experience for all and help a team go from second place to first place.”

Alongside a chance to pitch his idea to Dassault Systèmes in Boston, Workentine won a $500 gift certificate and a pair of Apple AirPods.

You can view Workentine’s final video project and his entire project submission online. Workentine will graduate in May 2023.

Middle school girls from the surrounding area will get the chance to explore STEM careers at the 10th annual Expanding Your Horizons workshop Saturday, Oct. 22, at Wichita State University ’s Hubbard Hall.

This one-day event introduces middle school girls to a variety of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) areas.

Last week, the WSU Foundation welcomed faculty, staff and donors to the grand opening celebration of Wayne and Kay Woolsey Hall, the first new academic building on WSU’s campus in more than 25 years.

The $60 million, 125,000-square-foot building on the Innovation Campus would not be possible without the efforts and sacrifices of every college and unit at Wichita State, in addition to the commitment of the Woolsey family and the generosity of the 215 donors who supported the project.

If you missed the grand opening, you can see all the action and learn more here.

The September 2022 issue of the Research & Innovation Newsletter is now available. In this issue, learn more about WSU being awarded $51 million to advance smart manufacturing, how COVID research at WSU will inform the design of antiviral drugs and how WSU recently received $1 million in funding to assist local small businesses.

At 9 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 2, Wichita State will host the 52nd observance of Memorial ’70, the annual ceremony that honors the 31 WSU football players, administrators and supporters who died in a 1970 plane crash in the Rocky Mountains. It will take place at the Memorial near 18th and Hillside.

Members of the public are invited to attend.

A wreath will be placed at the base of Memorial ’70, and there will be a time of remembrance to acknowledge the changes that the plane crash made in the lives of the victims, their families, their friends and the university.

More than 50 years after a plane crash killed 31 people on the way to a Wichita State football game, there are still more stories to tell from that tragic day. Diana Krestel – whose husband was a member of WSU’s football team in 1970 — recently compiled and designed three scrapbooks that tell the story of college, loss of life and living with the aftermath of the Oct. 2, 1970 crash.

“It was a very traumatic experience for a bunch of 18-, 19-, and 20- year-olds who thought everything was hunky dory, and then all of a sudden, tragedy strikes,” she said. “We all grew up and we really bonded together.”

Scott Redler, co-founder of Freddy’s Frozen Custard and Steakburgers, is the newest member of the Dean’s Advisory Board for the W. Frank Barton School of Business at Wichita State University.

“Wichita has been my home for decades and I’ve seen the amazing opportunities this city and its commitment to entrepreneurship has provided,” said Redler. “The Barton School is key to fostering that entrepreneurial spirit.”

“Redler’s acumen for business, entrepreneurship and hospitality is unparalleled,” said Dr. Larisa Genin, Dean of the W. Frank Barton School of Business. “Over his career, he has been instrumental in the creation of 19 different restaurant concepts. That level of creativity and tenacity will prove to be invaluable to the Barton School.”

He is a restaurant operator to his core – starting at the age of 15 in St. Louis. He earned a degree in restaurant and hotel management. After graduation, he managed many restaurants, including a five-star restaurant, and started numerous concepts of his own. With a majority sale of Freddy’s Frozen Custard and Steakburgers (400 locations) in early 2021, Redler sits on the board of Freddy’s and has formed Redler Hospitality, and is assisting other companies around the country.

In 2002, Redler launched Freddy’s along with his business partners Bill, Randy and Freddy Simon. After franchising in 2004, Freddy’s has grown to nearly 450 locations serving 36 states across the nation. Redler also has other restaurant ownership stakes in restaurants including a BBQ Concept in Kansas City.

He also serves on the Board of the National Restaurant Association and has served for multiple years for the Kansas Restaurant and Hospitality Association. He is currently vice chair of the National Restaurant Association and is in line for chair in 2023.

“Scott has been extremely successful in entrepreneurship and in building something great from the ground up,” said Margaret Dechant, chair of the Dean Advisory Board. “I look forward to Scott joining our Board.”

The Dean’s Advisory Board, which consists of 50 diverse industry leaders from around the world, works to advance the mission and strategic priorities of the Barton School through strengthening, enriching, and enhancing the student experience.

Richard Dinkel, senior vice president and chief financial officer at Koch Industries, Inc., has been named to the Dean’s Advisory Board of the W. Frank Barton School of Business at Wichita State University. Dinkel becomes one of 50 diverse industry leaders from around the country.

“As an alumnus of this wonderful school, it is an honor to join the Dean’s Advisory Board,” said Dinkel. “I hope to impart the principles that have shaped me throughout my life to help transform the Barton School.”

“The Dean’s Advisory Board is pivotal to the success of the Barton School,” said Dr. Larisa Genin, Dean of the W. Frank Barton School of Business. “By tapping into the knowledge and insights that Richard and our other members have, we can revolutionize our college and community.”

The Dean’s Advisory Board works to advance the mission and strategic priorities of the Barton School through strengthening, enriching and enhancing the student experience. Dinkel’s expertise in finance and progressive industries such as analytics and information technologies will be an asset to the team.

“Richard’s business acumen, commitment to excellence, and experiences at Koch will be invaluable to our group and I welcome him aboard,” Margaret Dechant, chair of the Dean Advisory Board.

As the CFO, Dinkel has responsibility for Koch’s finance functions including accounting, tax, treasury, risk and IT in addition to Koch’s Global Services group. Dinkel has more than 30 years of experience in finance and accounting operations for large companiesand is also a certified public accountant. 

Dinkel serves on the board of directors of Flint Hills Resources, Guardian Industries, Georgia Pacific, INVISTA, Molex, Koch Global Services, and JDRF (formerly Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) of Missouri and Kansas. He has also served as a board member of Kansas Big Brothers Big Sisters, the Salvation Army and the Kansas Society of Certified Public Accountants. Dinkel is a past member of the Financial Accounting Standards Board advisory committee.

For the past two years, Krista Ward, Wichita State alumna and researcher, has conducted research at the privately owned Youngmeyer Ranch in Elk County, located about an hour from Wichita. 

Youngmeyer Ranch is owned by the Youngmeyer Trust, which has granted Wichita State research and educational access to the property. The research facility cost approximately $2 million to build and was paid for entirely by donors. Hutton designed and constructed the building.

The 3,400-square-foot building also includes a large garage and storage space where researchers can park vehicles and stow equipment. This feature permits a considerable amount of time and effort to be redirected to research work.