Category: News

Science-minded teenagers will take over campus this weekend, testing their knowledge and skills for various STEM related events.

The Kansas Science Olympiad state tournament participants will begin arriving Friday, April 5 and will compete in several different STEM events throughout Saturday, April 6.

Faculty, staff and students can help visitors who may not be familiar with the Wichita State campus by showing landmarks and offering directions.

The Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences sponsors the Kansas Science Olympiad program. Wichita State hosts the state competition in April each year. Area middle and high school students begin preparation as soon as their classes begin in the fall and try out for a place on their school’s team. Teams may participate in more than 20 events, which include building wheeled vehicles, bridges and rubberband-powered aircraft, solving crime scenarios, or working steadily with teammates on written exams.

On the afternoon of April 8, Wichitans looking up into the sky will be able to see a partial solar eclipse, with the best view at around 1:45 p.m. Central Time. Despite not being in the path of totality, it will still be an event worth watching.

If you’re planning to view the solar eclipse, KMUW offers tips to safely watch, from start to finish, including where to find proper eyewear and alternative methods to view the eclipse.

You can also find additional information on safely viewing the eclipse from NASA, and NASA will host a livestream of the eclipse starting at noon April 8.

Dr. Nick Solomey, professor in the Department of Mathematics, Statistics and Physics, also provided insights on what has been described as the “Great American Eclipse” to KWCH.

The Chronicle of Higher Education will soon change the way readers access it online. The third-party cookie policies of Google and other browsers are changing in 2024, so simply being on the WSU campus will no longer provide automatic access.

Since each Internet browser is rolling out its new policies at different times throughout 2024, there is no single date for when the change will take place.

So that you don’t accidently lose access to this valuable academic resource, University Libraries encourages employees go to The Chronicle’s website now to set up an account using your WSU email address (@wichita.edu). You can then customize your individual account to include access to The Chronicle’s newsletters such as Academe Today, Race on Campus, Teaching and other resources such as academic reports and “how-to” guides. And, of course, there is continued access to The Chronicle’s job board.

Off-campus access to The Chronicle will continue via proxied IP authentication.

The WSU Libraries will continue to keep employees up-to-date should additional information become available regarding access to The Chronicle as browser cookie policies change throughout the year.

The third OAK Supercomputing Conference will be held at Wichita State University between May 20-23. Full details are available on the conference website. The program includes scientific talks, poster presentations and hands-on workshops. Special workshops offered include: Deep Learning by NVIDIA and MATLAB by MathWorks.

The conference is being co-organized with the fourth national High-Performance Computing Security Workshop, May 20-21.

The OAK conference and the HPC Security Workshops are open to all level of participants (faculty, researchers, HPC/IT admins and students and industry). The goal is to bring together the HPC users to lower the barrier of entry to HPC for folks who do not have access to it. Topics include High Performance and High Throughput Computing (HPC/HTC), Cybersecurity, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), Data Analytics and Data Visualization, and Internet of Things (IoT). Slots for podium talks and poster presentations are available (see the websites for more details).

The conference and workshop are available at no charge, but registrations are required (separately for the OAK Conference and HPC Security Workshop). The events will be held in-person on WSU’s campus to promote interaction and collaboration (see conference website for lodging information).

Travel funding available: Limited funding is available to support travel. Participants from emerging/smaller institutions and under-represented groups are specially encouraged to apply.

Students who are interested in studying abroad over the next winter break can start planning now and look at the options available in many different countries.

Programs are generally three weeks long during the month of January. Areas of study include environmental studies, international business, music, religion, art history, photography, language, psychology, sociology and more.

Costs range from $2,000 to $6,290 (includes most fees for the programs except for the flight).

Get started by completing the WSU study abroad application or email the study abroad offices at studyabroad@wichita.edu.

TRIO Disability Support Services (DSS) is pleased to announce that they have been recertified as a Level 1 tutor training program by the internationally recognized College Reading and Learning Association (CRLA). For more than thirty years CRLA has been a leader in learning assistance, reading and academic support programs with almost 1,300 members and over 2,000 certified training programs worldwide.

TRIO DSS has worked hard to develop a tutor training program that meets CRLA’s rigorous standards and has successfully maintained its certification since 2017. Achieving certification means that the TRIO DSS Peer Tutoring Program has met CRLA’s high standards for tutor selection, training, direct service and evaluation as an integral part of their overall tutoring program.

For more information about the TRIO DSS Peer Tutoring Program, contact Brooke Allen, tutor coordinator for TRIO DSS at 316-978-5949 or brooke.allen@wichita.edu. TRIO DSS is located in 158 Grace Wilkie Annex.

The Shocker Leadership Experience (SLE) is a free five-day, four-night overnight experience at Rock Springs 4-H Camp in Junction City, Kansas from Monday, May 13 to Friday, May 17.

SLE engages participants in leadership knowledge and skill development facilitated in both small and large groups, as well as through numerous interactive activities. The program is great for all students, regardless of leadership experience. Topics include:

• Self-leadership
• Building community/belonging
• Leadership power and influence
• Living and leading on purpose

Transportation, food, lodging and a T-shirt are all included at no additional charge.

Applications are open until 11:59 p.m. April 14. For questions, email lead.grad@wichita.edu.

Faculty members with an interest in recruiting future Shockers can apply to become a Recruitment Faculty Fellow. Applications for the 2024-25 academic year are open through Friday, April 26.

Recruitment Faculty Fellows work in partnership with the Office of Admissions to recruit new students to the university. The Faculty Fellows engage in both in-person and virtual recruitment efforts and serve as advocates within their college to inform others about admissions activities and operations.

For questions, contact Kayla Klein, director of communications at Undergraduate Admissions, at kayla.klein@wichita.edu.

The Barton School of Business proudly announces the appointment of Kianga Crowley as the inaugural manager of the Barton School’s Office of Career and Professional Development (OCPD). With an extensive background in communication, development and mentorship, Crowley brings a wealth of experience and a passion for empowering individuals to her new role.

Prior to joining the Barton School, Crowley served as the director of development at GraceMed Health Clinic, where she demonstrated exceptional leadership and strategic planning skills. Her dedication to community engagement and personal development is evident in her work as the founder and etiquette consultant at Simply a Lady Co. LLC, a business focused on enhancing self-esteem and preparing individuals for success in professional and social settings. As the manager of the Office of Career & Professional Development, she will play a pivotal role in guiding Barton School undergraduate and graduate students towards fulfilling career opportunities and professional growth.

Expressing her enthusiasm for her new position, Crowley stated, “I am truly honored to join the Barton School’s Office of Career and Professional Development. I am eager to leverage my experience and passion for mentorship to support students in achieving their personal and professional aspirations.”

Major League Table Tennis (MLTT), the first professional table tennis league in the United States, is coming to Wichita State’s Koch Arena April 5-7, and MLTT is offering discounted tickets to WSU staff and faculty.

MLTT features world class players — the best in America — representing 40 total countries, and competes in an innovative team game format that concludes with the Golden Game, a pulse-pounding race to 21 points where every member of each five-person team rotates in every four points.

Tickets are available for just $20 ($15 for students & seniors, $10 for kids) and you can get another 25% off with code: SPIN25. Go to the online ticket storefront, enter the code at the top where it says “Enter Promo Code,” then select your tickets.

Tickets also grant fans access to the fan zone, where they can play on ping pong tables, meet the pros and potentially even get a chance to play a few points against the stars. 

For more updates, schedules, behind-the-scenes content and information on MLTT players, teams and coaches, visit the MLTT website.