Category: Presentations and Talks

At 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, May 20 in the Dr. Sam and Jacque Kouri Collection Student Center in the Ulrich Museum of Arts, internationally recognized artist Marie Bukowski, dean, College of Fine Arts, will share an intimate look into her studio practice, highlighting how drawing, printmaking and painting intersect within her evolving body of work.

The artist will discuss the conceptual threads that connect her series, including memory, place and the emotional resonance of atmosphere and color. Refreshments will be served at 10 a.m. in the Ulrich Museum lobby. Everyone is welcome at this free event.

Zariah Perilla-Best, MFA student, will give a lecture on Afro-Latino literature and a reading of her poetry at 1 p.m. Friday, May 8 in 266 Rhatigan Student Center, Pike Room.

To learn more about the certificate in Latin American and Latino Studies, contact Dr. Rocio del Aguila at spanish@wichita.edu.

Mark your calendars now: At 9:30 a.m. Thursday, May 7 in 110 Woolsey Hall, Frank A. Boettger Auditorium, Lauren Dunford — co-founder and CEO of Guidewheel and the Barton School of Business’s Centennial Entrepreneur-in-Residence — will deliver a keynote presentation, “The New Wave of Innovation: AI, Robotics, Manufacturing, and the Future of Energy.” Doors open at 9 a.m.

Dunford leads Guidewheel, an AI-powered platform transforming physical operations across more than 400 manufacturers worldwide, including Johnson & Johnson, Hershey and Cargill. A World Economic Forum technology pioneer, TED speaker and Stanford scholar, she is a leading voice in “physical AI,” applying intelligence to the machines that power the global economy.

During this forward-looking keynote, Dunford will share how artificial intelligence is reshaping manufacturing, unlocking new levels of efficiency, sustainability and resilience. She will explore the convergence of AI, robotics and energy systems — and what it means for the future of industry and innovation.

Stick around after the keynote to connect with fellow students, faculty, entrepreneurs and business leaders shaping Wichita’s innovation ecosystem. The event is free and open to the public. Share with your students, colleagues and networks.

Students will present trifolds on topics such as Christian antisemitism, religious rationales for colonization and genocides, anti-Black racism and its political manifestations in U.S. history, roots and expressions of white supremacy, biblical rationales for the equality of races. Displays will be up in the library from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday, May 4. Meet the students from 2 to 3:15 p.m.

This is the second of two sessions of brief, PechaKucha-style talks by the Department of Art, Design and Creative Industries faculty artists featured in the exhibition, “Symbols of Greatness: Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.” These creatives will share their research and artwork in a 20×20 format — presenting 20 images with information for 20 seconds each.

This session includes talks by Ted Adler, Robert Bubp, Marco Hernandez, Meghan Miller, Jennifer Ray, Lori Santos and Tim Stone. The program, scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday, April 30 in the Polk/Wilson Gallery at the Ulrich Museum of Art followed by a reception at 7 p.m. in the gallery lobby. Everyone is welcome at this free event.

In this talk at noon Thursday, April 30 in 266 Rhatigan Student Center, Pike Room or via Microsoft Teams, the keynote speaker, Miguel Chavez, traces the history of the lucha libre mask and its evolving role in popular culture. He explores how masks draw on religious and cultural iconography to craft characters, tell stories and forge connections with audiences across both local and global contexts.

Lucha libre is often recognized for its high-flying acrobatics, elaborate costumes and colorful masks. But while masks are commonly understood as tools for concealing one’s identity, for many luchadores and luchadoras, the mask enables the performance of identities that cannot easily exist in everyday life.

Chavez is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Sociology and a Mellon Cluster Fellow in Gender and Sexuality Studies at Northwestern University. He is currently conducting fieldwork in Mexico City, where he trains alongside professional wrestlers in the lucha libre scene.

Join for a brown bag lunch, and if you want to join virtually, contact Sara Mata at sara.mata@wichita.edu or Rocío Del Águila at rocio.delaguila@wichita.edu.

The Department of Geology is pleased to invite you to a virtual seminar featuring guest speaker Dr. Julie M. Bloxson from Stephen F. Austin State University from 3 to 4 p.m. Thursday, April 23.

Bloxson will present on “Far-field Tectonic Controls on Deposition of the Ordovician Utica/Point Pleasant Play, Ohio using Core Logging, Well Logging, and Multivariate Analysis.”

Reach out to Dr. Zelalem Demissie, associate professor of geoscience, at zelalem.demissie@wichita.edu for more information.

Speaker bio:

Bloxson is an associate professor in the Department of Earth Sciences & Geologic Resources at Stephen F. Austin State University. Her research focuses on Gulf Coast, East Texas and Appalachian Basin systems, with emphasis on petroleum systems, stratigraphy, critical minerals in brines, geothermal resources and salt tectonics.

She leads student-driven research on subsurface systems using an integrated framework that combines field geology, petrophysics, geochemistry and geospatial analysis. Prior to her academic appointment, she worked with the Ohio Division of Geological Survey on CCUS reservoir characterization, salt studies and subsurface analysis.

Bloxson earned her doctorate in earth sciences from Case Western Reserve University, where she investigated mineralogy and facies distribution of the Utica Shale. She holds an master’s in geology from Kent State University (CCUS-focused research on Clinton Sands) and a bachelor’s in geology from the University of Akron.

The College of Education will host a virtual graduate information session from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 23 for individuals exploring career advancement, leadership opportunities or advanced training in education and human services.

The session will provide an overview of graduate programs and help prospective students identify options aligned with their goals. Attendees will learn about advanced degrees designed for educators, leaders, counselors, career changers and other professionals committed to meaningful impact.

Join a special double feature in the Math for Everyone Lecture Series. The first event, “Mime-matics,” a fusion of mathematics and mime performed by Tim and Tanya Chartier, will take place at 4 p.m. Thursday, April 30 in 127 Jabara Hall. The second event, a public lecture by Tim Chartier (Davidson College) titled “Get in the Game: Data Analytics via Sports,” will be held at 3 p.m. Friday, May 1 in 127 Jabara Hall.

Following Friday’s talk, there will be an informal Q&A session and light refreshments for further discussion and engagement.

Join for a public lecture by Alexander Solynin from Texas Tech University. The lecture, titled “Capacities of constellations of disks and balls: New results and open problems,” will take place at 3 p.m. Friday, April 17 in 372 Jabara Hall. Refreshments will be available at 2:30 p.m. in 371 Jabara Hall.