Category: Presentations and Talks

Dr. Alex Ellery, a mechanical and aerospace engineer from Carleton University in Ottawa, will join Interstellar Seminar from 2:30 to 3:20 p.m. Wednesday, March 6 in 104 Jabara Hall and online to discuss in-situ resource utilization, space manufacturing and the interplanetary economy.

Regenerating spacecraft during multigenerational voyages, when there is no chance of resupply, requires ingenuity, planning and flexible additive manufacturing.

Ellery’s work touches on space robotics, biomimetic design, autonomous systems, lunar mining and self-regenerating von Neumann probes. Find zoom details and an archive of past Interstellar Seminars on the Wichita Space Initiative webpage (wichita.edu/space).

The Department of Biological Sciences spring 2024 seminar series continues from 4 to 5 p.m. Monday, March 4 in 231 Hubbard Hall, with Dr. Mohamed Fakhr, of the University of Tulsa, with his talk, “Campylobacter Survival In Retail Meats: An Interesting Story.”

Seminars are open to the public and undergraduates are encouraged to attend.

Arzu Ozkal, visiting artist, will give a talk in conjunction with “SanDiego/Wichita Mail Art/Design/Play” — a collaborative exhibition between Ozkal and Dr. Irma Puškarević, assistant professor of graphic design — at 4 p.m. Wednesday March 6 in McKnight Art Center. A reception will follow from 5 to 6 p.m.

Ozkal (she/her/ella) is a Turkish born, San Diego, California based artist, designer and researcher. Ozkal’s practice is committed to fostering collaboration and inclusivity while critically engaging with social and cultural issues. A graphic design professor at San Diego State University, Ozkal holds an M.F.A. from the University at Buffalo, SUNY and a B.F.A. from Bilkent University.

Sarah DiGregorio, author of “Taking Care: The Story of Nursing and Its Power to Change Our World” will speak at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 29 in 200 Ahlberg Hall. There will be a meet and greet with DiGregorio from 6 to 6:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. 

DiGregorio is a journalist and critically acclaimed author who has written on health care and other topics for the New York Times, Washington Post and more. She has been a keynote speaker for national audiences, such as the American Nurses Association, National Association for Neonatal Nurses and many others.  

The Department of Women’s, Ethnicity, and International Studies invites the campus community to the 2024 International Women’s Day lecture from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, March 7 in 305/306 Rhatigan Student Center, Beggs Ballroom.

Dr. Lindsey Churchill, associate professor of history and geography from the University of Central Oklahoma, will talk on “From Incels to Only Fans: Radicalization, Liberation, Sexualization, and Ambiguity Online and Beyond.”

This event is open to faculty, staff, students and the wider Wichita-area public.

Join the College of Health Professions and Delta Gamma for a lecture from Amy Young, founder of Love Like Remi, on removing the stigma of mental illness in athletics and academia at 6:30 p.m. Monday, March 4 in the CAC Theater. Doors open at 6 p.m. with light refreshments.

Young is first and foremost Remington Young’s mother, who was lost to suicide on May 22, 2022. In order to create some good from this terrible tragedy, Young led the effort to create a foundation to help others fighting mental health and depression. Love Like Remi exists to remove the stigma associated with youth asking for help so that these challenges are not faced alone.

Conventional rockets will not take humans to the stars; interstellar travel requires advanced propulsion, from solar sails to antimatter drives. Les Johnson, NASA rocket scientist, will join Interstellar Seminar from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 28 in 104 Jabara Hall or online via Zoom.

Johnson is a leader in the Interstellar Research Group, a true futurist. In addition to being a physicist and mission scientist, Johnson writes popular books on interstellar travel and science fiction novels.

The first physics seminar of the spring semester will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 28 in 128 Jabara Hall and also on Zoom.  This talk will be given by Atri Dutta, associate professor of aerospace engineering.

The Department of History invites the campus community to hear Dr. Andrew Orr, associate professor of history at Kansas State University, present the lecture, “The Gay Girl in Damascus: Stolen Identities, Western Progressivism, and the Arab Spring” at 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 6 in 218 Hubbard Hall.

The Department of Biological Sciences’ spring 2024 seminar series continues from 4 to 5 p.m. Monday, Feb. 26 in 231 Hubbard Hall with Dr. John Brungardt, USDA – Agricultural Research Service, with his talk, “Transcriptome profile of pecan scab resistant and susceptible trees from a pecan provenance collection.”

Seminars are open to the public and undergraduates are encouraged to attend.