The College of Health Professions and Delta Gamma are proud to sponsor motivational speaker and Wichita State alumnus Jared Estes for his presentation, “Fire Back,” at 6:30 p.m. Monday, April 28 at the CAC Theater. The event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be provided.
“Fire Back” is a motivational talk that ignites positive changes in the listeners and equips them to combat life’s toughest challenges.
Jared Estes graduated from Wichita State in 2002 with a Bachelor of Arts in integrated marketing communication. In 2005, Estes barely survived a devastating car accident caused by a drunk driver, which tragically took the life of his wife after only six months of marriage. Now, Estes travels around the country to share his inspiring story about overcoming tragedy and loss.
Join the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry for its next seminar, which will take place at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 23 in 224 McKinley Hall. The department is honored to host Dr. Douglas Renfrew from Flatiron Institute, who deliver a talk titled, “Modeling and Design of Sequence Defined Heteropolymers and Structure Function Relationships in Microbial Genomes.”
Wichita State is taking bold steps to align campus development with long-term sustainability goals. In this talk, on Earth Day, Eason Bryer, executive director of Facilities Services, will provide an overview of how sustainability is embedded into WSU’s physical infrastructure, daily operations and strategic planning from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 22 in 265 Rhatigan Student Center, Lucas Room.
Drawing from the university’s Master Plan, the presentation will highlight key initiatives related to energy efficiency, water conservation, green building standards and landscape ecology. Attendees will gain insight into how WSU is reducing its environmental footprint, improving resilience and fostering a campus culture of sustainability through integrated planning and cross-departmental collaboration.
Join math and statistics for a public lecture by Dr. Gunther Uhlmann, professor from the University of Washington. The lecture, titled “45 Years of Calderon’s Inverse Problem,” will take place at 3 p.m. Friday, April 25 in 127 Jabara Hall. Refreshments will be available at 2:30 p.m. in 353 Jabara Hall.
Students, staff, faculty and industry partners are invited to attend the seminar, “Hidden Science in Engineering Materials,” hosted by the National Institute of Aviation Research (NIAR) and the College of Engineering. The seminar will be at 3 p.m. Thursday, April 24 in 110A Woolsey Hall.
The speakers include Dr. James C. Ho, researcher and retired professor; Dr. Ramazan Asmatulu, professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering in the College of Engineering; and Rachael Andrulonis, director of advanced materials research at NIAR. Dr. Ho will present, “What does low-temperature calorimetry tell us about high-strength Al-Li, Ti-(V, Mo)-Al, and magnetic element-containing materials?;” while Dr. Asmatulu will present, “Failure Mechanism of Fiber Reinforced Composites for Aviation;” and Andrulonis will present, “Qualification of Additively Manufactured Metals.”
As part of the Ulrich 50th anniversary celebration, the museum commissioned a new sculpture by Maine-based artist Bianca Beck, created specifically for the WSU campus as the 89th piece in the Martin H. Bush Outdoor Sculpture Collection.
In connection with the installation, Beck will give a talk at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 17 in 210 McKnight Art Center discussing their work, the cornerstone of which is the body, from the imagined internal spaces of veins and organs to the dynamics of identity and expression. Their brightly colored large-scale sculptures explore the expansion of the individual in relation to collectivity, creativity and partnership.
Promoting Health, Past and Present Dr. Lisa Parcell, associate professor and graduate coordinator of communication
Early Speech Development and Parent-infant Communicative Interaction Dr. Douglas Parham, CCC-SLP — chair, program director and professor of communication sciences and disorders
Working as a Medical Scribe Julie Fredenburg and Ruby Hernandez, medical scribes, Emergency Department or Ascension Via Christi Hospitals
Join Shocker New Venture Competition starting at 10:30 a.m. May 2 in Woolsey Hall and hear from this year’s keynote speaker, Derek Sorrells, founder and managing partner of Scion Capital Partners, at 1 p.m.
From a childhood lemonade stand to building a portfolio of eight original brands, ten physical locations and two virtual-only concepts, Derek’s story is a powerful example of entrepreneurial evolution. With a doctorate in business intelligence and data analytics, he combines data, strategy and creative branding to build bold ventures.
Come hear Derek’s insights on building successful businesses, navigating challenges and the power of vision-driven leadership. You’ll also experience the next wave of Wichita’s startup talent as teams pitch their innovative ideas for a chance to win startup funding.
The School of Education Spring Colloquium keynote speaker, Dr. Sun Young Lee, will be presenting on “The Question of Equity in the Science of Reading Reforms” from 5 to 6 p.m. May 5 in 110B Woolsey Hall, Frank A. Boettger Auditorium.
Dr. Lee is an assistant professor in the School of Education. Her research focuses on the politics of educational knowledge in teacher education, literacy education and Asian American education. Using historical, comparative and qualitative methods, she critically examines the paradoxes of well-intended education policies and reforms.
David Charbonneau, Fred Kavli Professor of Astrophysics at Harvard University, will present a public lecture, “The terrestrial worlds of other stars,” at 2 p.m. Wednesday, April 16 in 127 Jabara Hall.
Charbonneau works with his students and postdoctoral fellows to develop novel methods and instruments for the detection and characterization of planets orbiting other stars, and studies how the life cycles of the parent stars affect the presence and properties of the atmospheres of any attendant worlds. Charbonneau has pioneered many of the methods that are now widely used to discover and study these worlds, including the first exoplanet transit, the first detection of an exoplanet atmosphere, and the first estimate of the number of habitable worlds in the galaxy. He recently co-chaired the National Academies study, commissioned by Congress, that describes the national strategy for exoplanet research, including the search for life in the universe. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In September 2024, he was awarded the Kavli Prize in Astrophysics from the King of Norway at a ceremony in Oslo.
The Watkins Visiting Professorship was created in 1974 by the Watkins Foundation This grant is now provided through the Watkins fund, a part of the Wichita State University Foundation’s endowment.
