Category: Presentations and Talks

The Ascension Via Christi – Wichita State University School of Nursing and the Ulrich Museum of Art will present “The Art of Immunity: Seeing Protection Through a Different Lens” from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22 in 200 Ahlberg Hall.

“The Art of Immunity: Seeing Protection Through a Different Lens” is a unique interdisciplinary collaboration designed to foster meaningful conversations about immunization. Through a collection of thermal images and a panel discussion featuring healthcare professionals and artist Linda Alterwitz, attendees will explore the science, stories and societal impact of vaccines. By combining artistic expression with evidence-based healthcare perspectives, the event aims to increase vaccine literacy, encourage dialogue and highlight the vital role immunizations play in protecting individual and community health.

The exhibit features thermal images created by Linda Alterwitz that depict vaccination responses within the human body. These images provide a distinctive visual perspective on immunity and serve as the foundation for discussions about personal and community health.

The event schedule includes welcome and introductions, remarks from Dr. Debra Pile, a presentation by Linda Alterwitz, a panel discussion, an audience question-and-answer session and a reception.

Panelists will discuss how immunizations impact their work and communities while sharing perspectives on vaccine education, access and advocacy. Panelists include:

• Dr. Robert Wittler, pediatric infectious disease provider
• Evan Olham, acute care provider
• J.V. Johnston or Letty Dominguez, community advocate
• Heather Stafford, Student Health Services director
• Dr. Delane Phillips, Student Health Services physician
• Linda Alterwitz, artist

The event is open to the campus and community. 

Join the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry for its next weekly seminar, which will take place at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 14 in 224 McKinley Hall. The department is honored to host Professor Vladislav Klepov from University of Georgia who will deliver a talk titled “Hypervalent Structural Units in Lanthanide and Uranium Intermetallics.”

Join scholarly publishing professional, author and consultant John Bond for a practical workshop on navigating the scholarly publishing process, from identifying the right journal and developing a writing plan and making the most of your work after publication from noon to 1 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 15 virtually via Microsoft Teams.

This session is recommended for those who are preparing their first manuscript or looking to strengthen their publication strategy.

Join the Department of Mathematics and Statistics for a public lecture by Dr. Dmitri Pavlov from Texas Tech University at 3 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16 in 372 Jabara Hall.

The lecture is titled “Geometric functorial field theories and their moduli spaces.” Refreshments will be available at 2:30 p.m. in 371 Jabara Hall.

Join the Department of Physics for the next physics seminar at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 14 in 128 Jabara Hall. The guest speaker will be Dr. Wanpeng Tan from University of Notre Dame. The talk will be on “New physics of a mirror world unveiled by the neutron lifetime anomaly.”

The seminar series brings several speakers to WSU each semester and is funded by the Eddy and April Lucas Fund, Wichita.

The Department of Biomedical Engineering is honored to host a seminar by Dr. Lin Jiang, assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at San José State University, at 2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16. The seminar will be hosted on Zoom.

Meeting ID: 982 6637 9583. Password: 453238

Seminar abstract: Wearable robotics lies at the intersection of biomechanics, neuroscience, sensing, control and rehabilitation engineering, creating new opportunities for both fundamental research and clinical innovation. This presentation will highlight the research on the design, control and optimization of upper-and lower-limb exoskeletons, with an emphasis on human-centered, adaptive rehabilitation. The work on haptic interfaces and BCI-informed rehabilitation will demonstrate how physiological, neural and human-robot interaction data can be integrated into closed-loop systems to better understand user intent and personalize assistance. The talk will also explore the emerging role of physical AI in healthcare, integrating physical interaction, multimodal sensing, simulation, learning and intelligent control. Through examples in exoskeletons, rehabilitation robotics and medical devices, participants will discuss how digital twins, human-in-the-loop learning and AI-enabled control can advance personalized healthcare and create new research opportunities at the intersection of biomedical engineering, robotics, neuroscience and artificial intelligence.

Modern and classical languages and literature graduate students, Estafany Álvarez Santillán and Cyndi Santillán, will discuss their research on “Monster Theory,” the circle of power and privilege, and other theories that they have applied to films they have watched and discussed in their media club.

It will take place from 1 to 2 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8 266 Rhatigan Student Center, Pike Room. This will be an open discussion for faculty and students.

Students are invited to hear from Dr. Wilfredo José Burgos Matos, senior research writer at the CUNY Dominican Studies Institute, as he explores the rich history and cultural significance of bachata, an Afro-Latin music and dance genre, tracing its roots from the Dominican Republic to the world stage.

The event will be held from noon to 1 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9 in 301 Rhatigan Student Center, Gridley Room.

Boxed lunches will be provided to the first 50 registered attendees. Note that individual meal preferences cannot be accommodated. RSVP is required.

The event is sponsored by the Department of History and part of the Afro-Latin Dance and Music Festival.

Join Responsible AI@ICT for the next event in its series from noon to 1 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23 in 210 Engineering Building and virtually via Microsoft Teams.

This session, “AI and the Environment,” will explore the environmental impacts of modern AI. Come learn how we got here, and where we may be headed as a global society. Topics range from the major headline-grabbers such as energy use, to lesser-discussed aspects such as waste disposal and heat islands.

Sponsored by Responsible AI@ICT. For more information visit wichita.edu/rAI.

Most have that drawer, that closet, that spare room — or maybe that entire corner of the garage — that seemed like a good idea at the time. Clutter has a way of sneaking up, turning good intentions into piles of “I’ll deal with it later.” Join Jill D. Miler, program director of the Empowered Senior Seminar Series; and Kate Mast, professional clean-out coach, noon-1 p.m. Monday, Oct. 12 in 138 Hughes Metropolitan Complex for an interactive session that will explore practical ways to rethink clutter, make decisions with greater confidence and take small steps that can lead to surprisingly big results.

Whether you are considering a major downsizing project, trying to reclaim a room or simply tired of moving the same pile from one spot to another, you will leave with fresh perspectives, actionable ideas and renewed motivation to create a home that feels lighter, calmer and more intentional.

The Wichita State University Retiree Association Brown Bag Lunch Series features monthly presentations on topics of interest and gives you a chance to connect with current and former colleagues. All WSU employees and WSU retirees are welcome to attend. No registration is necessary. View the WSURA calendar for information about additional events.