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.
Join the math department for a public lecture by Dr. Matthias Wink, University of California, Santa Barbara. The lecture, titled “The Bochner technique in geometry,” will take place at 3 p.m. Friday, April 18 in 372 Jabara Hall. Refreshments will be available at 2:30 p.m. in 353 Jabara Hall.
History department faculty at WSU and the WSU Chapter of the AAUP/AFT present a “Teach-in on Higher Education and the Current Political Situation” from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, April 17 in 211 Hubbard Hall. Faculty members will elaborate on key issues facing universities and colleges, including threats to academic freedom, the defunding of research and banning of DEI, and will provide status reports on the latest developments. Speakers include history faculty members Dr. Laila Ballout, Dr. George Dehner and Dr. Robert Weems. The event is moderated by Dr. Rannfrid Lasine Thelle.
A Q&A period and discussion will follow the presentation.
The event is open to faculty, staff, students and the public and is offered as a part of the National Day of Action in Higher Education.
Save the date for 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, Frank A. Boettger Auditorium. Students, staff, faculty and industry partners are invited to attend.
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.”
Base cost is $48 (includes bar drink); WSU students can get tickets, with an ID, for $35 (subsidized by the World Trade Council of Wichita/Center for International Business Advancement, Barton School of Business). The talk is organized by the Wichita Committee on Foreign Relations.
For more information and to register, visit wtcouncil.com/programs. Registration closes on April 25 and seats are limited.
This event has been cancelled. Please stay tuned for future events.
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The keynote speaker, Dr. Jill Koyama at the February 14 summit, will join the Leadership & Ethics in Education Summit from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, April 17 at the Eugene Hughes Metropolitan Complex virtually.
She is the vice dean of the Division of Education Leadership and Innovation at the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University. The free event is to advance understanding of Principled Innovation and the work on developing initiatives based on its framework.
The HSI office invites you to the workshop “How to Achieve Organizational Excellence Through Cultural Humility” presented by Dr. Joel Pérez. Through this event, attendees will explore practical strategies to develop and nurture cultural humility within themselves and their work.
Participants will discover how to leverage cultural humility to effect positive changes on individual, organizational and community levels. Join from 1:30 to 4 p.m. Monday, April 21 at 141 Woosley Hall, Fidelity Bank Ballroom.
Join the HEALTH Student Association in the Department of Public Health Sciences for the Unequal Plates panel at 1 p.m. Wednesday, April 9 in 300 Ahlberg Hall. Expert panelists will explore how food insecurity is addressed in Kansas with a special focus on the Shocker learning community.
Attendees can receive a free T-shirt, while supplies last, and light refreshments will be served. Contact the HEALTH faculty advisor Amy Drassen Ham at amy.ham@wichita.edu with questions. The event is free and everyone is welcome.
Mark your calendars now: At 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 30 in 110 Woolsey Hall, Frank A. Boettger Auditorium, Chase Koch — executive vice president of Koch, and the spring 2025 entrepreneur-in-residence at the Barton School of Business — will deliver a keynote presentation, “The Sound of Change: Music as a Catalyst for Social Impact,” as part of the prestigious James Schwartz Lecture Series.
Doors open at 5 p.m. Stick around after the keynote for networking and reception in 141 Woolsey Hall, Fidelity Bank Ballroom. The event will provide attendees with a unique opportunity to hear firsthand the vision behind Somewhere Fest & Conference — a community-driven music festival that combines entertainment with social impact. Chase will share how the festival, now in its second year, has evolved into a movement that blends culture, artists and social change to bring people together and create value for local communities.
The upcoming keynote event is free and open to public. Share with your students, colleagues and networks.
