Shocker Blast: Friday, May 14, 2021

News

Acting for Digital Arts now offered at Wichita State

Whether their goal is to be Gollum in “Lord of the Rings” or a character in the next version of “Call of Duty,” Wichita State University students now have the option to specialize in motion-capture acting through a new concentration within the School of Digital Arts.

The School of Digital Arts (SODA) was founded in 2019 and is the fourth school within Wichita State’s College of Fine Arts program, which encompasses the Bachelor of Applied Arts (BAA) in Media Arts program. The BAA program already includes concentrations in animation, audio production, filmmaking, game design and collaborative design.

Wichita State seniors develop marketing campaigns for local nonprofits

This semester, students enrolled in Integrated Marketing Communication Campaigns with Dr. Lisa Parcell have been working with Alce Su Voz, Riverfest and the Kansas Nonprofit Chamber to develop full marketing communication campaigns. Every semester, this applied-learning experience is offered to students with the opportunity to develop campaigns for three new clients.

This experience gave students the opportunity to network, discover their individual talents and develop their portfolios.Read more about

F1RST-gen Shocker Friday: Bobby Berry

What is a first-gen student?

A first-generation college student is defined as a student whose parents or legal guardians have not completed a bachelor’s degree. A student who is the first person in their immediate family to attend a four-year college or university to attain a bachelor’s degree.

FORM-A-LINE: Become a subcommittee member of First-Generation Coordinating Council (FGCC). FGCC is looking for individuals to join. Currently seeking subcommittee members for the following:
- Marketing
- Faculty and Staff Engagement
- Data and Assessment
- Graduate School
FOCUS ON FIRST-GEN: This week we highlight Bobby Berry, Ed.D., assistant professor, Department of Sport Management assistant professor, and The Fuse director.
F1RST-GEN T-Shirts are available in the Rhatigan Student Center Shocker Store for $12.
If you’re interested in being featured as a first-generation profile, contact Lydia Santiago.

Wichita State seniors partner with McConnell’s Innovation Lab

Two Wichita State University seniors have partnered with the McConnell Air Force Base Innovation Lab to help fight COVID-19 – by using robotics. Computer science majors Lucy Hoang and Lydia Melles are creating an autonomous robot that uses ultraviolet C-lights (UVC) to clean grocery stores.

The project is part of a senior design class taught by Andy Stallard, WSU College of Engineering Senior Design Experience lecturer and director.

Office of Engagement donates more than 4,000 pounds of food to university

The Office of Engagement partnered with Common Ground Producers and Growers last December to provide food to those in need. The partnership also included Student Government Outreach and the Shocker Support Locker. Since December 2020, 4,250 to 5,400 pounds of food have been distributed on campus.

The groups hope in the future to donate to other Shocker neighbors through their neighborhood associations.

WSU Innovation pages added to wichita.edu

The Wichita State University front page has some new prospective student and community-facing content features designed to better align the site with our evolving student-centered, innovation-focused approach. The front page will now feature prominent links to a new set of innovation and research pages that talk about WSU’s excellence and progress in those areas.

Among the content features are:

A main “Innovation at WSU” page that expresses our commitment to research, innovation and applied learning.
A new “Research at WSU” page that explores WSU’s rising prominence nationally.
An expanded Centers and Institutes page, with brief descriptions of each entity and links to websites and location information. The page also includes a feedback form that will allow centers to suggest additions or updates to the listing.

Check out Innovation pages

Applied Learning

E-Launch: Getting your idea off the ground

Creating a startup presents many challenges, but E-launch makes it easier to navigate those challenges via training offering entrepreneurs to make sure their idea pairs with a consumer.

For more information on dates and pricing, visit the official E-Launch website. If you have any questions, email Nancy Kersenbrock.

BeoShock HPC accelerates research, provides students with applied computing experiences

Wichita State University’s high-performance computing (HPC) cluster is available to students, faculty and staff. Since its implementation, it has helped accelerate research and provided valuable computing experiences for students.

Named after “BeoShock” after “Beowulf” and Shockers, the computing cluster has two large GPUs (Graphics Processing Units) and 800 CPU (Central Processing Unit) cores. As a comparison, most end-user computing devices have one CPU having between one and eight total cores.

The cluster is also available to all WSU constituents, and those outside of WSU who are Kansas Board of Regents constituents. To learn more about BeoShock HPC, visit the website. For questions, contact personnel listed here.

Learn more about BeoShock HPC

Events and Recreation

WSU Society of Public Historians virtual meeting

The Wichita State Society of Public Historians will host a virtual meeting at 5:30 p.m. May 19 via Zoom.

After the general meeting, a presentation featuring published author Ken Spurgeon will follow at 6 p.m. Spurgeon was born and raised in Wichita. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in history from Wichita State University. He is an associate professor of history at Friends University, He has written or co-written and directed three documentaries that have also aired on various PBS stations throughout the Midwest.

Shocker baseball to host two Family Days

Wichita State Baseball will host two Family Days throughout the remainder of the season: Sunday, May 16 and Thursday, May 20. Join the Shockers for some family fun sponsored by The Wichita Eagle. Purchase includes four tickets, four hot dogs, four sodas, and four bags of popcorn for only $32. Come support Head Coach Eric Wedge and the team, as they take on conference opponents USF and Memphis.

May 15: Military, first responders day at Shocker Baseball

Wichita State Baseball will be hosting its First Responders and Military Appreciation Day on May 15. Free admission for all military, firefighters, police, paramedics, and nurses with I.D. confirmation. Come enjoy the game as the Shockers take on conference opponent USF.