WSU Today: Feb. 27, 2020

 

Wind Turbine and Billy Martin

ͷ State licenses wind turbine protection technology to Lightning Diversion Systems

ͷ and WSU Ventures have entered into a new strategic partnership with California-based Lightning Diversion Systems (LDS), a Ducommun Company.

ͷ State President Jay Golden and Dave Wilmot, vice president and general manager of the Engineered Products Group for Ducommun, signed an agreement that will enable a new technology in the rapidly growing wind energy sector, to be further refined, with the intent of commercialization.

The partnership involves the exclusive licensing of a lightning strike protection system for rotor blades in the wind turbine industry, the product of several years of research and development by LDS and Billy Martin, senior research scientist for WSU’s National Institute for Aviation Research, and his team in NIAR’s Environmental Test Lab.

Pictured above: Billy Martin, senior research scientist for WSU’s National Institute for Aviation Research, has spent several years with his team in NIAR's Environmental Test Lab researching ways to protect wind turbine blades from lightning damage.


FUN at Ulrich Feb. 28, 2020

Ulrich Museum's 'FUN' event Friday will showcase innovative research across campus

Ulrich Museum's 'FUN' event Friday, Feb. 28, will showcase innovative research across campus

The Ulrich Museum of Art invites you to an afternoon of FUN (Future Now at the Ulrich) from 4-5 p.m. tomorrow (Friday, Feb. 28), with a reception following. Featuring PechaKucha-style presentations of campuswide research: 3 Fridays, 4 presentations, 7 minutes each. This program is an extension of the museum's Solving for X series, sharing research across campus with the community. Admission is free.

The presenters for the Feb. 28 FUN are:

Brian Amos, assistant professor of political science, "The Hidden Gerrymandering of County Elections"

Carter Bryant, Mary Joan Waid, curatorial and education intern

Ulrich Museum of Art, "Sources: Curating Narratives in the Arts"

Darren DeFrain, associate professor of English, director of the Writing Program, "Making Comics and Graphic Narratives Accessible"

Ksenya Gurshtein, curator of Modern and Contemporary Art

Ulrich Museum of Art, "Art History from the Archive to the Attic"

If you are a WSU researcher interested in presenting at the next FUN event, contact Jana Erwin at jana.erwin@wichita.edu.


Faculty nominations sought for president’s distinguished service award by Friday

Consider nominating a faculty member for a presidential award who has provided outstanding service to the university community. Please consider nominating someone who exemplifies one or more of the following characteristics:

  • Distinguished service to the university
  • Distinguished service to the community
  • Notable outreach efforts and/or forging of connections between WSU and the community.
  • Long-term commitment to WSU through extensive committee service

Think about those around you who fit this description and consider nominating them to leeann.birdwell@wichita.edu by Friday, Feb. 28. Complete a nomination form and attach a CV that includes the nominee’s service activities. Previous recipients of this award are not eligible for nomination. The Faculty Senate Executive Committee will review the nominations and then submit their recommendations to the president.

Faculty Awards


Francis Connor

Talk in the Language and Linguistics Colloquium Series features Francis Connor today

We invite all of you to the first talk in the spring 2020 Language and Linguistics Colloquium Series. Dr. Francis Connor, associate professor and Interim Chair, Department of English, will give a talk at 3 p.m. today (Thursday, Feb. 27) in 208 Hubbard Hall. The talk is titled "Shakespeare's Imperfect Verses." This event is free and open to the public.

You’ll find an unfamiliar version of a famous William Shakespeare poem in a forgotten seventeenth-century book. Is it Shakespeare's first draft, a revision by another writer, or something else? My colloquium presentation will use such a poem as a case study to consider different language-based approaches to authorial attribution, focusing particularly on ways that digital corpora such as EEBO-TCP have changed how we approach questions of authorship.


Poet Diana Arterian Feb. 27, 2020

Writing Now / Reading Now series to feature WSU Emerging Visiting Poet Diana Arterian

You’re invited to a reception and poetry reading today (Thursday, Feb. 27), at the Ulrich Museum of Art. The reception will start at 5:30 p.m., with the poetry reading at 6 p.m. Admission is free.

Spring 2020 WSU Emerging Visiting Poet Diana Arterian is the author of “PLAYING MONSTER :: SEICHE (1913 Press, 2017),” a poetry collection that investigates childhood and trauma through a haunting blend of confessional, documentary, and minimalist styles.

Writing Now / Reading Now is cosponsored by the WSU Department of English, the Department of Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures, Fairmount College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, Watermark Books & Café, and the Ulrich Museum of Art.


Gender & Sexuality Conference March 13, 2020

Time to register for the 2020 Gender & Sexuality Conference

Registration for the 7th Annual Gender & Sexuality in Kansas Conference, to be held in the Rhatigan Student Center on Friday, March 13, is now live. Whether you plan to drop in and out to attend conference sessions or only plan to attend the afternoon keynote address by Dr. Sarah Deer, titled, "Sovereignty of the Soul:  Confronting Sexual Violence in Native America", we ask that you pre-register if you plan to attend.

to access the registration form.

Pre-registration will be open until noon on Tuesday, March 10.

As always, the conference is free and open to the public.

Please share this information widely with faculty, staff, students, or others you know who may be interested in attending.


Departmental paper ICDs – New instructions!

Effective Monday, Feb. 17, route all paper ICDs (including partial and full payments on purchase orders) to Financial Operations in 201 Jardine Hall, Campus Box 38.

Accounts Payable will ensure the document is routed for additional approvals, if needed. Contact accountspayable@wichita.edu with questions.


Call for graduate student abstracts for GRASP 2020

Professors, GRASP Abstract submission is open now through Friday, March 6. Please encourage your graduate students working on research or scholarly projects to submit an abstract! Abstract requirements and deadlines are listed on the GRASP website.


Free academic resources are available through TRIO Student Support Services

Student Support Services (SSS) is funded by the U.S. Department of Education to provide free academic services to students from First-Generation (FG) and Limited- Income (LI) backgrounds, as well as students with disabilities.

The free services include individualized tutoring, academic advising, textbook loans, assistance completing financial aid applications, and scholarships exclusively for student participants.

We are located on the third floor of Grace Wilkie Hall, in suite 309. For more information, visit our website or contact our offices at 978-3715.

Student Support Services


WSU Symphony Orchestra Concert Feb. 27, 2020

WSU Symphony Orchestra Concert features student soloists this evening

Four student soloists will be featured at the ͷ Symphony Orchestra Concerto-Aria Honors Concert at 7:30 p.m. today (Thursday, Feb. 27) in Miller Concert Hall. Mark Laycock, director of orchestras, will lead the program.

For tickets, go to  or call 978-3233. Admission is free for students with a WSU ID.


The Advising Network

Attention faculty with advising responsibilities

Would you like access to tools and resources to help support your advising work? TAN (The Advising Network) is here to help.

TAN is WSU organization that promotes student success through professional development for academic advisors at WSU. We would love to include faculty with advising responsibilities in our network!

TAN provides members with access to professional development resources from across campus, as well as through NACADA, the global community for academic advising.

If you are interested in joining TAN, .


Nike Gameday Sale Feb. 27, 2020

Save on Nike for Shocker Gameday today

For every home men’s basketball game, the Shocker Store will have a sale for Shocker fans. For the game against Temple today (Thursday, Feb. 27), enjoy 20% off Nike apparel. Sale is valid at Braeburn Square location and at shockerstore.com, on game day only. Some exclusions apply. Not valid with other discounts or promotions.


Model UN spring 2020 award recipients

Model United Nations has award-winning year

ͷ State’s Model United Nations team attended the Midwest Model UN conference in St. Louis last week, and the NMUN / Europe conference in Erfurt Germany last November. In both conferences our delegates had award-winning performances.

The Model United Nations program prepares students to take on the role of diplomats from a foreign country in a simulation of UN committee meetings. Students become experts on particular global issues and then meet with other "diplomats" representing countries around the world to write resolutions. These resolutions address a variety of global problems (ex: maintaining international peace and security, protecting human rights, promoting development, protecting the environment).

Students hone their skills in research, writing, public speaking, and negotiation by participating in this amazing experiential-learning opportunity. Dr. Carolyn Shaw and Dr. Alexandra Middlewood served as faculty advisors for the team this year.

For more information, go to .

St. Louis Award Recipients

Ashruta Acharya: Outstanding Position paper, Outstanding Delegate, Delegates’ Choice (Germany on the Security Council A)

Jackson Behrens: Outstanding Position paper (Germany on General Assembly 3rd committee)

Eli Flores: Honorable Mention (Germany on General Assembly 2nd committee)

Mackenzie Gibson: Honorable Mention and Delegates’ Choice (Austria on General Assembly 1st committee)

Daisy Kerabo: Outstanding Position paper (Germany on UN Environment Assembly)

Cynthia Matson: Outstanding Position paper (Germany on Security Council B)

Aaron Mounts: Honorable Mention and Delegates’ Choice (Austria on General Assembly 1st committee)

Sarah Myose: Outstanding Delegate (Germany on Economic and Social Council)

Zubair Khan: Outstanding Delegate (Germany on Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice)

Michael Goddard, Eli Flores, Jackson Behrens: Outstanding Delegation (Germany on General Assembly Plenary)

Sarah Myose and Zubair Khan: Outstanding Delegation (Germany on Ecosoc Plenary)

Erfurt Germany Award Recipients:

Ashruta Acharya, Zubair Khan, Cynthia Matson, Adriana Somerville, Stella Yang: Honorable Mention (Nigeria)


Breakfast for future Shockers - AAC Men's Tournament

Traveling to Dallas for the AAC Men’s Basketball Tournament?

Faculty, staff and alumni with high school dependents who are traveling to the AAC Men’s Basketball Tournament are invited to a special event in Dallas! Join the Office of Admissions and other future Shockers for breakfast and an informational ͷ State presentation on Saturday, March 14.

RSVP at ͷ.edu/aacbreakfast, or if you have questions, contact Tera Park at tera.park@wichita.edu.


SGA Elecdtions Commnission

Faculty and Staff: The SGA Elections Commission needs your help!

Do you know of a student (undergrad or graduate student) who you think might make a great candidate for the Student Government Association!? Do you have someone who is ready for a crucial leadership position to make decisions and represent the entire student body? Please encourage them to run and declare themselves as a candidate for the upcoming SGA elections!

What does SGA even do? SGA serves as the voice of students to the university and college administration, local, state and federal representatives. SGA also manages the allocation of more than $10 million dollars in student fees, and governs over all recognized student organizations, provides funding to student groups and individuals, and awards several thousands of dollars in scholarships annually.

For more information, go to , or have them reach out to sga.elections@wichita.edu.


Krisin Alford March 4, 2020

‘Breaking Ground: Women in Engineering Initiatives in Australia’

Kristin Alford will present “Breaking Ground: Women in Engineering Initiatives in Australia,” from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesday, March 4, in the Ulrich Museum, second floor.

Alford is a futurist and the director of MOD at the University of South Australia. MOD is an immersive museum of discovery that showcases research and emerging technologies on broad exhibition themes such as waging peace and hedonism.

Prior to this role, Alford was the founding director of foresight agency Bridge8, facilitating futures and engagement on water sustainability, climate futures, emerging technologies and advanced manufacturing. She also has experience in minerals processing engineering and marketing, and holds postgraduate degrees in chemical engineering and strategic foresight.

Reception and light refreshments will follow the talk, which is sponsored by the College of Engineering, Ulrich Museum, and NSF ADVANCE Catalyst project.


Course Materials Affordability Forum

Attend the Course Materials Affordability Forum

Plan to attend the Course Materials Affordability Forum, hosted by the Shocker Store! It will occur on Monday, March 2 on the RSC 3rd floor, with two sessions to choose from- 9:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m. or noon-3 p.m. Come-and-go as you please. Meet and talk with course materials representatives, hear firsthand from students and faculty on what Access Now looks like at ͷ, enjoy a live demo from RedShelf and more.

For more information and an agenda, go to  or email shockerstore@wichita.edu.


Engineering Council

Your WSU Engineering Council helping GEEKS get new computers

The new, revamped Engineering Council - realigned with the goals of connecting students, faculty, and administration within the College of Engineering to communicate concerns and make your college experience better - has begun the new year with long strides.

You may have been asked by our representatives in the past few weeks what problems you have had, and one thing that repeatedly kept coming up was the GEEKS program. You have been heard!

In communicating these problems to the head coordinator of GEEKS Jason Bosch, both he and Jacob Mendez have begun tackling the problems and solved one of the major annoyances: lack of effective computers.

Since hearing your conveyed feedback, GEEKS will get an upgrade to the 8+ year-old computers with the addition of a few more to fill the available space. They are planned to be replaced during spring break. We will continually update you on newer projects and what we are working on behind the scenes.

Follow our twitter to provide some casual feedback and receive these updates in the quickest manner at .


SSGL Lent specials April 9, 2020

Lent specials at the Shocker Sports Grill & Lanes

The Shocker Sports Grill & Lanes will offer Lent specials now to April 9. Options are popcorn shrimp, polluck fish sticks and crumb-breaded cod fish filets. Hush puppies included with each. Add fries for just $1.