April 2023

WSU is black and yellow and green all over

April is such a beautiful month with spring foliage showing off its brilliant blooms and newborn creatures poking their heads out of their nests. Perhaps it’s the beauty of the season that was the inspiration behind choosing April 22 as Earth Day — to highlight the importance of preserving our world through sustainable and eco-friendly practices.

Part of Wichita State’s mission statement is to drive “prosperity for the people and communities we serve”; and what better way to serve the people of Kansas than to be excellent stewards of our state’s resources?

• The Green Group is a student organization dedicated to intersectional environmentalism, and its members collectively work to raise awareness of our interdependent relationship with the natural environment. They have planned a full calendar of events to celebrate Earth Day; and throughout the year, they maintain a community garden on campus, work with the Student Government Association on campus policies around sustainability, and volunteer at various businesses and agencies across Wichita. Also, to promote green transportation, the Green Group set up a free bike repair station near Shocker Hall.

• Wichita State’s Environmental Finance Center was recently selected as one of 17 locations to establish an Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Center. This new center will promote environmental and energy justice in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and adjoining Indigenous nations.

• In recent years, Wichita State has built a reputation as a leader in the field of digital transformation research which promotes environmental sustainability by reducing paper usage, enabling remote work, promoting green data centers, and facilitating sustainable supply chain management.

April podcast: Jonna Mendez, former CIA chief of disguise

Join President Muma for a conversation with Jonna Mendez, the former CIA chief of disguise, as they talk about her time as a student at WSU and the path that led her to be an expert in disguise, identity transformation and clandestine imaging.

Click above to watch a video of the podcast. The podcast is also available on Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts or Apple Podcasts (iTunes).

In March, Paul Mills walked on the court at Charles Koch Arena as head coach of the Shockers for the first time. He is well acquainted with the building, however, and how Wichita State fans can fill seats and affect games.

Mills coached in the arena three times during his six seasons at Oral Roberts. Baylor, where he worked as an assistant under Scott Drew, lost in Charles Koch Arena in 2018.

“Having been here a few times, I understand the decibel levels that it gets,” he said. “Because I was on the wrong side of those levels, and the people here, the passionate fanbase, the rich history, the winning tradition made this a no-brainer for my family.”

Wichita State has chosen Terry Nooner as its 10th head women's basketball coach, Kevin Saal, director of athletics, announced on April 17.

Shocker Athletics will introduce Nooner at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, April 20 in Charles Koch Arena. The event is free and open to the public, with streaming available live and on demand via ESPN+.

"To say this is a dream come true is an understatement," Nooner said. "As someone who played in Kansas, met my wife here and have raised my children here, I couldn't be happier to land my first head coaching position in the state I love so much. My family and I are incredibly excited to join Shocker Nation and make Wichita our home for years to come. I can't thank Kevin Saal and Dr. Muma enough for their belief and support, and I'm ready to build something special with our women's basketball program."

The Great Plains has often been overlooked in the history books of North America, but recent discoveries made by a team of Wichita State University archaeologists are rewriting the history of where the beating heart of North American actually was in the pre-historic era before the arrival of Christopher Columbus.

According to research findings by Dr. Don Blakeslee, professor of anthropology and archaeologist at Wichita State, it turns out that the Great Plains was much bigger and much more politically and economically influential in North America than previously thought.

In 2018, Blakeslee discovered the forgotten town of Etzanoa outside of Arkansas City, Kansas. But what he didn’t know until now is the true extent of what lies underground: An entire nation of ancestors of today’s Wichita tribe towns — called Quivira — totaling more than 200,000 people, who traded goods all across North America and who even had a previously unknown common language.

With the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic behind us, Wichita State University’s Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory will soon be expanding its focus to become a full microbiology laboratory.

The lab’s evolution will give students more opportunities for applied learning, boost research capabilities and help fill a gap for medical testing across the state.

Wichita State University established the MDL in October 2020 in response to a statewide need for high-volume COVID-19 testing with a quick turnaround. At the height of the pandemic, the MDL was processing thousands of specimens per day with results in less than 24 hours, ensuring quick quarantine and treatment for those infected, and allowing hundreds of businesses, schools and state agencies across Kansas to stay open. 

The 2023 Craig W. Barton Speaker Series event with Cody Keenan, former director of speechwriting for President Barack Obama, is now available to view online. The video will only be available to view until May 6.

On March 30, Keenan came to WSU and spoke about his time in the White House and the recent publication of his book, “Grace: President Obama and Ten Days in the Battle for America.”

For the 12th straight year, Wichita State University is the most popular transfer destination for students at Kansas community colleges.

According to the Kansas Board of Regents, 719 students transferred to Wichita State in the fall 2021 (the most recent year for which data is available). That scale of transfer intake is 15% higher than the next closest Kansas university.

Ayshea Banes knew she wanted to study astronomy when a class at Wichita State nearly brought her to tears.

“I took Astrophysics II in the fall, and that was with Dr. [Jason] Ferguson, and that class really solidified my love for astronomy and physics,” said Banes, a senior in physics. “I remember I was sitting in class and, I don’t remember exactly what he was teaching, I think it was more of the cosmology we were learning in the class, and I literally wanted to start crying. I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is exactly what I want to do.’”

Banes took that passion and ran with it, taking any opportunity to immerse herself in her newly chosen field. One of those opportunities occurred this past January, when Banes was chosen to present at the American Astronomical Society’s annual meeting in Seattle.

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