RESEARCH & INNOVATION NEWS
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Wichita State breaks the top 10 in NSF’s engineering R&D rankings; No. 1 for aerospace R&D expenditures | |
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For the first time, Wichita State University has entered the top 10 in the country in engineering research and development (R&D) expenditures, according to data announced this week by the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Higher Education Research and Development Survey.
Wichita State is also ranked No. 1 for aerospace engineering R&D expenditures for the first time in its history.
For fiscal year 2023, Wichita State’s total of $327 million from all funding sources for aerospace ranks ahead of Georgia Institute of Technology ($294 million), Utah State University ($271 million), Johns Hopkins University ($196 million) and the University of Colorado ($90 million).
These rankings put Wichita State among other prestigious engineering universities such as the Georgia Institute of Technology, Johns Hopkins, Notre Dame, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Texas at Austin, Purdue and Stanford.
| | Wichita State to help modernize and replace USAF’s Nightwatch presidential emergency command center aircraft fleet | |
As part of the U.S. Air Force’s Survivable Airborne Operations Center contract, Wichita State University is partnering with SNC to modernize and deliver a new fleet of Nightwatch aircraft — the airborne command center for the president of the United States, secretary of defense, and chairs of the joint chiefs of staff, ensuring continued critical command, control and communication during national emergencies.
It is a critical program that will ensure that the United States is adequately prepared for unfaltering communication during a national emergency.
The contract between WSU’s National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) and SNC, a global aerospace and national security company, is the most significant industry contract in the history of the university.
Approximately 400 Wichita State students and staff are expected to work on this project, which will be conducted at NIAR’s Maintenance Repair and Overhaul facility and the Partnership 2 building on WSU’s Innovation Campus.
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Wichita Biomedical Campus begins taking shape as concrete pour continues | |
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Construction is underway on Phase 1 of the Wichita Biomedical Campus, a $300 million, 471,000-square-foot joint health sciences center, located at the southeast corner of Broadway and William.
Workers recently poured the largest amount of concrete to date on the site, 395 cubic yards, equivalent to about 40 trucks worth of concrete. Additionally, underground data and electrical conduit is being installed on the site. A live view of its construction can be found online.
The Wichita Biomedical Campus is a joint project between Wichita State and the University of Kansas. Once complete, the campus will combine WSU’s College of Health Professions programs, including the Evelyn Hendren Cassat Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic, WSU Tech’s health care program and the Wichita campuses of KU School of Medicine and KU School of Pharmacy.
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Wichita State launches Institute for Rehabilitation Medicine and Assistive Technology | |
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Wichita State University has launched the Institute for Rehabilitation Medicine and Assistive Technology (IRMAT), an innovative collaboration focused on addressing disease and disability through applied research and technology. IRMAT will serve as a hub for cutting-edge, patient-driven research and development of transformative technologies to improve the quality of life for individuals with physical and cognitive disabilities.
The groundbreaking collaboration brings together Wichita State’s College of Health Professions, College of Engineering, and Industry and Defense Programs, along with inaugural clinical partners Ascension Via Christi’s Rehabilitation Hospital, Heartspring’s Outpatient Services and the Robert J. Dole VA Medical Center, to accelerate scientific advancements and develop assistive technologies.
The institute will also conduct clinical trials of new devices and interventions, ensuring that Kansans gain quicker access to revolutionary health care solutions. This pioneering collaboration represents a significant advancement in WSU’s commitment to addressing disease and disability through applied research and technology.
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NIAR announces installation of custom blade inspection system for U.S. Army | |
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Wichita State University’s National Institute for Aviation Research announces the installation of a VISION – an automated technology system designed to transform rotor blade maintenance, repair and training – at the Mississippi Army National Guard Aviation Classification Repair Activity Depot (AVCRAD) facility in Gulfport, Mississippi.
The project is a collaboration between NIAR, Mississippi AVCRAD and the Aviation and Missile Command (AMCOM).
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Suspenders4Hope Preventing Suicide Training study published by Kansas Journal of Medicine | |
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Licensed clinical psychologists at a Wichita State developed the Suspenders4Hope Preventing Suicide Training with evidence-based suicide prevention strategies, offered online to multiple subgroups: university faculty, staff, students, health care workers and community members, as well as high school staff and students. A total of 865 participants provided retrospective pre/post responses, and the data were analyzed using paired samples t-tests and one-way ANOVA/Kruskal-Wallis tests.
Overall, participants in all subgroups, regardless of prior training, showed statistically significant pre/post increases across all measures. While no significant differences were found in learning between recruitment subgroups, variations were identified based on the number of previous trainings completed.
The findings support the effectiveness of a single suicide prevention training across diverse populations, suggesting important implications for targeting training efforts and optimizing resource allocation in high-need environments.
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Photography project offers people a chance to share what gives them joy | |
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People with disabilities are frequently the subjects of research, with much of that focus on their health challenges and the obstacles they face in navigating society.
PhotoVoice changes those dynamics by offering adults with disabilities a chance to show what makes their life enjoyable.
Wichita State University’s Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders is partnering on the PhotoVoice research project with AbilityPoint, an organization focused on the needs of persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. Participants are given a digital camera and memory card to take 50 (or more) pictures of the people, places, things and activities that bring them joy.
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Research at Wichita State | | |
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With yearly funding topping $400 million, research at Wichita State ranges from bioscience, chemistry and engineering to mathematics, physics and ancient civilization.
Since November of FY25, WSU researchers under Academic Affairs have received $46,546,888 in awards.
Learn more at wichita.edu/research.
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Innovation at Wichita State | | |
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Innovation is more than just talk at WSU. It permeates everything we do, all we aspire to become and reaches far beyond our campus boundaries.
Learn more at wichita.edu/innovation.
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STUDENT CENTERED. INNOVATION DRIVEN. | |
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About Wichita State University
Wichita State University is Kansas' only urban public research university, enrolling more than 23,000 students between its main campus and WSU Tech, including students from every state in the United States and more than 100 countries. Wichita State and WSU Tech are recognized for being student centered and innovation driven.
Located in the largest city in the state with one of the highest concentrations in the United States of jobs involving science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), Wichita State University provides uniquely distinctive and innovative pathways of applied learning, applied research and career opportunities for all of our students.
The Innovation Campus, which is a physical extension of the Wichita State University main campus, is one of the nation’s largest and fastest-growing research/innovation parks, encompassing more than 120 acres, and is home to a number of global companies and organizations.
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