Wichita State Research & Innovation News

WICHITA STATE RESEARCH NEWS • June 2020

WICHITA STATE RESEARCH & INNOVATION NEWS • January 2021

I hope this newsletter finds you and your loved ones healthy and safe. The beginning of the new year is a time for reflection and promise. Although 2020 was filled with challenges it’s been inspiring to be around so many that leaned into the situation and found opportunities.

One such innovator is Wichita State alum Chase Curtis, founder and CEO of Sway Medical. Sway has had substantial success with his mobile concussion assessment tool and has become the leader in mobile balance and cognitive assessment. But when sports went on hold in spring 2020, Sway Medical shifted to a mobile neurological assessment that allowed doctors to easily evaluate patients remotely with their own devices, establishing them as a legitimate player in the digital health industry. Over the summer, Sway Medical was able to close a $4.2 million Series-A financing round.

Dr. Heidi VanRavenhorst-Bell at Wichita State’s Human Performance Laboratory deserves some credit, as she led the validation studies submitted for FDA approval. Sway Medical is an excellent example of the necessary relationships between academics and industry

Another point of pride was the rapid adoption of new teaching modes. In the age of information overload, we were forced into a world of digital classrooms and business meetings. Zoom fatigue is the real deal. Max Hinman and Jared Goering, instructors in the Master of Innovation and Design program, deserve a shout-out for seamlessly shifting their spring course, Introduction to Blockchain, from face-to-face lectures to a virtual reality platform. Oculus headsets were dropped off at students’ homes, and course engagement improved. With some lessons learned and some new hardware, we look forward to a fresh delivery next semester.

We never know where innovation is going to show itself or what the situation will be that inspires it.

Wishing you abundance, happiness and peace in the new year.

NASA selects students' design in space suit challenge

A team of eight Wichita State University students was selected as a finalist in the NASA SUITS (Spacesuit User Interface Technologies for Students) Design Challenge.

The SUITS challenge is an opportunity for students to participate in NASA’s Artemis mission of “landing the first woman and the next man on the moon, specifically at the lunar south pole, region by 2024.”

Learn more about the NASA suit challege

Students hack to solve national security challenges

Cyber-attacks are one of the many threats that face our national security. In an effort to defend against future cyber-attacks, Wichita State is offering Hacking for Defense.

Hacking for Defense is a social and behavioral science elective course made for undergraduates and graduates of all majors. The class takes an entrepreneurial, interdisciplinary approach to the nation’s greatest national security challenges. Those challenges include espionage, terrorism and proliferation.

More about Hacking for Defense

Understanding Convergence Sciences

The following four articles summarize the research projects that are currently underway under the Convergence Sciences Initiative, which is an effort to bring together the intellectual curiosity and strengths of faculty and students from a range of disciplines and give them the support to develop research programs that drive the diversity and growth of the Kansas economy while addressing global challenges. Winners of the Convergence Sciences awards will be given $300,000 over three years.

Sustainability: Researchers target 3D printing waste

The 3D printing revolution is nothing short of remarkable, but it also produces a considerable amount of waste. In fact, it’s estimated that up to 19% of 3D printing is waste. A team of interdisciplinary researchers at Wichita State University is working to create sustainable 3D printing practices to reduce that waste.

Learn more about sustainability in 3D printing

Health Equity: Interdisciplinary team addresses obesity among vulnerable populations

A team of researchers at Wichita State University is working to promote health equity among vulnerable populations. The all-woman, cross-disciplinary team is focusing its initial efforts on issues related to obesity among underrepresented groups.

Read about health disparity research

Digital Transformation: Researchers help communities predict, prepare for disasters

A team of interdisciplinary researchers at Wichita State University is using artificial intelligence and big data to digitally transform the way communities predict and respond to natural disasters.

Read about health disparity research

Wild Card: Game-based platform will make education more accessible to refugees

The Center for Educational Technologies to Assist Refugee Learners has hit the ground running on Education For all, a project that aims to improve the lives of more than 70 million forcibly displaced refugees worldwide by making education more accessible.

Learn more about Education for All

Getting to Know

Wichita State University

Research Advantage

Research Records

Total Awards for FY20: $164.7 million

$60.8M

from the U.S. Department of Defense

$11M

from the U.S. Department of Education

$10M

from the U.S. Department of Transportation

$97.6M | Federal

$51.3M | Industry

$14M | Private, local, other

$1.8M | State of Kansas

Our Research Innovation Team

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