WICHITA STATE RESEARCH NEWS • June 2020 |
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Greetings from Wichita State University!
The last few months have given us several reasons to celebrate. In addition to the National Science Foundation's acknowledged jump in WSU's ranking of R&D expenditures in FY2019, we are especially pleased to report below that Dr. Rémi Chou of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science received an NSF Early Career Award, and Brittany Wojciechowski of the Department of Aerospace Engineering was awarded an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship. Congratulations to both!
We are also pleased to have been approved to join the more than 100 major Ph.D.-granting institutions of Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) as a sponsoring institution to work with federal, state, local and commercial customers to advance national priorities and serve the public interest. Our faculty and students look forward to the collaborative research and funding opportunities that ORAU membership facilitates.
Thank you for allowing us to brag a little. We are proud of all of the researchers and projects described in this March 2021 newsletter and enjoy hearing of news from your institutions. Enjoy the regeneration that spring brings, both in terms of the weather and the cautious emergence from COVID-19 restrictions.
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Wichita State's Rémi Chou wins top NSF early career research award |
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Dr. Rémi A. Chou, an assistant professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, has been awarded a National Science Foundation CAREER Award, the most prestigious award granted by the NSF to early career researchers.
Chou's grant – worth $519,000 over five years – will support his work in bringing more robust security to wirelessly transmitted data.
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Wichita State aerospace engineering student awarded prestigious NSF fellowship |
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Brittany Wojciechowski, a Wichita State University Ph.D. graduate student in aerospace engineering, has been awarded the prestigious National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship (GRF), which is worth more than $120,000.
“To me, this fellowship means hope,” Wojciechowski said. “It shows me how far I have come and my potential for how far I can go. When I started my college and my research careers, I would not have imagined applying to this fellowship, let alone receiving the fellowship.”
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Professor wins innovation award to create accessible comic book app |
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Kapow! Zap! Pop! Zoinks! A Wichita State University researcher is working to develop an app to make those words come alive for visually impaired comic book readers.
Dr. Darren DeFrain, associate professor of English and director of Wichita State’s Writing Program, has recently been granted $11,000 from the John A. See Innovation Award to develop Vizling.
“We’re creating an app that’s going to allow people who are visually impaired to read and understand comics, graphic novels — or anything that's got a visual component along with a text component — so that they understand how things are laid out on the page in addition to just getting told what's happening,” DeFrain said.
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Student's aptitude for research on display in work with oral-facial device |
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Hanna Chastain’s professor quickly saw something special in her when, as a freshman, she completed an independent research project typically reserved for older students.
“She immediately showed an above-typical level of critical thinking skills and what is needed within research,” said Dr. Heidi Bell, an assistant professor in the Department of Human Performance Studies at Wichita State University. “She had that study done probably halfway through the semester, which is not typical of even my graduate students. I knew right then that she was definitely a student who excelled above and beyond.”
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Team explores link between artificial intelligence and quantum computing |
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For three decades, an interdisciplinary team at Wichita State has been exploring how machine learning – also known as artificial intelligence – can maximize the potential of quantum computing.
Quantum computing applies the understanding of quantum physics – the behavior of energy and matter at its most basic level – so that computations may be performed at unprecedented speed, solving problems of exceptional complexity that cannot be solved by conventional computers.
Led by Dr. Elizabeth Behrman, a professor of physics, and Dr. James Steck, professor of aerospace engineering, the group currently has seven faculty actively involved.
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FAA awards Wichita State $684K to study unmanned aerial systems |
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Wichita State University will receive $684,000 from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for three programs aimed at increasing safety measures for the use of unmanned aerial systems (UAS).
The awards are for fiscal year 2021 and include $464,000 to lead Small UAS (sUAS) Mid-Air Collision (MAC) Likelihood studies; $120,000 to support the Validation of Visual Operation Standards for sUAS; and $100,000 to support High-Bypass UAS Engine Ingestion Tests. They will be conducted through the National Institute for Aviation Research.
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Two students chosen as recipients of Wichita State's Women for Innovation award |
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The Women for Women's Innovation Award was created in 2020 to support women leaders and entrepreneurs in moving their ideas, said Nancy Kersenbrock, assistant director at Wichita State’s CEI.
“This award identifies women entrepreneurs and provides that illusive early support to move their idea forward," Kersenbrock said. “The fact that this is being funded by Wichita State alumni illustrates the belief that our extended Wichita State family has in our future entrepreneurs.”
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Wichita State rises in NSF's R&D expenditures list |
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The National Science Foundation has released its latest comparison of research and development expenditures among the nation’s universities, and Wichita State University has risen in all categories, increasing expenditures by $47 million.
Wichita State’s total R&D expenditures portfolio increased from $81 million in fiscal year 2018 to $128 million in FY2019.
In overall engineering expenditures, Wichita State leaped from No. 54 to No. 27 in the nation with $109 million in expenditures. Kansas State University is listed at No. 111 with $26 million, and the University of Kansas was at No. 134 with $17 million.
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Disposable stethoscope emerges from Wichita State's COVID-19 relief efforts |
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A Wichita State University-based program aimed at aiding frontline workers in the fight against COVID-19 has resulted in the formation of a new Wichita startup company and a premium disposable stethoscope.
The Single Patient Stethoscope™ from Ad Astra Medical Devices, LLC, boasts a sturdy, lightweight design engineered for maximum performance in today’s demanding medical environments. Marketed as the Ad Astra MD Gen2, the stethoscope provides high acoustic quality at a budget that allows for single-patient use.
The origins of the Ad Astra MD Gen2 disposable stethoscope lie within Wichita State’s National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR).
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Getting to Know
Wichita State University
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Total Awards for FY20: $164.6 million |
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$60.8M
from the U.S. Department of Defense
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$11M
from the U.S. Department of Education
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$10M
from the U.S. Department of Transportation
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$97.6M | Federal
$51.1M | Industry
$14M | State of Kansas
$1.8M | Private, local, other
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Our Research Innovation Team
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Let us help build your future |
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Reach out to our Research Innovation Team to find out how Wichita State can work with you to advance your business and serve the applied learning mission of the university.
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Associate Vice
President of Research
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Interim Executive Director of the Office of Innovation & New Ventures and Dean of the College of Innovation & Design
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AVP for Industry Engagement
and Applied Learning
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Vice President for Strategic Engagement and Planning
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Associate Vice President
for Strategic Initiative
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Director of Intellectual
Property and Tech Transfer
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Director, Center for Entrepreneurship
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