Wichita State Research News

WICHITA STATE RESEARCH NEWS • June 2020

WICHITA STATE RESEARCH NEWS • August 2020

Welcome to the latest edition of the Wichita State University Research Newsletter. This bimonthly newsletter celebrates the amazing work being advanced at Wichita State University – the only urban public research university in Kansas. Wichita State is on a trajectory to become one of America’s great public research universities, known for its innovation and regional impact. The newsletter highlights the innovation and scholarship from Wichita State faculty and students, with an emphasis on engaging our partners and community. When you are in the Wichita area, be sure to visit our beautiful and constantly evolving campus, and learn more about the Shocker way of pushing boundaries to change the world.

IN THE NEWS

WSU researchers awarded $1.1 million NSF grant to create adaptive wayfinding system

Navigating around a city or inside a building isn’t always as simple as tapping on the Google Maps app. For some people with disabilities, it can be nearly impossible. Dr. Vinod Namboodiri, professor of electrical engineering and computer science at Wichita State University, is building an infrastructure to make getting around a bit easier.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded more than $1.1 million to Namboodiri and his team to create a community-wide wayfinding system for people with disabilities. The team includes Dr. Nils Hakansson, associate professor of biomedical engineering, and researchers from Kansas State University, Texas A&M University, the Envision Research Institute, and the City of Wichita.

Read more about Somos de Wichita.

STUDENT APPLIED LEARNING

Biomedical engineering student builds organization around social-impact engineering

In his home country of Paraguay, Carlos Gatti gave a young boy, born without a right arm, a prosthetic limb modeled after Ben 10, his favorite cartoon character.

“He was the most popular kid in school after that,” Gatti said. “It is amazing when the person receives their prosthetic. You can see in the eyes of the person that you can change their life.”

Gatti, a junior biomedical engineering student at Wichita State University, wants more Wichita State students to have that experience. So he’s building a student organization that provides affordable assistive devices to people in need. Right now, the team works remotely and is designing a device for a client who plays the cello and one for a client who wants help with tasks such as cooking.

RESOURCES & FACILITIES

Hawaii-based Navatek brings NASA, DOD research partnerships to Wichita State's Innovation Campus

Navatek LLC, a contractor focused on technology research for U.S. government agencies such as the Department of Defense and NASA, is opening an office on the Wichita State University campus in fall 2020.

This collaborative partnership between Navatek and WSU will grow combined applied research capabilities for the military, provide critical hands-on learning opportunities for students and help diversify the local economy.

Among its work, the Navatek-WSU partnership will explore using inflatable wing materials and structures to extend the range that airborne personnel can travel in squirrel wingsuits.

Getting to Know

Wichita State University

Research Advantage

Research Records

U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Awards

$33M

from the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Command Aviation & Missile Center

$23.5M

from the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory

$7M

from the Office of

Naval Research

$136M

Total in fiscal year 2019, which ended June 30

The steep rise in contracts and awards from the U.S. Department of Defense

(DoD) increased by more than $40 million from FY18 to FY19.

1,016 | Number of industry-sponsored awards

$33.7M | Amount of industry-sponsored awards

Our Research Innovation Team

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