Author: Leah Lamunyon

Dr. Visvakumar Aravinthan, associate professor and chair of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department in the College of Engineering, was featured in a KSN story about the number of electric vehicles in Kansas tripling over the next five years.

The College of Engineering is hiring a lab manager for its Innovation Hub, a hands-on prototyping lab located within the John Bardo Center on the Innovation Campus. The lab features rapid prototyping and small scale manufacturing equipment, perfectly equipped to transform ideas into reality.

The position is open to both internal and external candidates. Applicants should have a bachelor’s degree in engineering or a related field and at least three years of experience working in an engineering laboratory or related environment.

Dr. Shuang Gu, associate professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department in the College of Engineering, contributed authorship to the cover article “Sustainable waste-nitrogen upcycling enabled by low-concentration nitrate electrodialysis and high-performance ammonia electrosynthesis” in the July 2023 issue of EES Catalysis.

The article was also co-authored by Pouya Ammari-Azar, a Wichita State Ph.D. student in mechanical engineering, as well as faculty from Iowa State University.

Dr. Janet Twomey, associate dean of research, graduate studies and faculty development in the College of Engineering, will once again serve as a professor in the Department of Industrial, Systems and Manufacturing Engineering.

The College of Engineering will host a celebration of Twomey’s service to the college in the fall. Additionally, there will be a search for the next associate dean of research, graduate studies and faculty development.

Twomey was the first associate dean for research at WSU and has served in the role for seven years. She has led many important initiatives, including helping to start the cybersecurity program, ensuring the program earned designation from The National Security Academy and developing a cybersecurity graduate certificate and hub. Additionally, Twomey has won two National Science Foundation (NSF) awards totaling $2 million to address graduation for minority and economically challenged engineering students, and she has mentored faculty submitting NSF CAREER grants, six of whom have won awards.

Dr. Steven Skinner, associate dean of undergraduate studies, finance and administration in the College of Engineering, will once again serve as a professor and resume researching in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

The College of Engineering will host a celebration of Skinner’s service to the college in the fall. Additionally, there will be a search for the next associate dean of academic affairs.

Skinner has served in the associate dean role for 11 years and twice served as the interim dean of the college. He has led many important initiatives, including the Engineering+ Program, ABET accreditation and the planning and oversight of the John Bardo Center construction.

The College of Engineering is hiring a director of Academic Advising. The position will lead the college’s team of advisors and deliver outstanding service to engineering students.

The position is open to both internal and external candidates. Applicants should have at least six years of experience in academic advising or a related field with at least two years of experience in a leadership role.

Maria Elena Cardwell, the national director of vehicle engineering at Northrop Grumman, will be the featured speaker at the Wichita State spring 2023 commencement ceremony for the College of Business and College of Engineering. The ceremony will start at 5 p.m. Saturday, May 13 in Charles Koch Arena.

Prior to joining Northrop Grumman, Cardwell served as the vice president of quality and airworthiness for Virgin Galactic. The majority of her career was spent at The Boeing Company. Cardwell began as an engineer on the 747 and eventually served as the chief engineer for Safety and Airworthiness for all seven-series structures.

The College of Engineering is hosting a pre-commencement reception from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, May 13 in Devlin Hall. Graduates from the college and their families are invited to enjoy refreshments and mingle with staff and faculty.

The previous day, all university graduates are invited to participate in the Commencement Cruise at 3 p.m. in Lot 1 and The Toast at 5 p.m. on the Hubbard Hall east lawn.

On May 6, 12 teams competed in the annual Bronze Propeller Competition, including 11 teams of undergraduate students. The top three teams in the undergraduate category included Team 3 (Logan Mauch, Gabriel Kimuri, Alexander Dewerff, Trent Oberlander and Amanda Mudra) in first place, Team 15 (Robert Ross) in second place, and Team 7 (Benjamin Griffin, Megan Drake, Brycen Schroeder, Sofia Bahr Konkel and Jackson Caldwell) in third place. The first place winner in the professional category was Team 13 (Julian Chee, an aerospace engineering alum).

The Boeing Company sponsored the event, and Jonathan Mowrey served as the aircraft pilot. Faculty and staff who supported the competition included Dr. Scott Miller; Anthony Muscat, dean of the College of Engineering; Dr. Brandon Buerge; and the Aerospace Engineering Lab staff.

The College of Engineering congratulates each of the student teams that won an award during the annual Engineering Open House on May 5, as well as the graduate student and faculty members who won Wallace Excellence Awards.