Author: g878h433@wichita.edu

Graduate students who plan to complete all degree requirements this semester must file an application for degree and pay the $25 filing fee. This needs to be done no later than Monday, June 16. Submit your application for degree even if you have a plan of study pending to be approved or have not submitted a plan of study.

To submit your application for degree, log into the myWSU portal and click on the myClasses tab. On the right hand side, you will find a section called “Graduation Links,” with the appropriate links to proceed. The $25 fee must be paid using a credit or debit card.

For questions, email the Graduate School at wsugradschool@wichita.edu.

The Graduate School recognizes the below individuals, nominated by faculty, for their outstanding achievements and being recognized as Dora Wallace Hodgson Scholarship winners:

• Nidda Abbas Mohammad, Master of Education in exercise science
• Brittany Spires, Master of Fine Arts in creative writing
• Madison Mullen, Master of Fine Arts in studio art
• Fatih Altun, Master of Science in mechanical engineering
• Sarah Smith, Doctor of Philosophy in psychology
• Seyedsahameddin Razavi, Doctor of Philosophy in engineering

The 22nd annual Graduate Research and Scholarly Project (GRASP) Symposium was on April 11 in the Rhatigan Student Center.

Roughly 200 students, faculty, and staff attended the event. There were 36 poster presentations and eight oral presentations. Research posters represented departments and programs from across the university.

This year’s awardees were as follows:

Oral presentations:

Winner: Kiora Joseph, aerospace engineering major for her presentation entitled “Effect of Shape of Heated Region on the Physics of Mach 2 Flow Over a Hemisphere Cylinder”
People’s Choice Winner(s): Jamie Enslinger, Leon Phan, Karson Dugan, Brett Liebl, Damian Hartman and Jack Bloom, physical therapy majors, for their presentation entitled “Quadriceps Strength and Power Recovery Following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction with Quadriceps Tendon Bone Autograft: A 6- and 12-month Analysis”

Poster Presentations:

• First Place: Charvi Sharma, exercise science major, for her poster entitled “Three Neurocognitive Mobile Applications: Perception of Usability in Adults With and Without Parkinson’s Disease”
• Second Place: Toomaj Amiri, innovation design major for his poster entitled “Assessing Tongue Mobility and Strength Using PARROT: An Oral Device”
• Third Place:  Kaitlyn Reis and Kaitlyn Jacobs, anthropology majors, for their poster entitled “14CO3 Preliminary Analysis of Non-Diagnostic Lithics: Raw Material Procurement and Modification”
• People’s Choice Winner: Sai Leela Harika Thota, electrical engineering and computer science major for her poster entitled “Neuro-Symbolic Learning for Parkinson’s Disease Detection”

At this year’s Graduate Research and Scholarly Projects Symposium (GRASP) is keynote speaker Dylan Thiessen, MBA, who will be speaking from 12:30 to 1:15 p.m. Friday, April 11 in 306 Rhatigan Student Center, West Beggs Ballroom Dylan is an innovation design leader at Koch, Inc. and will discuss continuous learning.

More information and his abstract:

“Embracing the Journey: Continuous learning from research and experimentation“

In an era where innovation is the cornerstone of success, effectively applying research and experimentation is vital for both professional and personal growth. Attendees will explore this dual approach to learning and the significant roles it plays in driving transformation.
We’ll examine how advanced technology is changing existing paradigms and discuss why embracing failure is essential to fostering innovation. Through real-world examples, we’ll dive into strategies for optimizing risk and prioritizing value creation. Join us to uncover how integrating these principles can transform your studies, career, and life, cultivating a mindset of continuous learning and growth.

The Graduate School is happy to host coauthor of the book “Abstracts and the Writing of Abstracts,” Christine Feak. The event will take place from 9 to 10 a.m. Tuesday, April 1 virtually.

For more information, and the zoom link, visit the Graduate School website under “April Events.”

The Graduate School is seeking faculty, staff and community members to be volunteer judges for the 2025 GRASP Symposium. GRASP will take place Friday, April 11 in 305/306 Rhatigan Student Center, Beggs Ballroom. Judges should plan to be present/available from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., and judging will take place from 10:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. with lunch being served immediately afterwards.

The Graduate School relies on volunteer judges to make this event a success, and This is an opportunity to see the research of graduate students.

The Capitol Graduate Research Summit took place in Topeka March 25. Over 40 graduate students from various Kansas public universities presented their research and how it contributes to the economic development of the state.

Two Wichita State students were awarded at the summit, Mary Peterson and Adithya Melagoda, both electrical engineering majors. Mary’s poster was entitled, “Solar Energy to Improve Electrical Service Reliability During Winter Weather” and Adithya’s was entitled, “Power Distribution System Restoration During Extreme Events: Equality or Equity?”

Both of these students were advised by Dr. Visvakumar Aravinthan, chair and professor of electrical and computer engineering.

Join the Graduate School in hosting best-selling author Dr. Paul Silvia from noon to 1 p.m. Tuesday, March 4 via Zoom. Silvia will go over tips and tricks from his book “How To Write A Lot” and how to become a more fluent writer.

For more information and the Zoom link, visit wichita.edu/pds under “March events.”

Join the Graduate School as it hosts the senior editor of the University Press of Kansas, David Congdon from 1 to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 26 in the Ablah Library Collaboration Hub. Congdon will discuss how to get your book published at the event, “Getting Your Book Published: From Proposal to Print.”

Have an upcoming presentation? Interested in learning the art of poster presentations? Poster presentations are essential to academic discourse, yet the skills to get started (and succeed) are not intuitive.

With 30 years experience in academic publishing and communication, author John Bond will go over tips and tricks from his book “The Little Guide to Giving a Poster Presentation: Simple Steps to Success” at noon Thursday, Feb. 20 via Zoom.

For more information, and the Zoom link, go to wichita.edu/pds.