Wichita State Poised For Massive Growth

[shoxlax]

My brother retired back to Wichita and speaks GEEK/Computer and is a CPM but he doesn't speak Farsi

Wrong language.

[SubGod22]

KWCH - Aircraft conversion program featuring NIAR to involve Wichita State, WSU Tech students

In a news release, Wichita State explained the partnership, established this spring, as “their first collaborative passenger to freighter (P2F) conversion program of an Airbus 321.”

IN May, NIAR WERX and Erickson Precision Ventures announced an agreement to perform as many as 24 conversions per year, starting in 2023, Wichita State explained. This includes modification, maintenance and engineering of the aircraft.

Wichita State said the A321 (Airbus 321) P2F conversion is the newest addition to the NIAR WERX portfolio.

“We’re thrilled to add another aircraft to the NIAR conversion portfolio,” said NIAR WERX Executive Director David Jones. “The agreement with Erickson Precision Ventures allows us to continue to train and prepare Wichita State and WSU Tech students for careers in aviation maintenance and engineering, while expanding the expertise and capability of the Wichita and Kansas workforce.”

In addition to full-time engineers and engineering students at WSU-NIAR, Wichita State said the conversion program will involved efforts of WSU Tech students through the Get to WERX program.

[pogo]

The old brick apartments that were left on the south side of 17th are in the process of being demolished to be replaced by what I would guess to be more of the modern 17th type apartments that has gone up recently.

[SubGod22]

The old brick apartments that were left on the south side of 17th are in the process of being demolished to be replaced by what I would guess to be more of the modern 17th type apartments that has gone up recently.

It's been awhile, but I do believe that there was another 'expansion' planned for that new apartment complex and that very well may be it. I haven't seen anything recently in the Journal about it though. They're a nice addition to the campus feel.

[WuDrWu]

I'll be interested if they have more or bigger plans for the former Fairmount Towers location.

[SHOCKvalue]

I'll be interested if they have more or bigger plans for the former Fairmount Towers location.

Don't think that location is looked at very fondly as a potential residence for students. Ask my wife - she lived at Fairmount many moons ago. One of the biggest things to get over for prospective students and their families during the Fairmount Towers era are was living there. Live a massive disincentive for student recruiting.

[Kung Wu]

Don't think that location is looked at very fondly as a potential residence for students. Ask my wife - she lived at Fairmount many moons ago. One of the biggest things to get over for prospective students and their families during the Fairmount Towers era are was living there. Live a massive disincentive for student recruiting.

Could make it gated with card access only and a card access skywalk over to Koch.

[Kel Varnsen]

Don't think that location is looked at very fondly as a potential residence for students. Ask my wife - she lived at Fairmount many moons ago. One of the biggest things to get over for prospective students and their families during the Fairmount Towers era are was living there. Live a massive disincentive for student recruiting.

I lived in Fairmount my freshman year, and my father also lived there (I think I randomly ended up on the same floor in Fairmount South where he was an RA back in the day, which is pretty cool...he has some great stories about football players and being friends with Joe Carter, who he thought highly of).

It was a tough place to sell when he lived there...there were riots nearby back in the late 70s-early 80s. It was also not the greatest location even in the 2000s. It's reality. He knew someone who got hit by a brick during one of the riots. Although they used to have a swimming pool where the dining hall was located, which would have been awesome to have when I lived there.

As much as people (mostly liberals) speak out against "gentrification," I truly believe it ends up being a good thing for the university and the surrounding community. I never had any problems living there, but I know some people did. But I kept to myself for the most part and never sought out trouble.

[pogo]

Could make it gated with card access only and a card access skywalk over to Koch.

I'm thinking a new Softball facility with parking and the skywalk to CKA Dream big or go home

[WuDrWu]

I'm thinking a new Softball facility with parking and the skywalk to CKA Dream big or go home

I actually don't think you're that far off.

[SubGod22]

What's in that space currently? From the map I've found, there's a Child Development Center there. There seems like there still may be space for something else, but it appears that there are other structures east of the parking lot but I'm not seeing what those are as they're not labeled.

Though the maps I'm finding also don't have the new business building so I'm not sure how up to date they are. I've simply never paid much attention to the property between 21st and 22nd streets.



edit


Found a map that shows those structures as Fairmount Towers. They're no longer in use right? For some reason I thought they were torn down. Or maybe they have been and these maps haven't been updated.

[Downtown Shocker Brown]

I'm thinking a new Softball facility with parking and the skywalk to CKA Dream big or go home

Nah, renovate The Eck to house softball, build a new baseball facility.

[SubGod22]

KSN - WSU pilot project helps people meet mental health and substance abuse appointments

Clients are given a free bus pass they can access on their phones.

The goal is to see what life would look like if the barrier of transportation is removed.

“To get people in services and keep them in services,” said Harold Casey, Substance Abuse Center of Kansas (SACK) CEO.

What is normally about $55 a month, making major life changes for clients.

“They were able to maintain stable housing if they had jobs if they were able to maintain their sobriety,” said Dulcinea Rakestraw, WSU Public Policy and Management Center Program Evaluation manager.

Casey said this saved the community an estimated $10,000 a month during the three-month project.

“Reducing the contacts to the emergency room and reducing admissions to the hospital,” said Casey.

Casey was not sure if it would make a difference.

“This project turned out to be a massive success for the community,” said Dawn Shepler, Mental Health and Substance Abuse Coalition executive director.

Nice to see WSU playing a part in making Wichita better. And who would have guessed that finding a way to help those who are struggling get on their feet and get their life moving in the right direction would be a benefit.

I doubt this will be the last time we see WSU behind something that helps the community.

[SubGod22]

WSU - COVID antiviral research will expand through WSU's acquisition of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectrometer

With the money from the grant, WSU is acquiring a high-tech NMR machine that — instead of providing traditional medical images we think of from a magnetic resonance imaging instrument (MRI) — will instead allow WSU researchers to map out or model a three-dimensional image of a protein (or smaller) molecule.

Dr. Jim Bann, lead primary investigator (PI) on the grant and Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry associate professor and undergraduate coordinator, says having a piece of equipment of this caliber on campus will greatly expand research and training options at WSU and for others in the region, especially when it comes to COVID research.

“The machine has the capability to solve the three-dimensional structures of proteins and other complicated macromolecules, as well as structures of molecules important in research related to COVID-19, while simultaneously serving the high demand for routine chemical characterization,” Bann said.

Dr. Bill Groutas, Wichita State medical chemist who is part of a team that has published a study showing a possible therapeutic treatment for COVID-19, says the addition of the NMR will allow his team to identify inhibitors of an essential enzyme the virus uses in viral replication.

Groutas said he and Kansas State University, University of Kansas and University of Iowa research groups have been engaged in the discovery of a protease inhibitor — an antiviral drug — for COVID-19. Some of the compounds the group has discovered are currently being evaluated in clinical trials.

There's nothing wrong with being able to further the ability to research and evaluate viruses and hopefully find treatments/therapies that work. And it sounds like with the help of some other regional Universities, we've been on that track even before this.

[RoyalShock]

In regards to campus-adjacent private-sector student housing, I'd be surprised (pleasantly, of course) if there's demand for another complex. Up until a few months ago my son lived at the one NE of campus (Aspen Heights), as well as worked there the year prior. I believe they've struggled to get to 50% capacity.

The block where Fairmount Towers was located would be spacious enough for a real nice softball facility, but might be cramped to fit a better-than-Eck stadium and practice facility.

For softball, I would explore eliminating 3 of the 6 tennis courts between Wilkins and Heskett to make room for locker rooms, offices and 3rd-base side bleachers. I think ADKS has mentioned this in some form already, including using a currently vacant area of Heskett for some of that.