It’s the nearly invisible work behind science’s big screen successes that excites these Shocker physicists

Where No One Has Gone Before

The exploration of space, the final frontier, begins and progresses with work that seldom reaches the big screen. As Tyler Nolan ’19/21, grad student in physics, and physics professor Nick Solomey well know, every Star Trek-level scientific breakthrough is borne out of a mind-bendingly massive amount of nitty-gritty detail work. But it’s precisely that kind of behind-the-scenes research that excites them.

“Research allows you to do things that no one has done before,” Solomey says. “You’re not just teaching yourself something new, but the whole human race.”

An investigator on three NASA grants, Solomey was awarded a $2 million allocation in 2021 for the design of a solar probe to investigate neutrinos – subatomic, massless and harmless particles, a hundred trillion of which pass through each of us every second. A nanosatellite, or CubeSat (shown above), delivered to campus in June will be used to flight test the probe.

Nolan, who is one of five WSU grad students working with Solomey on the neutrino project, is also working with him on a second NASA-funded project, one that will result in the capstone of his master’s studies. Awarded in May with a $133,342 slice of a $1.5 million grant, the two are developing a radiation detector that could improve the cost-efficiency of future spaceflight without sacrificing astronaut safety.

Nick Solomey, left, professor of mathematics, statistics and physics, and Wichita State graduate student Tyler Nolan ’19/21, right, show off a prototype of their three-in-one charged particle, X-ray and gamma ray, and neutron detector in the photo above.

Harmful cosmic radiation poses a health threat to astronauts, increasing their risk of developing a host of degenerative defects, disorders and cancers. To monitor radiation levels, the International Space Station (ISS) is outfitted with three separate detectors: one for charged particles, one for X-rays and gamma rays, and another for neutrons. Although each is necessary, three pieces of equipment translate to three times the energy consumed, space occupied and dollars spent to launch. And at $10,000 per pound in fuel just to reach the orbital height of the ISS, no venture to space is cheap. “Our research has, thus far, been promising,” Solomey reports. “It shows the potential to turn those three bulky detectors into a single machine.”

Occupying only four-square-inches of active area, the prototype vastly decreases the weight and, in turn, cost of detecting harmful radiation. If positive preliminary results hold up, the new detector might garner additional NASA funding for cross-checking against existing ISS detectors and, farther afield, perhaps for refinement and use in the space agency’s development of architecture for missions to the Moon, Mars and beyond.

Of course, nothing is guaranteed. Hours spent programming and poring over data from oscilloscope readings may result in an impracticable detector for the space agency. But, Nolan assures, that’s an okay outcome, too. “Success in science is the doing it at all,” he says. “It’s humbling just to contribute to science
and humanity and, on some level, our understanding of the universe.”

Scholarship support gets returning student’s life back on track

Sarah’s dream has always been to work with children. She remembers an assignment from the third grade, sharing that she wanted to be a teacher when she grew up. “Even though I was only eight myself, I knew I wanted to work with kids,” she said.

Sarah was determined to achieve this goal, graduating in the top of her high school class and receiving a full-ride scholarship to a community college where she graduated with her associate degree. Her education, she explained, gave her a sense of control over something in life. She had plans to continue at a four-year university and be the first in her family to obtain her bachelor’s degree.

But plans, as they are prone to do, changed for Sarah.

“I had some emotional and financial issues come up, but fortunately I was still holding my full-ride scholarship,” she said. “After I got married, I intended to return to school, because it wouldn’t cost anything but the gas to drive there.”

Her partner refused.

After years of living in a controlling relationship, Sarah managed to escape with her three children. As she navigated the trauma of abuse, she decided to return to a place that could restore her sense of autonomy. “In a chaotic life, I knew I still had control over my success in school,” she said.

Her full-ride scholarship had expired by then, leaving her to take out loans to finance the remainder of her education. That is, until she was notified that she would be receiving the Diane Caton and Loyce Baker Memorial Scholarship, which supports returning students as they finish their degrees. Now, scholarship support at Wichita State is helping Sarah get her life back on track.

“I spent so many years without affirmation or support in my goals,” Sarah said. “Knowing that there are people who are now supporting me, helping me make a better life for myself and my family – that means more than I can say in words.”

A full-time paraprofessional, her scholarship is not only funding her education but helping fill in the gaps for the summer session when there are few opportunities to get hours.

“Until this upcoming year, the district hadn’t offered the option to spread our pay over twelve months, so I just had to figure out how to save and budget to make it through the last month and a half before the first paycheck of the new school year,” Sarah said. “This year I felt like I could breathe again, knowing my scholarship was covering the basics as well as books and school supplies.”

In addition to working and raising a family, Sarah is enrolled in the Teacher Apprentice Program at WSU, which allows students to finish their degree online while completing their student teaching requirements.

“I feel so proud to show my kids that it’s possible,” Sarah said. “Even though it was cut short, even if it’s later in life, this dream I’ve had for so long will finally be a reality.”

Due to safety concerns, Sarah’s name has been changed.

Core Values Scholar speaks to importance of financial aid

The day after she graduated high school Yuki To started a new job. While her classmates enjoyed their last summer before leaving for their respective colleges, she spent her days in a physician’s office, saving paychecks to cover the cost of tuition at Wichita State. Even still, she knew funds for the school year would be tight.

“Everyone knows college is expensive,” she said. “But as a first-generation student, there are so many costs you don’t even know to anticipate, like books and laptops and student fees.”

To’s parents, although unable to finance her education, afforded her the opportunity to attend college by immigrating to the U.S. from Vietnam when she was six. Their sacrifice instilled a passion for education that left her undeterred by its sticker shock.

“My family has always been my greatest motivation,” To said. “They left everything they knew so that I could one day attend a university.”

Financial aid made their vision for their daughter into a reality. Securing the Lenora McGregor Scholarship her freshman year allowed her to focus on her studies and seize opportunities across campus, joining the Asian Student Conference and Vietnamese Student Association. In addition to her campus involvement, To works as a medical interpreter, a position that not only allows her to serve the Vietnamese population in Wichita but provides her with field experience as she pursues a career as a physician. To plans to attend the KU School of Medicine after graduating in May of 2025.

Now entering her senior year, To has been awarded the WSU Foundation and Alumni Engagement’s Core Values Scholarship, which is funded through employee contributions and distributed to one student a year who exemplifies the organization’s guiding principles of integrity, collaboration, excellence and service.

“Without scholarships, I would’ve had to take on a second job or take out loans,” To said. “But someone recognized that I have the potential to succeed. That generosity has allowed me to have so many experiences that will serve me as I work toward my goals.”

Returning adult student excels thanks to donor support

Since she was a child, Melanie Spurgeon has dreamt of walking the halls of a university and proudly crossing a commencement stage to receive her degree. This year, though her path was far from traditional, she did exactly that, earning her bachelor’s degree in communication sciences and disorders.

With four children between the ages of four and 12, returning to college was no small feat. When she first came to the university in 2019, she could hardly believe there was a place for a student like her, but over the next several years she found it to be a place she not only belonged, but thrived.

“My youngest son was born prematurely the day classes began that year,” she recalls. “He went to every class those first two years; he and my other three have grown up at WSU.”

And that’s not an overstatement. In addition to sitting through classes and joining their mom for extracurricular programs, her sons have also benefited from the instructors in the CSD program.

“My middle son couldn’t speak at age 4, and Professor Slieter worked directly with him,” said Spurgeon, referencing deaf studies instructor Lorita Slieter. “She taught him sign language which he still uses today, despite developing his speech since then.”

Slieter wasn’t the only one who helped Spurgeon succeed along the way. While she was working toward her degree, Spurgeon began to struggle significantly from the effects of multiple sclerosis, a chronic autoimmune disease. As disability seemed to take over her life, often leaving her confined to a wheelchair, she found the support of her instructors to be stronger than ever.

“Dr. Musaji would email me and offer guidance, and at my worst he helped me learn to speak properly again,” she said. “Then there is Dr. Richburg, who not only offered me professional opportunities and guidance, but the humanity I so needed. During a time when so many offered me pity, she gave me a challenge and autonomy that helped me believe in myself.”

While Spurgeon was deeply engaged in her education, the cost of managing a chronic disease and her family life while also handling her college expenses was a challenge. Her junior year, she found out she would be receiving the Oakes Family Scholarship, which is specifically for students in the Cohen Honors College. “I felt such relief,” she said. “Loans and grants went far, but not far enough.”

With the scholarship funds, she was able to find some financial stability as she managed her household. The next year, when the scholarship renewed, she was able to pay for repairs to her van, which she had purchased to transport her wheelchair. The impact of the scholarship for Spurgeon demonstrates the true importance of financial support: giving students the ability to thrive instead of scraping by.

Shortly after she graduated, Spurgeon had the opportunity to meet the donor behind the scholarship, Diane Oakes. She said that it was unlike anything she had experienced before to be able to share what the scholarship meant to her and her family. “That scholarship was yet another blessing in a series of small and magnificent examples of how humanity is beautiful,” she said. “Funds like these can be what gives a student the ability to obtain their education and still meet the heavy demands of life.”

Shooting Sports team at WSU creates lifelong memories

When Kaylee Tabbert ’22 moved from Wisconsin to Wichita in 2019, she was taking a complete shot in the dark on a new city and a new school. But shortly after transferring to Wichita State, she stumbled on a community that would make all the difference in her education: the Shooting Sports team.

“I moved here on a whim, so I didn’t really know anybody when I got here,” Tabbert said. “But everyone on the team was so welcoming and supportive. It felt like I had found a second family here.”

Tabbert balanced her responsibilities on the team, including a year as team captain, with her demands as a full-time student in Wichita State’s nursing program.

“The Shooting Sports team taught me so much about the sport, about time management, about being a self-starter,” Tabbert said. “But it also showed me how valuable it is to find a community that supports and lifts you up.”

These lessons are widespread within the program, and coach Bill Raymond says the growth and camaraderie the members develop showcases the value of working within a team – honing skills that most carry into their jobs after college.

“The discipline and structure that you get from a team environment, the camaraderie of learning from and helping each other – these are skills that we need at every stage of life,” he said.

While the Shooting Spors team isn’t widely known, Raymond says they’re working to get more exposure within the Wichita community, primarily through their annual Flint Oak Fundraiser.

“The fundraiser is a wonderful experience, because it gives us a chance to meet up with our families and supporters and introduce them to the team and the camaraderie within it,” said Raymond. “All my memories there are fantastic. The team puts on the event, they work the auction and then get out and shoot with all the families.”

When Tabbert looks back on her time as a student, it is her memories from the shooting sports team and the Flint Oak Fundraiser that she looks on most fondly.

“It was so humbling to see that people were willing to offer their time and resources to support our team,” she said. “And because of their generosity, lots of students get to do something that they really love with a team they really love.” The ninth annual Flint Oak Fundraiser will be the weekend of May 31st at the Flint Oak Hunting Lodge. Learn more about the fundraiser.

Barton School students invest in the future of Wichita State

The student-managed investment fund, the newest project from the Barton School of Business, is adding a whole new dimension to investment education.

“Many schools around the country have student-managed investment simulations, but they give the students play money,” said Susan Barret, vice president of finance and operations at the WSU Foundation and Alumni Engagement. “They track their returns on paper and report out.”

But dean of the Barton School of Business, Larisa Genin, had a different vision for the program at Wichita State: real funds, real stakes and real returns. This vision became a $500,000 reality thanks to a generous gift of $250,000 from Wichita State alums Erin and Kyle Cummings, coupled with a reallocation of existing WSUFAE investments to support the initiative.

“We recognize that the university is placing a tremendous amount of trust in us,” said Manas Mabanambedu, freshman at Wichita State and stock analyst for the fund. “That trust gives us confidence. We want to see Wichita State in national headlines. We want to stand out from the crowd.”

That trust, and the opportunities it begets, promises a substantial return on investment. But the practical application is but one of the many advantages students gain. Through regular meetings with the WSUFAE investment committee, they’re able to learn from industry veterans, in addition to hands-on mentoring.

“The networking is invaluable,” Barret said. “Not many students have the chance to establish a network with such a team of seasoned experts prior to graduation.”

Paul Attwater, branch manager for J.P. Morgan Stanley, provides the students with direct guidance.

“Respect and diligence went into the process of selecting Paul Attwater as their mentor,” Barret said. “He will shape our students into excellent stewards of the gifts from our donors.”

During the nascent stages of the program, Attwater helped the students draft an investment policy statement to present to the investment committee for approval. He has also taken care to provide insight from other professionals, including former Wichita State baseball coach Gene Stephenson.

“The goal of the program is obviously to become more educated investors,” Mabanambedu said. “But hearing from Wichita State alumni has really inspired me. I realize how much I can provide to my school.”