4.17.23

WSU alumnus recognized as Modern-Day Technology Leader

Joshua Bosire ’15/20/21, senior experimental flight test engineer at Textron Aviation in Wichita, has been recognized as a 2023 Black Engineer of the Year Award (BEYA) Modern-Day Technology Leader for his contributions to engineering and in promoting diversity and inclusion in his community.

The award is not Bosire’s first professional accolade. He is a three-time winner of the Leading Edge Award (2019, 2020, 2021) and in 2022 was a member of the Textron Aviation Cessna SkyCourier group presented the James McDonnell Team Achievement Award by the Society of Flight Test Engineers for the group’s exceptional 22 months of work in gaining FAA certification in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bosire, who holds a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering, a master’s degree in engineering management and an MBA from Wichita State, began his career as an aerodynamics intern at Hawker Beechcraft (now Textron Aviation) in 2012 while a student at WSU. He joined Textron Aviation as a full-time flight test engineer in 2015 and has supported a wide variety of flight programs — everything from AT-6 military aircraft to Beechcraft King Air turboprop models and Cessna Citation jets.

His specific work responsibilities are also wide-ranging. “My job,” he explains, “entails the creation of performance numbers to support flights, re-creation of accident data to support the National Transportation Safety Board, on-board and telemetry room support by monitoring live stream data, providing clear and timely feedback to pilots during test flights, creating and validating tools, designing desktop models to support flight testing, researching regulatory requirement, developing test procedures for testing, writing test plans and test reports.”

Brought up by a single parent in Kenya, Bosire says he has always been mechanically inclined and remembers “taking electronics apart and reassembling them.” He credits his late mother, a librarian by profession, with imparting to him the importance of education. “One quote that resonates with me to this day,” he says, “is this: ‘If you are not willing to learn, no one can help you. If you are determined to learn, no one can stop you.’”

That mindset, coupled with his natural disposition for STEM subjects, underlies not only his own educational and professional pursuits but also his volunteer activities, especially those that focus on building mentor relationships. He is, for example, an active member of the local chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers. “Reaching out to kids through mentorship programs not only creates opportunities for these kids to interact with individuals who are doing well at their craft, but also allows them to see a person of color in this role in an industry where minorities make up less than 15 percent in the United States,” he says. Reflecting back on his years as a Wichita State student and young engineer, Bosire says, “I faced many challenges in my pursuit of higher knowledge, but those challenges provided me with learning opportunities. The long hours dedicated to assignments, homework and projects were lessons — lessons that nothing good comes easy.”