Having direct access to students’ talent and skills is a huge part of why Airbus Americas
moved to the Wichita State campus two years ago. One of those opportunities for collaboration
played out perfectly this winter when Airbus officials in the research and technology
department needed a last-minute artistic rendering for an airplane seat under development.
“Normally this wouldn’t be possible since we would have to contract with an artist,
but with our proximity to WSU we decided to reach out to see what was possible,” says
Samantha Stinson, Airbus marketing specialist and a WSU MBA student.
Within 12 hours, Shocker Studios Director Justin Rorabaugh had connected Airbus with
Daniela “Dany” Diaz-Sustaita, a junior in the College of Fine Arts. After signing
a non-disclosure agreement, she quickly produced three designs that demonstrated the
seat Airbus was developing.
And she did it during finals week.
“The response we received was incredible,” says Glenn Ramos, senior engineer, A350
Seats Engineering. “The sketches that were provided to us really put everything together. This
coordination clearly showed what can be done when academia and industry join forces.”
Dawn Isometsa, a design engineering intern at Airbus and a mechanical engineering
junior, is excited for more opportunities to work with WSU in the future.
“The collaboration between Airbus and Wichita State University turned out to be an
extraordinarily positive experience for all of us,” Isometsa says. “Dany brought exceptional
motivation and positivity to the project. I could call her to tweak something on the
rendering and she would get it back to us that same day.”
Dany says she had never designed anything like this before and that becoming completely
in tune with Airbus’ vision was a challenge. Thankfully, it was just the kind of challenge
she thrives on.
“The short time frame affected the project very little since I work better under a
deadline,” she says. “I tend to do better under pressure.”
Working on a real-life project and tight deadline gave Dany the exact kind of experience
she needs to better prepare for her future career. And it will look great on her resume.
“This definitely helped me get a perspective of what is to come in the future,” she
says. “As an animation major, it was great to get a chance to step away from programs
like Maya and After Effects to start drawing traditionally again. This makes me remember
that I have a wide variety of skills that can help me in my career and keep my options
open.”
Stinson says that while Airbus has utilized WSU interns since locating on campus,
this has opened Airbus officials’ eyes to the additional collaboration possibilities
they have in their backyard.
“This showed us the true opportunities that come out of an applied learning university
like WSU,” she says.
The mission of Wichita State University is to be an essential educational, cultural and economic driver for Kansas and the
greater public good. Wichita State is a doctoral research university enrolling nearly
15,000 students and offering 59 undergraduate degree programs in more than 150 areas
of study in seven undergraduate colleges. The Graduate School offers 45 master's and
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