The director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) visited Wichita State University on Friday morning.

The Honorable Sethuraman Panchanathan toured Wichita State’s National Institute for Aviation Research, WSU Tech and the National Center for Aviation Training as a guest of U.S. Senator Jerry Moran.

“I always believe that the real work happens in places like Wichita, and Wichita State is truly an example,” Panchanathan said.

The tours focused on demonstrating how Wichita State partners with industry to educate and train students for the workforce through applied learning.

“Wichita State University is doing amazing things,” Panchanathan said. “When I look at the convergence of what industry needs and what we need to train the next generation of experts, that fusion is right here in action – live - which is phenomenal to watch.”

“For the national security and economic well-being of our nation, we need to make sure that we are investing in science and engineering,” Moran said. “NSF is the primary funder of opportunities to grow that science across the country.”

Earlier this month, Moran also accompanied representatives from Micron Technology and SpaceX on their visits to Wichita.

“While we saw certainly what potential there is for Wichita and Kansas businesses to do more work for companies across the country, none of that is possible without the necessary education and training that takes place in our universities and our technical and community colleges across Kansas,” Moran said.

This was Panchanathan’s second trip to Wichita with Moran. The trip also included a visit to Pittsburg State University’s Tyler Research Center.

Last month, the NSF released its most recent survey for Higher Education Research and Development, in which Wichita State cracked the top 20 in engineering R&D expenditures for the first time. Wichita State’s total R&D expenditures were listed at $192 million.

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Wichita State University’s National Institute for Aviation Research provides research, testing, certification and training for aviation and manufacturing technologies. Established in 1985, NIAR has a +$190 million annual budget; 1,200 employees and nearly 1.6 million square feet of laboratory and office space in six locations across the city of Wichita, the Air Capital of the World. NIAR laboratories include Additive Manufacturing, Advanced Coatings, Advanced Manufacturing, Ballistics/Impact Dynamics, Composites/Advanced Materials, Crash Dynamics, Digital Twin, Engineering Design/Modification, Environmental/ Electromagnetic Test, Full-Scale Structural Test, Nondestructive Test, Reverse Engineering, Robotics/Automation, Virtual Engineering, eXtended Reality and the Walter H. Beech Wind Tunnel. 

Wichita State University is Kansas' only urban public research university, enrolling almost 22,000 students between its main campus and WSU Tech, including students from every state in the U.S. and more than 100 countries. Wichita State and WSU Tech are recognized for being student centered and innovation driven.

Located in the largest city in the state with one of the highest concentrations in the United States of jobs involving science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), Wichita State University provides uniquely distinctive and innovative pathways of applied learning, applied research and career opportunities for all of our students.

The Innovation Campus, which is a physical extension of the Wichita State University main campus, is one of the nation’s largest and fastest-growing research/innovation parks, encompassing over 120 acres and is home to a number of global companies and organizations.

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