Wichita State entrepreneurs win Women for Women award
May 9, 2022
By Strategic Communications
Wichita State's College of Engineering
Since 1928, Wichita State's College of Engineering has built a reputation for equipping
engineering and computing students with the most complete education possible. From
hands-on research using the latest technology to our location in Kansas' center of
industry — with its virtually unlimited jobs, applied learning and professional connections
— Shocker engineering students have everything they need to make their dream careers
a reality.
Five Wichita State University women were honored with the Women for Women Innovation
Award for spring 2022. The Women for Women's Innovation Fund is awarded to Wichita
State University students to support innovative ideas that show promise of commercialization.
The Women for Women fund was established in 2020 with contributions to the WSU Foundation to support
women leaders and entrepreneurs in moving their ideas forward by providing recipients
a boost.
Sierra Bonn: Let’s Go Full STEAM Ahead!
Sierra is a senior in engineering. She said the inspiration for starting Let’s Go
Full STEAM Ahead! "was an interaction I had with a fifth-grader who wanted to know
if she could be an engineer like I am. Mia showed me what an impact seeing someone
like yourself in a field can make. That's the impact of Let's Go Full STEAM Ahead!”
Working to address the underrepresentation of women in STEAM fields, Let’s Go Full
STEAM Ahead! highlights the women who are in the STEAM field and makes their stories
accessible to youth of all ages.
Carly Overacker: Everwhen
After being tasked with a class assignment to find a need within the community, Carly
discovered that many of WSU students, faculty, staff and visitors were frustrated
by the time and gas it cost them to find a parking spot. This pain point led her to
start Everwhen.
Carly, a sophomore in engineering, said: “Everwhen provides users with an efficient way to find a parking space with our app
and lot owners with a new way to manage their parking lots. Our software utilizes
machine learning and is integrated with existing camera systems for a low cost.”
Brittany Wojciechowski, Amulya Lomte and Maria Jose Carrillo Munoz: Customizable and
Sustainable Breast Prosthesis
“More 100,000 women undergo a mastectomy each year in the United Sates without many
post-surgery options except for invasive breast reconstruction or generic breast prosthesis.”
Hoping to provide those women with more options, Brittany Wojciechowski, Amulya Lomte
and Maria Jose Carrillo Munoz began working on an alternative option. The team is
working on developing a customizable and biodegradable 3D-printed breast prosthesis.
Brittany, Amulya and Maria are all graduate students in the College of Engineering.
