Faculty Senate meeting, March 31, 2025

WSU & WSU Tech Combined Faculty Senate Meeting Agenda: (Welcome and Introduction) / Mathew Muether, Lauren Thornhill -- (WSU President’s Report) / Mathew Muether -- (WSU Tech President’s Report) / Lauren Thornhill – (New Business): Systemwide gen ed discussion -- Faculty tuition assistance programs -- Improving cross-campus connections -- (As May Arise): Siewert recommended collaboration on artificial intelligence or any other topic that’s of interest to both Senates. -- WSU Senator Sterritt had several questions regarding the Canvas LMS

The prosecution of sexual assault cases with forensic DNA evidence: Survivors’ testimony experiences

This is an open access article under the CC BY license.Most sexual assaults reported to the police are not prosecuted, and recent federal policy initiatives seek to change these patterns by promoting forensic DNA testing and utilizing that evidence in court. These directives also instruct legal practitioners to place more emphasize on the evidentiary merits of a case rather than common rape myths about perceived victim credibility. This study explored sexual assault survivors’ experiences providing court testimony in the prosecution of “cold case” sexual assaults that were reopened after DNA testing results corroborated their reports. Using qualitative interview methods, we explored two research questions: (a) how did survivors describe the emotions they experienced during court testimony? (b) how did survivors describe their interactions with legal practitioners during their court testimony? We examined whether survivors’ narratives differed based on the type of sexual assault (stranger perpetrated or nonstranger perpetrated, a defining feature of the “real rape” myth), and how their cases were adjudicated (guilty plea or trial). Results indicated that while forensic DNA evidence was instrumental in reopening these cases, it did not appear to qualitatively shift survivors’ experiences in court or prevent retraumatization. Nearly all survivors described testifying as an emotionally difficult experience marked by anxiety and humiliation. Most survivors stated that defense attorneys attempted to discredit them by evoking common rape myths about victims’ credibility. The results highlight the need for trauma-informed training for legal practitioners on how to prepare survivors for court hearings and how to mitigate the harm of rape myth stereotypes. © 2025 The Author(s)U.S. Department of Justice, DOJ; Office on Violence Against Women, OVW, (2018-SI-AX-0001); Office on Violence Against Women, OVWThe methodology and results of this project were summarized in the grant\u2019s final report, \u201CEvaluating A Victim Notification Protocols for Untested Sexual Assault Kits (SAKs),\u201D submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women. This report was also archived in the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data (https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR38921.v1). This research was supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women (2018-SI-AX-0001). The opinions or points of view expressed in this document are solely those of the authors and do not reflect the official positions of any participating organization or the U.S. Department of Justice. The authors assure that no financial interest or benefit has arisen from the direct applications of this research

Faculty perceptions of “Servingness” at an emerging Hispanic serving institution

Click on the DOI link to access this article at the publishers website (may not be free).The United States has seen an exponential growth in the number of higher education institutions seeking the federally designated Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) status. Recent literature has made distinctions between Hispanic enrolling versus Hispanic serving, stressing the importance of ensuring aspiring HSIs to authentically serve their growing Latinx population. The concept of “servingness” provided a framework for situating what it means to serve and be responsive to the needs of Latinx students and not merely focus on meeting enrollment standards. This study examined faculty perceptions about what it means to enact servingness in a mid-sized public research university that was in the process of moving toward HSI status. © 2025 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

Assessing the impact of large language models on the scalability and efficiency of automated feedback mechanisms in massive open online courses

Click on the DOI link to access this article at the publishers website (may not be free).The rapid proliferation of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) offers particular difficulties in providing timely and high-quality personalized feedbacks associated with customer interactions at scale. This research examines the gap which Large Language Models (LLMs) address with focus on automation in providing timely feedback and the scalability efficiencies of LLMs in the feedback scope provided in MOOC settings. Adopting a results-oriented experimental approach to feedback systems, LLMs like GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 are implemented across varying course contexts and learning groups. Their outputs are benchmarked against traditional systems through semantic similarity calculations, response time measurement, cost evaluation, and learner satisfaction metrics. LLMs’ ability to comply with instructor feedback while improving responsiveness and personalization outpaced traditional methods in every context analyzed, with satisfaction scores outperforming pre-set benchmarks across the board. Learners reported appreciation towards AI responses, citing enhanced understanding and interaction, overshadowed by defendable claims of bias, genericity, and flawed constituent pressure. All in all, the study provides concrete guidance illustrating the ways in which LLMs reconfigure pedagogical feedback mechanisms alongside MOOCs, shaping subsequent shifts in the design and integration strategies utilized in e-learning frameworks across the world. © The Research Publication

An initial study of language preferences and ableism: Interviews of autistic adolescents and young adults

Presented to the 21st Annual Symposium on Graduate Research and Scholarly Projects (GRASP) held at the Rhatigan Student Center, Wichita State University, April 11, 2025.Research completed in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, College of Health Professions.INTRODUCTION: The language used by educational and medical professionals can assist in providing the best care; alternatively, words can create barriers between professionals and the individuals they serve. A broad range of terms are acceptable to use with autistic individuals with the two most common being identity first language (IFL) or person first language (PFL). There is evidence documenting that some autistic adults in the U.S. prefer IFL. However, individuals from some European countries prefer PFL for linguistic reasons. It is vital for professionals to use the language preferred by the individual to provide person-centered care. PURPOSE: While previous research has queried autistic individuals about their preferences through surveys, a gap exists in exploring the actual impact language has on autistic adults. The current study examined the impact language has on autistic adolescents and young adults. METHOD: Autistic adolescents and young adults (N = 12) participated in semi-structured interviews using a set of questions regarding their preferences for PFL or IFL and what they want professionals to know about autism and ableism. This was part of a larger study exploring autistic individuals' use of various linguistic features. RESULTS: Significant statements in the interview transcripts were identified. The authors will review transcripts for codes and thematic analysis will be conducted.? CONCLUSION: Many participants did not share that PFL or IFL had an impact on them while Taboas et al. (2023) indicated the impact of identifying language needed further examination. Clinical implications and suggestions for future research will be shared.Graduate School, Academic Affairs, University Librarie

Private entrepreneurs and public services: The role of endogenous capabilities

Available for purchase as an individual chapter online or in the complete book in print or online.Public agencies are increasingly partnering with private entrepreneurs to deliver public services, particularly in developing countries with underdeveloped infrastructures. By sharing their resources and operations, both parties can create new capabilities in the process of value creation and devise new goals. Shared governance modes have shown to preserve the overall quality of services, but the complexity of this joint activity, coupled with the profit-maximizing orientation of private entrepreneurs, may lead to the development of new capabilities that conflict with social interests. We address these concerns by analyzing the endogenous emergence of capabilities in Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) and show how these can be plagued with rent-seeking and mission creep that reduce overall well-being. Drawing upon Penrose’s theory of firm growth, we show that PPPs are most likely to develop capabilities that go against the public interest when entrepreneurs are relatively efficient, contracts governing the provision are unclear as to the expansion of services, the attributes of the product being delivered are difficult to measure, and the service expertise is predominantly provided by the private sector

Developments in aircraft manufacturing: The role of flame-resistant electrospun nanofibers in upgrading structural integrity

Poster and abstract presented at the FYRE in STEM Showcase, 2025.Research project completed at the Department of Mechanical Engineering.As the number of commercial flying hours continues to grow, stronger safety measures are needed to ensure the protection of crew, passengers, and estimable property. Therefore, upgrading the materials used within the inside of the aircraft, as well as the outside is vital to increasing the well-being of those occupying the aircraft. Incorporating flame-resistant electrospun polymeric nanofibers in the manufacturing process of aircraft structural parts is one of the best methods to help reduce their flammability due to the polymers used in the electrospun solutions. The historical data on plane crashes reveals that when a fire occurs, loss of life is significantly increased due to the flames and dangerous chemicals in the cabin furnishings that are released when burned. Hence, by addressing flammability using the flame retardant electrospun fibers inside the aircraft, such loss of life and property can be reduced. This research aims to develop flame retardant electrospun nanofibers that can be incorporated into aircraft interiors which will act as insulation materials. Primarily, this study will focus on identifying the relevant mixture of materials to produce a nanofiber mat and examine the mechanical and flame properties of the fiber mat produced. Furthermore, the research mentors will aim to educate a freshman undergraduate student on the use of flame retardant nanofibers for safety in aircraft interiors and exteriors. While this initial study aims to present a new safety measure for aircraft regarding loss of life and property to fire, future assessment and work must be done to further develop pragmatic designs for commerical aircraft

A physics informed machine learning framework for state-of health assessment of lithium-ion batteries in resilient infrastructure applications

Poster project completed at Wichita State University, Department of Electrical and Computer EngineeringPresented at the 22nd Annual Capitol Graduate Research Summit, Topeka, KS, March 25, 2025.Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are widely used as energy sources in transportation and grid energy storage due to their high energy density, efficiency, and long lifespan. For instance, in regions like Kansas, which are prone to severe weather events such as tornadoes, LIBs offer a feasible solution for backup power during outages, playing an essential role in maintaining essential services and supporting resilient infrastructure. However, LIBs degrade over time, and if their degradation mechanisms are not properly monitored and managed, they can lead to operational failures or thermal runaway. State of health (SOH) assessment is crucial for monitoring battery performance. However, traditional methods that rely solely on capacity changes are insufficient due to the complexity of LIBs degradation. This work presents a framework for SOH assessment using differential voltage analysis (DVA) and machine learning. Commercial LIBs were tested under various charge/discharge rates, depths of discharge (DOD), and temperatures. Reference performance tests (RPTs) were conducted until end-of-life (EOL), and DVA extracted significant parameters, including internal resistance, active mass loss, and electrode stoichiometries. Additionally, to predict EOL, a Random Forest machine learning model was implemented on a Raspberry Pi computer, to enable real-time monitoring and remote data transmission to a cloud service for a centralized disaster control agency. Cells cycled at 100% DOD experienced greater cathode material loss. The Random Forest model processed data in about 2.9 seconds and achieved an accuracy of 86.67%. This accuracy demonstrates the potential of the low-cost model to facilitate remote monitoring of SOH and for secure power supply in extreme conditions

Micro-Xray Tomography based pore-scale simulation of additively manufactured wicks

Click on the DOI link to access this article at the publishers website (may not be free).Recent technological advancements in additive manufacturing (AM) offer the design flexibility of desired wick structures for high heat flux cooling systems for miniaturized electronic, thermoelectric power, and space systems, to name a few. Despite the successful experimental demonstration of the AM wicks, the accurate predictions of key thermophysical properties are far behind, mainly due to non-uniform pore structures. In this study, a micro-Xray computed tomography (μCT)-based computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is developed to accurately predict permeability. To develop the pore-scale simulation approach, an AM wick was fabricated and approximately 2,000 tomographic images were generated using the voxel size of ∼ 0.6 μm. The images are processed and the reconstructed model is imported into an open-source CFD code, i.e., OpenFOAM. The predicted porosity and permeability are compared with the experimental results. To predict permeability, the simpleFOAM solver was used for laminar flow simulation under small pressure gradient and symmetric boundary conditions at ambient temperature, followed by Darcy's law for the permeability calculation. The predicted permeability in the z-direction showed 2.24 × 10–12 m2, which agrees reasonably with the experimental results (1.25 × 10–12 m2). The permeability was also estimated using the Carman-Kozeny relation (2.13 × 10–13 m2), which underpredicts both CFD and experimental results. The results obtained provide insights into the tailored heat and mass transfer of the AM wicks for optimal wick designs and AM process map. © 2025 Elsevier LtdNational Aeronautics and Space Administration, NASA; College of Engineering, University of Arkansas; Wichita State University; National Science Foundation, NSF, (OIA-1929187); National Science Foundation, NSFThis work is financially supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF), Award No. OIA-1929187 and the Wichita State University Convergence Sciences Initiative Program. This work is also financially supported by the College of Engineering, Wichita State University. Part of this work was carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The authors would like to thank Robin White for their exceptional micro-CT work and file preparation