Last week’s news in brief — July 1

ATF announces Crime Gun Intelligence Center of Excellence at WSU

Wichita State’s Innovation Campus is getting its newest addition.

On Wednesday, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives announced that ATF’s Crime Gun Intelligence Center of Excellence will be located on the WSU Innovation Campus. 

According to an ATF news release, the Center of Excellence will be a model for the use of crime gun intelligence (CGI) in supporting law enforcement agencies throughout the United States.

WSU’s news release about the topic said that the partnership supports the university’s goals to fuel the talent pipeline in the region and help the state’s economy through innovative education.

“Wichita State’s strategic partnerships with industry and government agencies stimulate job growth for our region and help our students gain valuable hands-on learning experiences,” Rick Muma, president of Wichita State, said in the release.

Patterson Family Foundation awards $100,000 in WSU health professions scholarships

Last week, the Patterson Family Foundation awarded $100,000 for 10 WSU health professions scholarships in 2022-2023.

The scholarship will help health professions majors from rural counties in Kansas in their pursuit of education at WSU. The Patterson Family Foundations’ mission is to help uplift rural communities through health care, education, economic opportunity, etc.

“Students from small, rural communities can get overlooked when applying for financial aid,” Brad Kohlman, director of development for Kansas counties at the WSU Foundation, said. “But this scholarship support will be transformative for the students, their families and their home communities for years to come.”

Supporting rural counties will help boost economic growth in those communities, and future graduates will likely bring new perspectives to the rural areas.

Wichita State continues to offer free COVID-19 testing

From now until December 2022, Wichita State’s Molecular Diagnostics Lab will offer free COVID-19 tests to the public.

Getting tested involves three fairly simple steps: registering, taking the test and viewing the results 24 hours after the test.

More information about testing and the MDL can be found here.