New facility to come to Wichita State

Wichita State announced plans to build a National Forensic Laboratory last week. The $75 million laboratory will process shell casings — a case that surrounds a gun bullet — to help law enforcement agencies solve gun-related crimes across the U.S.

Steven Dettelbach, director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Sen. Jerry Moran visited the university to announce the plans.

According to Dettelbach and Moran, the laboratory will complement the Gun Crime Intelligence Center of Excellence as well as the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network Correlation and Training Center; both centers were announced last summer.

According to a WSU news release, the lab will lead to the addition of 100 jobs for students and full-time staff.

Construction on the laboratory and a location have not been confirmed yet.

WSU Tech president testifies at U.S. Senate hearing

Sheree Utash, WSU Tech president and VP of workforce development at WSU, testified before the U.S. Senate last week to highlight the importance of aviation training.

The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation brought various stakeholders together to discuss opportunities for improvement, increased representation and more. 

Many speakers noted the importance of working to recruit students into aviation before college, as well as the gap between male and female aviation professionals.

To hear more about what was discussed at the hearing, visit commerce.senate.gov/2023/3/strengthening-the-aviation-workforce.