Chancellor Gray-Little to host KU Elevate event in Wichita


WICHITA — The University of Kansas will showcase four of its most innovative researchers – with some help from one of its most fascinating aerospace engineering alumni – at an event in Wichita this week.

On Friday, Oct. 28, the university will host KU Elevate: Innovation in Action, an event featuring presentations from four cutting-edge KU researchers who are changing the world through innovation, from 9-11 a.m. at the National Center for Aviation Training in Wichita.

KU Elevate will have an intimate, TED Talk-style feel — from the staging to the production quality to the storytelling-style presentations — and is geared toward Wichita business and thought leaders. The event will be hosted by Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little, with special guest Marco Villa, a seasoned aerospace executive who has worked on some of the most advanced and cutting-edge programs in the aerospace industry.

“These will not be your ‘typical’ research talks,” said Chancellor Gray-Little. “KU Elevate is a high-energy, interactive showcase of four outstanding KU investigators who are starting companies, creating new technologies and developing new ways of thinking about crucial issues. The goal is for guests to learn about the great work being done at the University of Kansas, to be inspired and to leave the event thinking about ways they can partner with KU to benefit our region and our society.”

The four presenters are as follows:

  • Paul Atchley, professor of psychology, will deliver a talk titled “Driving yourself to distraction: The hidden perils of technology.”
  • Dr. Tracie Collins, professor and chair of preventive medicine and public health, will present a talk titled, “The privilege gap: African-American health disparities.”
  • Chris Depcik, associate professor of mechanical engineering, will discuss his work in a presentation titled “Optimizing for the now: Alternative fuels.”
  • And Kristi Neufeld, professor of molecular biosciences, will present “Go with your gut: The study of tumor-suppressing proteins.”

Full biographies of the presenters, as well as a full agenda and KU Elevate video, are available at elevate.ku.edu. The event will be live-streamed.

This is a reserved-seating event.

MEDIA: Media interested in covering the event should contact Joe Monaco, director of strategic communications, by midnight Thursday, Oct. 27.

 

Thu, 10/27/2016

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Joe Monaco

Media Contacts

Joe Monaco

KU Office of Public Affairs

785-864-7100