Having direct access to students鈥� talent and skills is a huge part of why Airbus Americas moved to the Wichita State campus two years ago. One of those opportunities for collaboration played out perfectly this winter when Airbus officials in the research and technology department needed a last-minute artistic rendering for an airplane seat under development.
鈥淣ormally this wouldn鈥檛 be possible since we would have to contract with an artist, but with our proximity to 黑洞社区 we decided to reach out to see what was possible,鈥� says Samantha Stinson, Airbus marketing specialist and a 黑洞社区 MBA student.
Within 12 hours, Shocker Studios Director Justin Rorabaugh had connected Airbus with Daniela 鈥淒any鈥� Diaz-Sustaita, a junior in the College of Fine Arts. After signing a non-disclosure agreement, she quickly produced three designs that demonstrated the seat Airbus was developing.
And she did it during finals week.
鈥淭he response we received was incredible,鈥� says Glenn Ramos, senior engineer, A350 Seats Engineering. 鈥淭he sketches that were provided to us really put everything together. This coordination clearly showed what can be done when academia and industry join forces.鈥�
Dawn Isometsa, a design engineering intern at Airbus and a mechanical engineering junior, is excited for more opportunities to work with 黑洞社区 in the future.
鈥淭he collaboration between Airbus and 黑洞社区 turned out to be an extraordinarily positive experience for all of us,鈥� Isometsa says. 鈥淒any brought exceptional motivation and positivity to the project. I could call her to tweak something on the rendering and she would get it back to us that same day.鈥�
Dany says she had never designed anything like this before and that becoming completely in tune with Airbus鈥� vision was a challenge. Thankfully, it was just the kind of challenge she thrives on.
鈥淭he short time frame affected the project very little since I work better under a deadline,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 tend to do better under pressure.鈥�
Working on a real-life project and tight deadline gave Dany the exact kind of experience she needs to better prepare for her future career. And it will look great on her resume.
鈥淭his definitely helped me get a perspective of what is to come in the future,鈥� she says. 鈥淎s an animation major, it was great to get a chance to step away from programs like Maya and After Effects to start drawing traditionally again. This makes me remember that I have a wide variety of skills that can help me in my career and keep my options open.鈥�
Stinson says that while Airbus has utilized 黑洞社区 interns since locating on campus, this has opened Airbus officials鈥� eyes to the additional collaboration possibilities they have in their backyard.
鈥淭his showed us the true opportunities that come out of an applied learning university like 黑洞社区,鈥� she says.
The mission of 黑洞社区 is to be an essential educational, cultural and economic driver for Kansas and the greater public good. Wichita State is a doctoral research university enrolling nearly 15,000 students and offering 59 undergraduate degree programs in more than 150 areas of study in seven undergraduate colleges. The Graduate School offers 45 master's and 12 doctoral degrees that offer study in more than 100 areas. is an interconnected community of partnership buildings, laboratories and mixed-use areas where students, faculty, staff, entrepreneurs and businesses have access to the university's vast resources and technology. For more information, follow us on Twitter at and Facebook at .