Wright Brothers Day celebrates innovative spirit, then and now

Wright State University will celebrate the innovation and entrepreneurship of its namesakes during Wright Brothers Day on Thursday, Oct. 3, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Student Union Atrium.

Wright State University will celebrate the innovation and entrepreneurship of its namesakes for the 13th straight year. The public is invited to see what Dayton’s famous sons have wrought, and how their spirit lives on through Wright State’s students, faculty, staff and community.

Wright State will celebrate Wright Brothers Day on Thursday, Oct. 3, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Student Union Atrium. The event will feature about 20 exhibits showcasing innovations that have taken or are taking flight in part because of the Wright brothers’ legacy.

Wright State observes Wright Brothers Day as close to Oct. 5 as possible. On that day in 1905, Wilbur and Orville Wright’s airplane — piloted by Wilbur — flew for 39 minutes at Huffman Prairie near what is now Wright State’s campus and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. That flight, following the first powered flight they made on Dec. 17, 1903, of 12 seconds, demonstrated that the brothers had developed their design to the point of practicality.

“We want to celebrate the innovative spirit of the Wright Brothers, and all that is being developed every day here at Wright State,” said Kendall Goodrich, Ph.D., professor of marketing and chair of the School of Supply Chain Management, Marketing and Management in the Raj Soin College of Business. “We thank and celebrate all of the innovators from around campus and the local area who are participating.”

The event is coordinated by the students in the American Marketing Association chapter at Wright State. Goodrich, the chapter’s advisor, said the marketing students have taken on this event as part of learning about the profession of promotion.

“We can market it and get the word out among students,” said Victoria Smith, a sophomore marketing major from Springfield and chapter president.

Smith said it’s important for students to know about the Wright brothers and celebrate their heritage.

“I feel like so much of their energy is on campus, not only their names but also their ideas,” Smith said. “Their entrepreneurship, innovation, advancement of science and technology — that is what Wright State is all about.”

She added, “This is open to students and the community – pretty much anybody who wants to celebrate the Wright brothers.”

Wright Brothers Day will feature innovative research and demonstrations from local organizations and Wright State faculty, students and programs.

Exhibitors scheduled to participate in Wright Brothers Day include:

• EduGate: societal data gateway/artificial intelligence
• Air Force Research Lab GRILL: video and VR game development
• Wright State’s Center for Genomics Research: direct, real-time sequencing of mRNA
• Cybersecurity training program
• Hyphen Innovations: aerospace, 3D printing
• Biomedical engineering: Anthropometric, 3D scanning
• Hydrology and climate change: effect on plants and animals
• Wright State nursing simulation
• EZKin Factory View: data-driven production planning
• Drone Express: drone delivery
• Dayton Photonics: Wi-Fi-enabled fiber optics
• Total Contact: custom burn mask
• Dropped Head Syndrome Brace Biomechanics
• Biomedical engineering-pacemaker battery life monitor
• Wright State’s Neuroscience and Cognitive Lab
• NeuroLab: nerve-driven robotic claw
• Seer Consulting: artificial intelligence demonstration
• AI Corneal Evaluation

Wright State University Libraries’ Special Collections and Archives, which houses one of the world’s most complete collections of Wright family material, will have a display and a trivia board.

“I think the Wright brothers would be intrigued by all the innovative elements and the fact we have researchers here doing things they wouldn’t have imagined,” Goodrich said.