Bring your perspective
01
Start with what you notice, what you question, and what you care about. You don’t need to have the answer to have something to contribute.
FIREWATCH
In collaboration withLockheed Martin Skunk Works®
A wildfire innovation challenge.
Bring your perspective to a new challenge with Lockheed Martin Skunk Works®. Join WSU students across disciplines to explore wildfire innovation, together.
Register interest (opens Google Forms in a new tab)Be first to hear when the full challenge is revealed.
Why Firewatch?01
A real challenge. A chance to make your mark.
Wildfire puts communities, landscapes, and livelihoods at risk. Finding better ways to address it takes people who can connect technology, human needs, and practical realities.
Firewatch brings Wichita State students together in collaboration with Lockheed Martin Skunk Works® to explore that challenge. It’s an opportunity to apply what you’re learning, develop ideas with people outside your major, and learn from industry professionals.
Bring what you know. Discover what you can contribute.
Work on something that matters.
Explore ideas with a purpose beyond the classroom.
Connect with Skunk Works®.
Pursue opportunities for one-on-one collaboration with Lockheed Martin professionals.
Make your thinking visible.
Develop and present an idea that shows how you approach a complex problem.
The experience02
Ideas get better when they come together.
Bring your strengths to a student team and an opportunity to collaborate with Skunk Works®.
Work across disciplines
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Connect with people who think differently. Combine your strengths and discover what you can do together.
Develop and share ideas
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Give an idea shape. Learn from other perspectives and practice making your thinking clear.
Prizes & opportunities03
A chance to go behind the scenes.
The headline prize: a trip to tour Lockheed Martin facilities and see innovation up close.
A trip to Lockheed Martin
Compete for the opportunity to tour Lockheed Martin facilities and see where innovation happens.
One-on-one collaboration
Opportunities to work one-on-one with Lockheed Martin and Skunk Works® professionals.
Additional awards
Additional awards will be announced with the full challenge.
Trip selection, travel arrangements, and collaboration details will be shared with the full challenge.
Where you fit04
There’s a place for your way of thinking.
Engineering, computing, design, communication, business, operations. Different strengths belong at the same table.
Engineering & computing
Explore possibilities. Connect ideas. Think through how things could work.
Design & communication
Ask better questions. Make ideas understandable. Bring a human perspective.
Business & operations
See the bigger picture. Consider practical realities. Help a team move forward.
These are possibilities, not a checklist. Bring the skills and interests that make you, you.
A few things to know05
Curious? Start here.
How is Skunk Works® involved?
Firewatch offers opportunities for one-on-one collaboration with Lockheed Martin and Skunk Works® professionals through WSU Innovation Works. Details about these opportunities will be shared with the full challenge.
Who is Firewatch for?
Firewatch invites WSU students across majors. Technical, creative, business, and operational perspectives all have a place. You do not need to be an engineer to express interest.
Do I need a team to register interest?
No. You can register interest on your own. If you already have a team, one person can submit the form and list the other members’ names and email addresses. Those teammates do not need separate submissions. Registering interest does not guarantee team placement.
What does registering interest mean?
It lets the organizers know you would like to hear more about Firewatch. We will use your details to share challenge updates. It is not a proposal submission or a completed competition entry.
When will the full challenge be revealed?
The full challenge and participation details are coming later. Register your interest to hear when they are available.
What are the prizes and opportunities?
The headline prize is a trip to tour Lockheed Martin facilities. Firewatch also offers opportunities for one-on-one collaboration with Lockheed Martin and Skunk Works® professionals. Trip selection, travel arrangements, collaboration details, and additional awards will be announced with the full challenge.
When will Firewatch take place?
Firewatch is planned for Fall 2026. Exact event dates and the schedule will be shared when confirmed.